Aragon MotoGP, MotorLand - Free Practice (1) Results
Marc Marquez dominates opening practice for the 2021 Aragon MotoGP.
Having missed the 2020 rounds through injury, the Spaniard is seeking his fifth Aragon win in a row at one of his favourite anti-clockwise tracks.
The Repsol Honda rider was fastest from the early stages of this morning's session then pulled almost one-second clear after being one of the few to fit a new soft tyre at the end of the session, with the Suzuki of Joan Mir (who lost his fastest lap) and Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia closest to the #93.
Alex Marquez, who took a podium at Aragon one year ago, snatched a late fourth for LCR with Bagnaia's team-mate Jack Miller completing the top five.
After splitting from Yamaha following Austria and missing Silverstone, Maverick Vinales returned to official MotoGP action with Aprilia this morning, where he has signed to race until the end of 2022.
Vinales, who recently took part in a private two-day test at Misano to help prepare for this weekend's RS-GP debut, finished the session in 19th position. The Spaniard was 2.139s behind Marquez, but within one-second of team-mate Aleix Espargaro.
Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow is replacing Vinales at the Factory Yamaha team for the second event in a row, with Jake Dixon likewise staying at Petronas Yamaha on the injured Franco Morbidelli's 2019 A-spec bike.
Iker Lecuona suffered a fast accident at Turn 16 in the opening minutes, with Valentino Rossi falling at Turn 5 with 13mins to go. Both riders walked away.
| Aragon MotoGP, MotorLand - Free Practice (1) Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 1'48.048s | 18/20 | 343k |
| 2 | Joan Mir | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.971s | 17/18 | 340k |
| 3 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Team (GP21) | +1.145s | 16/19 | 343k |
| 4 | Alex Marquez | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +1.158s | 18/18 | 343k |
| 5 | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Team (GP21) | +1.214s | 16/21 | 346k |
| 6 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | +1.265s | 15/18 | 343k |
| 7 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP21) | +1.324s | 17/17 | 346k |
| 8 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.403s | 14/19 | 334k |
| 9 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +1.411s | 8/21 | 345k |
| 10 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.541s | 13/18 | 346k |
| 11 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +1.604s | 13/17 | 344k |
| 12 | Cal Crutchlow | GBR | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.622s | 14/17 | 340k |
| 13 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.693s | 15/18 | 340k |
| 14 | Alex Rins | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +1.736s | 11/18 | 339k |
| 15 | Luca Marini | ITA | Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +1.888s | 17/18 | 341k |
| 16 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.894s | 12/13 | 341k |
| 17 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP21)* | +1.899s | 10/17 | 347k |
| 18 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.916s | 17/19 | 344k |
| 19 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | +2.139s | 16/21 | 343k |
| 20 | Valentino Rossi | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +2.251s | 11/12 | 335k |
| 21 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +2.305s | 14/17 | 346k |
| 22 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +3.140s | 14/20 | 332k |
* Rookie
Official Aragon MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 46.635s (2015)
Fastest race lap:
Franco Morbidelli ITA Yamaha 1m 48.249s(2020)
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
