Aragon MotoGP: Marquez takes charge in second practice
Marc Marquez took charge in MotoGP's second Friday practice session at Aragon
After a very close morning battle was won by Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo, the afternoon session was dominated by Honda.
Lorenzo and title rival Marquez immediately kicked off with their best laps of the day, but the latter's 1m48.987s was 0.418 seconds clear of Lorenzo's quickest effort.
This early-run times would stand as Marquez and Lorenzo's best of the day.
It was sufficient to keep Marquez on top for the rest of the session, but Lorenzo was pushed back to fourth.
First Marquez's works Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa moved up to second, then LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl put in a great lap to claim the spot, 0.132s slower than Marquez.
With Alvaro Bautista going fifth quickest for Gresini, Lorenzo was the sole Yamaha in a Honda-filled top five.
Bautista set his time on his first run and later had a crash at Turn 8. He was unhurt.
Yamaha riders Cal Crutchlow and Valentino Rossi were back in sixth and seventh, ahead of Ducati pacesetter Andrea Dovizioso and CRT leader Aleix Espargaro.
Pos Rider Bike Time Gap Laps 1. Marc Marquez Honda 1m48.987s 17 2. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 1m49.119s +0.132s 18 3. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m49.254s +0.267s 19 4. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m49.405s +0.418s 17 5. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda 1m49.763s +0.776s 14 6. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 1m49.840s +0.853s 18 7. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m49.909s +0.922s 16 8. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1m50.034s +1.047s 17 9. Aleix Espargaro Aspar Aprilia 1m50.055s +1.068s 15 10. Nicky Hayden Ducati 1m50.446s +1.459s 17 11. Andrea Iannone Pramac Ducati 1m50.727s +1.740s 18 12. Hector Barbera Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 1m50.913s +1.926s 16 13. Bradley Smith Tech 3 Yamaha 1m50.944s +1.957s 18 14. Yonny Hernandez Pramac Ducati 1m51.345s +2.358s 17 15. Claudio Corti Forward FTR-Kawasaki 1m51.461s +2.474s 17 16. Randy de Puniet Aspar Aprilia 1m51.699s +2.712s 16 17. Colin Edwards Forward FTR-Kawasaki 1m52.020s +3.033s 18 18. Danilo Petrucci Ioda-Suter-BMW 1m52.121s +3.134s 18 19. Hiroshi Aoyama Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 1m52.227s +3.240s 14 20. Michael Laverty PBM-Aprilia 1m53.220s +4.233s 14 21. Luca Scassa Cardion Aprilia 1m53.338s +4.351s 17 22. Bryan Staring Gresini FTR-Honda 1m53.557s +4.570s 14 23. Lukas Pesek Ioda-Suter-BMW 1m54.793s +5.806s 15 24. Damien Cudlin PBM-Aprilia 1m55.343s +6.356s 16
Aragon MotoGP: Lorenzo edges Marquez in first practice
Aragon MotoGP: Valentino Rossi sets pace in third practice
Quartararo: Yamaha “playing too far from the rules” against its MotoGP rivals
Fabio Quartararo believes the way Yamaha is operating relative to its MotoGP rivals in 2022 is “too far away from the rules” and sees parallels with Honda’s situation.
Bagnaia "lucky" to be back in MotoGP title hunt
Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia admits his recent back-to-back victories that have catapulted him back into MotoGP title contention were "lucky" because of problems for his main rivals.
Marc Marquez ‘won’t wait to be 100%’ fit to make MotoGP return
Marc Marquez says he will return to riding a MotoGP bike following his fourth major arm operation when he is “70, 80%” fit as “you can’t wait to be 100%.”
Mir “doesn’t want to destroy” Honda MotoGP team set-up in 2023
Joan Mir is “really close” to a 2023 MotoGP deal with Honda, but “doesn’t want to destroy” the team balance by bringing loads of ex-Suzuki crew with him.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special