MotoGP Argentina: Pedrosa usurps Crutchlow to top first practice

Pedrosa shot up to the top of the timing screens in the final seconds of the 45-minute session to lead a Honda 1-2 with LCR rider Cal Crutchlow in second by just 0.042s.

Pedrosa's team-mate Marc Marquez, who has been on pole for every MotoGP race held at the Argentine venue so far, initially led the way in FP1.

But the reigning champion was shuffled down to fourth at the conclusion of the opening runs, trailing Pramac Ducati's Jack Miller, Crutchlow and Tech3 Yamaha rookie Hafizh Syahrin.

Marquez restored himself to the top spot at the halfway point, first logging a 1m41.331s before posing gradual improvements of 1m41.081s and then a 1m40.951s.

As the session approached the final 10 minutes, Crutchlow overhauled Marquez by a tenth, but was immediately surpassed by Suzuki's Andrea Iannone, who had followed the Briton on his flying lap and helped himself to a 1m40.422s.

But a late improvement by Iannone was not enough to prevent him from being passed by Pedrosa and Crutchlow - and while he was up on their laptimes for most of his final effort at the chequered flag, he had to settle for third.

Tech3's Johann Zarco led the Yamaha contingent in fourth, ahead of Miller - the highest-placed Ducati rider, and Marquez. Yamaha's Valentino Rossi was seventh, ahead of Ducati's championship leader Andrea Dovizioso and his works team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Pramac's Danilo Petrucci completed the top 10 despite being the only rider to crash in the first session at the newly-surfaced track.

Petrucci took a tumble at the hairpin-like Turn 13 that had nearly caught out Marquez earlier on.

Maverick Vinales was only 13th in the second works Yamaha, as he was beaten by Syahrin and Aleix Espargaro - while the second works Suzuki rider Alex Rins was a low-key 21st.

FP1 results

Pos	Rider	Team	Bike	Gap	Laps
1	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	Honda	1m40.303s	18
2	Cal Crutchlow	LCR Honda	Honda	0.042s	18
3	Andrea Iannone	Suzuki	Suzuki	0.083s	18
4	Johann Zarco	Tech3 Yamaha	Yamaha	0.311s	20
5	Jack Miller	Pramac Ducati	Ducati	0.412s	18
6	Marc Marquez	Honda	Honda	0.478s	19
7	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	Yamaha	0.522s	19
8	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	Ducati	0.635s	17
9	Jorge Lorenzo	Ducati	Ducati	0.716s	17
10	Danilo Petrucci	Pramac Ducati	Ducati	0.763s	15
11	Hafizh Syahrin	Tech3 Yamaha	Yamaha	0.791s	17
12	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia	Aprilia	0.860s	20
13	Maverick Vinales	Yamaha	Yamaha	0.921s	20
14	Bradley Smith	KTM	KTM	0.983s	18
15	Scott Redding	Aprilia	Aprilia	1.043s	15
16	Pol Espargaro	KTM	KTM	1.052s	18
17	Tito Rabat	Avintia Ducati	Ducati	1.118s	22
18	Takaaki Nakagami	LCR Honda	Honda	1.146s	20
19	Franco Morbidelli	MVDS Honda	Honda	1.235s	19
20	Alvaro Bautista	Aspar Ducati	Ducati	1.321s	19
21	Alex Rins	Suzuki	Suzuki	1.499s	20
22	Xavier Simeon	Avintia Ducati	Ducati	1.889s	17
23	Thomas Luthi	MVDS Honda	Honda	2.395s	19
24	Karel Abraham	Aspar Ducati	Ducati	2.554s	17