MOTOGP RETURNS TO JEREZ WITH ALEX MARQUEZ LEADING FRIDAY ACTION
MotoGP returned to action in Jerez after a three-week break, starting the European part of the season. In the first practice session (FP1), Fabio Di Giannantonio set the fastest time with a 1:36.954, the only rider to go under 1:37. He looked strong throughout the session, especially on his final run. His teammate Franco Morbidelli finished second, making it a strong 1-2 for their team. Alex Marquez took third place, just ahead of championship leader Marco Bezzecchi, while reigning champion Marc Marquez completed the top five.
Further down the order, Raul Fernandez finished sixth, and Jack Miller gave Yamaha a positive result in seventh. Pedro Acosta was the fastest KTM rider in eighth, followed by Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin. Martin had a small crash at the end of the session but was not injured. Francesco Bagnaia ended FP1 in 11th place, while Toprak Razgatlioglu had some technical problems but still managed to finish 15th.
In the second session (FP2), Alex Marquez showed excellent pace and ended the day as the fastest rider. He set a strong lap of 1:35.704, finishing over three tenths ahead of Di Giannantonio in second place. Marco Bezzecchi was third again, keeping his consistency.
The session had some early drama when Bagnaia crashed at Turn 1 on his first fast lap. Later, Jorge Martin also fell at Turn 13. Despite this, Di Giannantonio led for a good part of the session before Alex Marquez improved his time with two very fast laps.
As the session went on, many riders improved their lap times. Bezzecchi moved up to second place late on, while Marc Marquez climbed into the top positions after being outside the top ten earlier. Bagnaia and Martin also improved in the final minutes.
However, it was not a good session for KTM, as both Acosta and Brad Binder failed to reach the top ten and will have to go through Q1 in qualifying. In the end, Alex Marquez finished the day as the rider to beat, followed by Di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi. Marc Marquez, Bagnaia, and others stayed close, setting up an exciting qualifying and sprint race in Jerez.
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