MotoGP Aragon GP: Marquez fastest in opening practice, Bagnaia 21st

New sun-kissed MotorLand asphalt provided an idyllic stage for first practice at MotoGP’s Aragon GP, but looks are deceiving in what is likely to be an unrepresentative session

Marc Marquez, the undisputed master of exploiting low or mixed grip conditions, set the pace in free practice 1 for MotoGP’s Aragon GP on his Gresini Racing Ducati GP23.

Marquez’s five wins at the circuit make him the most successful rider in the 14 editions of the Grand Prix, and he earned the top spot by almost half a second over Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin.

But the Spaniard’s effort was more than two seconds away from the lap record set at the previous outing in Aragon in 2022 following resurfacing at the MotorLand Aragon circuit.

“The problem with Aragon was the grip, which was so low in the past… we need to see now,” cautioned Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Vinales on Thursday after a large contingent of the paddock had walked the 3.1-mile layout for a cursory view of the new surface.

“I expect the first practice to clean it and then get better every session. We don’t have much time…so we have to be very clear how we want to work.”

Martin was the first of the 2024-spec factory Ducatis as world champion Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini struggled. Both Italians ran off-line or off-track several times and Bagnaia’s P21 is his worst FP1 classification of the season, 1.9s away from future team-mate Marquez.

Bastianini completed the most laps with 20 and managed to squeeze into the top ten with ninth.

“The track situation is not good at the moment, the grip level is very low and they have no confidence to lean the bike,” Michelin Two Wheel Motorsport Manager Piero Taramasso said.

Aragon circuit

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“This is a problem: when the asphalt is new there is some oil coming up. It will take time to clean the track and put rubber down to maximise the grip.

“We’ll need to wait until this afternoon and good conditions to push to the limit.”

GASGAS Tech3’s Pedro Acosta was third fastest, 0.6s behind Marquez, and headed another KTM RC16 with Brad Binder on the factory machine indicating that the Austrian bikes look more formidable across the greasy tarmac than the Aprilias in the fight to be the best-non Ducati. The Italian brand’s prominent runner was Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira in seventh.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46) was fifth quickest, despite nursing a weakened left shoulder after crashing on Friday at the previous Grand Prix in Spielberg and dislocating the limb.

Binder’s team-mate Jack Miller rode to eighth, enforcing the positive start to the day for the Pierer Mobility collective.

Pramac Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli completed the top 10 and was the last rider inside the one second bracket from Marquez.

Vinales toiled to 12th, but fared better then Aprilia team-mate Aleix Espargaro who was a distant 22nd and last, three seconds off the pace.

Leading spot in the ‘Japanese Cup’ went to factory Honda rider Joan Mir, less than a tenth faster than Yamaha’s Alex Rins, who is running a new aerodynamic configuration with the M1 after recent tests at Misano.

MotoGP Aragon GP - FP1 results:

1 - 2
Cla	Rider	#	Bike	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h	Speed Trap
1	M. Marquez Gresini Racing	93	Ducati	13	1'48.289		168.814	346
2	J. Martin Pramac Racing	89	Ducati	18	+0.483 1'48.772	0.483	168.065	341
3	P. Acosta Tech 3	31	KTM	18	+0.613 1'48.902	0.130	167.864	345
4	B. Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33	KTM	19	+0.663 1'48.952	0.050	167.787	344
5	F. Di Giannantonio Team VR46	49	Ducati	13	+0.665 1'48.954	0.002	167.784	337
6	A. Marquez Gresini Racing	73	Ducati	18	+0.755 1'49.044	0.090	167.646	340
7	M. Oliveira Trackhouse Racing Team	88	Aprilia	18	+0.797 1'49.086	0.042	167.581	344
8	J. Miller Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	43	KTM	19	+0.826 1'49.115	0.029	167.537	347
9	E. Bastianini Ducati Team	23	Ducati	20	+0.931 1'49.220	0.105	167.375	341
10	F. Morbidelli Pramac Racing	21	Ducati	16	+0.972 1'49.261	0.041	167.313	340
11	M. Bezzecchi Team VR46	72	Ducati	17	+1.082 1'49.371	0.110	167.144	344
12	M. Viñales Aprilia Racing Team	12	Aprilia	16	+1.160 1'49.449	0.078	167.025	339
13	J. Mir Repsol Honda Team	36	Honda	16	+1.276 1'49.565	0.116	166.848	344
14	A. Rins Yamaha Factory Racing	42	Yamaha	18	+1.359 1'49.648	0.083	166.722	339
15	T. Nakagami Team LCR	30	Honda	18	+1.366 1'49.655	0.007	166.711	338
16	A. Fernandez Tech 3	37	KTM	19	+1.380 1'49.669	0.014	166.690	342
17	J. Zarco Team LCR	5	Honda	18	+1.477 1'49.766	0.097	166.543	341
18	F. Quartararo Yamaha Factory Racing	20	Yamaha	19	+1.722 1'50.011	0.245	166.172	335
19	L. Marini Repsol Honda Team	10	Honda	17	+1.756 1'50.045	0.034	166.121	345
20	R. Fernández Trackhouse Racing Team	25	Aprilia	16	+1.844 1'50.133	0.088	165.988	340
21	F. Bagnaia Ducati Team	1	Ducati	14	+1.927 1'50.216	0.083	165.863	340
22	A. Espargaro Aprilia Racing Team	41	Aprilia	14	+3.174 1'51.463	1.247	164.007	342
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