Phillip Island MotoGP: Marc Marquez leads practice for Honda
An early Marc Marquez lap was good enough to top the opening 45-minute practice session for MotoGP's Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island
Marquez wasted little time getting down to business when the session kicked off, the points leader consistently the first to dip into the 1m31s, the 1m30s, and then the 1m29s bracket.
By the 10-minute mark Marquez was quickest with a 1m29.722s, going quicker again five minutes later with a 1m29.699s.
Right before the 20-minute mark he lowered the benchmark to 1m29.602s on mediums front and rear, that time good enough to hold off a number of soft-tyre runs at the end of the session and leave Marquez's Honda on top.
Tech3 Yamaha rider Johann Zarco wound up best of those to have tried out the soft tyres in the closing stages of the 45-minute session, jumping into second right on the flag with a 1m29.695s.
That knocked hometown hero Jack Miller, who had gone second quickest moments before, down to third on the Marc VDS Honda.
Andrea Dovizioso was fourth quickest, after making a mistake on what looked to be a session-topping soft tyre run right at the end of the session.
The title contender was quickest through the first sector on his penultimate lap, only to run wide at Turn 4 and ruin any chance of knocking Marquez off top spot.
Maverick Vinales completed the top five, while Andrea Iannone was sixth quickest on the Suzuka, one spot clear of Pol Espargaro on the KTM.
Jorge Lorenzo was eighth, first of the riders not to break into the 1m29s.
Bradley Smith, who was first of the riders to try out the soft rear tyre, and Cal Crutchlow rounded out the top 10.
Valentino Rossi languished outside the top 10 all session and managed just 13th, the best part of a second off the pace.
FP1 times
Pos | Rider | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 1m29.602s | - | 22 |
2 | Johann Zarco | Tech3 Yamaha | 1m29.695s | 0.093s | 22 |
3 | Jack Miller | MVDS Honda | 1m29.724s | 0.122s | 21 |
4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1m29.753s | 0.151s | 21 |
5 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha | 1m29.781s | 0.179s | 21 |
6 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1m29.857s | 0.255s | 20 |
7 | Pol Espargaro | KTM | 1m29.878s | 0.276s | 18 |
8 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 1m30.059s | 0.457s | 20 |
9 | Bradley Smith | KTM | 1m30.279s | 0.677s | 18 |
10 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda | 1m30.384s | 0.782s | 21 |
11 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 1m30.400s | 0.798s | 22 |
12 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1m30.494s | 0.892s | 19 |
13 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 1m30.553s | 0.951s | 21 |
14 | Karel Abraham | Aspar Ducati | 1m30.879s | 1.277s | 18 |
15 | Scott Redding | Pramac Ducati | 1m31.001s | 1.399s | 18 |
16 | Danilo Petrucci | Pramac Ducati | 1m31.174s | 1.572s | 21 |
17 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1m31.329s | 1.727s | 23 |
18 | Hector Barbera | Avintia Ducati | 1m31.457s | 1.855s | 12 |
19 | Tito Rabat | MVDS Honda | 1m31.599s | 1.997s | 24 |
20 | Loris Baz | Avintia Ducati | 1m31.614s | 2.012s | 22 |
21 | Alvaro Bautista | Aspar Ducati | 1m31.994s | 2.392s | 19 |
22 | Sam Lowes | Aprilia | 1m32.426s | 2.824s | 16 |
23 | Broc Parkes | Tech3 Yamaha | 1m33.054s | 3.452s | 19 |
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