MotoGP: Marquez blitzes field in FP1 to go 0.2 off Aragon lap record

Reigning Champion sits over a second clear of Viñales with Quartararo P3 on Friday morning

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) wasn’t messing about in FP1 at the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon. The reigning World Champion slammed in a breath-taking 1:46.869 to go just two tenths off the lap record, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) second fastest, 1.617 back, as Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) claimed third – 2.001 adrift of Marquez.

For almost the entire session, home hero Marquez sat a second clear of the field. The first rider to get within a second of the number 93 was Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli, with the scrap for P2 in FP1 bubbling up nicely in the final stages as Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Ducati Team’s Danilo Petrucci, Viñales and Quartararo all took it in turns to be Marquez’ closest challenger.

However, Marquez came out on a new soft tyre and blew the field away. Two seconds was his gap on his competitors before Viñales was able to go quicker on his final lap, with Quartararo displacing Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) from P3 on his last run. Miller sits P5 after FP1, with himself and Mir setting the same time.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) suffered an issue with his GSX-RR in FP1.

Marquez is on fire at MotorLand Aragon. Can anyone claw back his advantage in FP2? Bad weather is forecast for Saturday, so the riders will be going gung-ho for a top 10 place. 

Top 10:
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) 1:46.869
2. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 1.617
3. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 2.001
4. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) + 2.020
5. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) + 2.232
6. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 2.232
7. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) + 2.361
8. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 2.431
9. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 2.435
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 2.574