The MotoGP™ field has finished the opening Free Practice session at the Grand Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España, with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) ending Free Practice 1 fastest to the delight of the Spanish crowd. The #73 set a 1:36.630 on soft tyres in the last five minutes, ending the session ahead of his brother and teammate Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who spent most of the session in P1. The Marquez brothers were ahead of Americas GP winner Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), with the #12 hoping to carry momentum from Portimao and COTA this weekend at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. The #12 set 20 laps across the session, ending Free Practice 1 in third - a further 0.084s behind Marc Marquez.
🙌 @alexmarquez73 draws first blood in FP1!
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 26, 2024
And that's a 1-2 for @GresiniRacing 👏#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/IVt67cx0cQ
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was fourth, adding to the Noale factory's delight with both riders inside the top four positions. Espargaro set a late time, ending the session ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), who had a solid start to the weekend in fifth place. Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezzecchi crossed the line to end Friday morning in sixth – ahead of wildcard Daniel Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). The iconic #26 will return to action this weekend at Jerez and is already on the pace in seventh - less than one second from the top spot. Fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Brad Binder rounded out the top eight a mere 0.005s behind his wildcard teammate.
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) was ninth in front of rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), who comes into the weekend with two consecutive podiums and the chance to make history in Spain. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was 12th in a steady start to the Spanish GP. Meanwhile, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) had a tough start to the weekend, becoming the first crasher of the Spanish GP, losing the front at turn eight. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) was the next rider to crash at turn two later in the session.
Yellow flags are out! @JohannZarco1 has gone down at T8 💥
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 26, 2024
But he's already back on his feet 👍#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/cabYwjrZbE
Make sure you tune in at 15:00 local time (UTC +1) to see who’s making it through to the all-important Q2 and keep up to date with the action on motogp.com!
Top 10:
| 1 | Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | 1:36.630 |
| 2 | Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) | +0.507 |
| 3 | Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) | +0.591 |
| 4 | Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) | +0.673 |
| 5 | Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) | +0.917 |
| 6 | Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) | +0.955 |
| 7 | Daniel Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | +0.983 |
| 8 | Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | +0.988 |
| 9 | Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) | +1.005 |
| 10 | Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) | +1.012 |