MotoGP Brno practice: Late lap puts Johann Zarco on top in FP1
Tech3 Yamaha's Johann Zarco topped the first MotoGP practice session at Brno, demoting Andrea Dovizioso after the chequered flag fell
Marc Marquez led the early stages of the 45-minute session after a couple of fastest laps, the Honda rider staying ahead of Dovizioso until the middle part of the session.
The Ducati rider then managed to demote Marquez with a 1m56.720s with 24 minutes on the clock.
Dovizioso stayed in front with that lap until the very end of the session, when Zarco set a time of 1m56.647s to go fastest by 0.073s.
Marquez couldn't improve on his early-session time but still took third, albeit only 0.003s faster than Angel Nieto Ducati's Alvaro Bautista.
Valentino Rossi was 0.057s further adrift in fifth on the best of the factory Yamahas, followed by Suzuki's Andrea Iannone.
Next up were Honda duo Dani Pedrosa and Stefan Bradl, who is making his second MotoGP appearance this year as a wildcard after filling in for the injured Franco Morbidelli at the Sachsenring.
The Ducati GP17s of Jack Miller and Tito Rabat completed the top 10, ahead of Cal Crutchlow and Jorge Lorenzo.
Maverick Vinales was a lowly 14th, a little over a second off the pace.
Suzuki wildcard Sylvain Guintoli was 19th, two positions behind team-mate Alex Rins.
Morbidelli and Aleix Espargaro, both returning after skipping the Sachsenring race due to injury, were 22nd and 24th respectively.
FP1 times
| Pos | Rider | Team | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johann Zarco | Tech3 Yamaha | 1m56.647s | 16 |
| 2 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 0.073s | 16 |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 0.181s | 18 |
| 4 | Alvaro Bautista | Aspar Ducati | 0.184s | 17 |
| 5 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 0.241s | 16 |
| 6 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 0.432s | 17 |
| 7 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 0.642s | 17 |
| 8 | Stefan Bradl | Honda | 0.644s | 18 |
| 9 | Jack Miller | Pramac Ducati | 0.674s | 17 |
| 10 | Tito Rabat | Avintia Ducati | 0.678s | 17 |
| 11 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda | 0.739s | 17 |
| 12 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 0.779s | 14 |
| 13 | Hafizh Syahrin | Tech3 Yamaha | 0.781s | 15 |
| 14 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha | 1.117s | 18 |
| 15 | Danilo Petrucci | Pramac Ducati | 1.291s | 18 |
| 16 | Takaaki Nakagami | LCR Honda | 1.380s | 18 |
| 17 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1.385s | 16 |
| 18 | Pol Espargaro | KTM | 1.451s | 16 |
| 19 | Sylvain Guintoli | Suzuki | 1.467s | 18 |
| 20 | Thomas Luthi | MVDS Honda | 1.579s | 16 |
| 21 | Bradley Smith | KTM | 1.591s | 15 |
| 22 | Franco Morbidelli | MVDS Honda | 1.652s | 16 |
| 23 | Scott Redding | Aprilia | 1.850s | 15 |
| 24 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1.988s | 15 |
| 25 | Karel Abraham | Aspar Ducati | 2.405s | 13 |
| 26 | Xavier Simeon | Avintia Ducati | 3.216s | 14 |
Previous article
Leading MotoGP riders want longer summer break in future
Next article
Double MotoGP champion Stoner won't renew Ducati test rider deal
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Drivers | Johann Zarco |
| Teams | AB Motoracing |
| Author | David Gruz |
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Has Yamaha banished its demons with its 2021 MotoGP bike?
Against the expected run of play at Qatar's Losail circuit, both Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo carved through a resolute Ducati defence to secure back-to-back MotoGP wins for the Japanese marque. After a difficult 2020, it appears that Yamaha has swaggered back into championship contention
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
Did the Qatar GP hint at Ducati’s true MotoGP leader?
OPINION: Johann Zarco talked a big game pre-season, and is so far vindicating himself as a factory rider at Pramac after finishing the Qatar GP as top Ducati in second. And contrasting his and Jack Miller's weekends and their approaches, is Zarco emerging as Ducati's true MotoGP leader?
The key changes behind the latest 'return of the Mack'
Maverick Vinales’s authoritative victory at the MotoGP season opener came during a period of personal and professional change for the Yamaha rider. Can it be the springboard for a title challenge?
The past clues which hint at the MotoGP order in Qatar
The MotoGP season kicks off this weekend in Qatar - two years after it last visited the Losail circuit for a race weekend as last season's round was called off. As ever, the pecking order is difficult to map out at this early stage of the season, but perhaps the 2019 race offers some clues as to how things might shake out...
