DI GIANNANTONIO LEADS A STRONG ITALIAN FRIDAY AT MUGELLO
Fabio Di Giannantonio made a perfect start to the MotoGP weekend at Mugello. He was fastest in FP1 and then repeated the result in FP2, ending Friday as the rider to beat at home.
The day began with a damp track after earlier rain, but conditions improved and all riders were able to use slick tyres. In FP1, Di Giannantonio set a time of 1:46.242. That was enough to put him at the top of the timesheets, 0.369 seconds ahead of Jorge Martin.
Martin finished second despite running wide late in the session at Turns 4 and 5. Ai Ogura placed third after a strong late lap, while Maverick Viñales was fourth. Jack Miller completed the top five.
Pedro Acosta took sixth place, ahead of Fermin Aldeguer. Francesco Bagnaia had been fast for much of the session, but he made a small mistake at Turn 1. He ran into the gravel and tipped over, but still finished eighth. Raul Fernandez was ninth, and Franco Morbidelli completed the top ten.
Outside the top ten, Joan Mir was the best Honda rider in 13th place. Marco Bezzecchi had a quiet FP1 and finished 14th. Marc Marquez returned to action and ended the session in 15th. He took things carefully in the morning, and after FP1 he was declared fit to continue the weekend. Michele Pirro was 16th, while Cal Crutchlow finished 22nd.
Di Giannantonio repeats it in FP2
In FP2, Di Giannantonio was again the fastest rider. This time he set a 1:44.808, finishing just 0.091 seconds ahead of Bagnaia. Enea Bastianini was very close behind in third, only 0.012 seconds slower than Bagnaia.
The afternoon session started in dry conditions, but it was not smooth for everyone. Bagnaia was quick early on, while Alex Rins also showed good pace. Marc Marquez was still building speed after his return, sitting outside the top ten halfway through the session before improving later.
The session was stopped twice with red flags. The first came after Fabio Quartararo crashed at Turn 4. His bike slid into Turn 5 and left stones on the track. Quartararo was able to get up and return to the garage. Later, Jack Miller also crashed at Turn 1, but he was okay too.
The second red flag came when Brad Binder had a technical problem near the pit exit. His bike stopped in a dangerous place close to the main straight, so the marshals needed time to move it safely.
When the session restarted, the final minutes became a full time attack. Riders pushed hard to secure a place directly in Q2. Marc Marquez briefly jumped to first place with a 1:45.010, moving from 16th to the top of the timesheets. But many fast laps came soon after, and he was pushed down the order.
Di Giannantonio then took control again. Bagnaia, Morbidelli and Aldeguer also improved, making it a very strong session for the Italian riders. Bezzecchi and Bastianini moved into the top five late in the session, while Martin had to fight hard for a top ten spot.
Martin was outside the Q2 places near the end, but he managed to improve on his final push and finished eighth. That was enough to go straight into Q2. Ogura lost out and finished 11th. Acosta also missed the direct Q2 cut after making a mistake on his final lap, ending the day in 13th.
At the end of Friday, Di Giannantonio led the way, followed by Bagnaia, Bastianini and Morbidelli. Aldeguer finished fifth, while Marc Marquez impressed on his return by taking sixth. Bezzecchi was seventh, Martin eighth, Rins ninth, and Diogo Moreira took an important tenth place.
Moreira’s result was a special moment, as it gave the Brazilian rookie his first automatic place in Q2. For Di Giannantonio, however, the day was even better. Two sessions, two first places, and a strong message sent to the rest of the grid at Mugello.
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