Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Practice report

Spanish MotoGP: Bagnaia quickest in FP2 ahead of Quartararo

Francesco Bagnaia was fastest in second practice for the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix on his Ducati as Marc Marquez was 16th after electing against a late time attack.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

World champion Joan Mir went straight out in FP2 on the used medium rear tyre he ended FP1 on and set the initial benchmark at 1m39.781s as he began some used-rubber running.

Just as it did in the opening 15 minutes of FP1, top spot changed hands frequently as the likes of Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha team-mate Maverick Vinales, Pramac’s Johann Zarco, HRC wildcard Stefan Bradl and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro set session-topping times.

Petronas SRT’s Franco Morbidelli edged ahead of Quartararo with a 1m37.965s with just under 33 minutes to go, before bettering this to a 1m37.704s.

This stood as the benchmark until the closing stages, though LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami came close to deposing Morbidelli with a 1m37.787s.

Most utilised the optimal conditions in the afternoon to carry out race preparation, though Pramac stand-in Tito Rabat’s session was interrupted by a fast tumble at the final corner 15 minutes from the end.

With four minutes to go the timing screens was ablaze with session-best sectors as most of the field headed out on fresh soft rubber for a time attack.

Quartararo finally deposed his Yamaha stablemate’s time with a 1m37.695s, before Espargaro on the Aprilia edged ahead with a 1m37.646s.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

But these laps were obliterated by Bagnaia, with the Qatar GP poleman digging deep to produce a 1m37.209s to seal top spot in FP2.

Quartararo was able to cut Bagnaia’s sizable advantage down to 0.178 seconds, while Espargaro clung onto a top three spot.

Morbidelli didn’t go for a soft tyre time attack at the end of the session but remained fourth on his ‘A-spec’ Yamaha, with Vinales rounding out the top five.

Nakagami was shuffled back to sixth at the end ahead of KTM’s Miguel Oliveira and the only Suzuki in the top 10 of Alex Rins.

Zarco and FP1 pacesetter Brad Binder on the KTM completed the top 10, with Bradl heading Jack Miller (Ducati) and Mir outside of the provisional Q2 places in 11th.

The factory Honda duo of Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez were a low-key 14th and 16th, though the latter didn’t go for a time attack late on.

Alex Marquez was similarly under the radar on his LCR Honda in 20th, while Valentino Rossi was unable to lift himself higher than 21st on his SRT Yamaha ahead of Tech3’s Iker Lecuona and Rabat.

MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix - FP2 results

Cla Rider Bike Laps Time Gap
1 Italy Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 18 1'37.209  
2 France Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 19 1'37.387 0.178
3 Spain Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 17 1'37.646 0.437
4 Italy Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 20 1'37.704 0.495
5 Spain Maverick Viñales Yamaha 20 1'37.726 0.517
6 Japan Takaaki Nakagami Honda 19 1'37.775 0.566
7 Portugal Miguel Oliveira KTM 20 1'37.816 0.607
8 Spain Alex Rins Suzuki 19 1'37.847 0.638
9 France Johann Zarco Ducati 17 1'37.888 0.679
10 South Africa Brad Binder KTM 19 1'37.896 0.687
11 Germany Stefan Bradl Honda 20 1'37.939 0.730
12 Australia Jack Miller Ducati 18 1'37.965 0.756
13 Spain Joan Mir Suzuki 19 1'38.040 0.831
14 Spain Pol Espargaro Honda 20 1'38.115 0.906
15 Italy Luca Marini Ducati 17 1'38.274 1.065
16 Spain Marc Marquez Honda 18 1'38.295 1.086
17 Italy Danilo Petrucci KTM 19 1'38.462 1.253
18 Italy Enea Bastianini Ducati 19 1'38.516 1.307
19 Italy Lorenzo Savadori Aprilia 16 1'38.594 1.385
20 Spain Alex Marquez Honda 20 1'38.618 1.409
21 Italy Valentino Rossi Yamaha 20 1'38.698 1.489
22 Spain Iker Lecuona KTM 18 1'38.713 1.504
23 Spain Tito Rabat Ducati 19 1'39.023 1.814

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Spanish MotoGP: Binder tops tight FP1 from Aleix Espargaro
Next article Rossi not feeling pressure from continued MotoGP woes

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe