Aleix Espargaro concluded the last MotoGP practice session on top before the crucial qualifying session in Catalunya. Espargaro, who announced his retirement on Thursday before this weekend’s race, was the fastest in two consecutive practice sessions in his home race. Right behind the Spanish rider was Francesco Bagnaia, who was optimizing his setup for the Sprint race. The Pramac Ducati duo, Franco Morbidelli and Jorge Martin, secured the third and fourth positions respectively.
Celebrating his birthday, Pedro Acosta emerged as the top KTM rider in fifth place. However, the factory team faced difficulties compared to yesterday’s performance, with Brad Binder and Jack Miller finishing in 12th and 13th places respectively. Trackhouse Racing showed their competitiveness in terms of race pace, with Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez finishing in sixth and eighth places. Fabio Quartararo positioned himself between the two Trackhouse Racing riders.
The Gresini Ducati brothers, Alex and Marc Marquez, completed the top 10. Marc Marquez had a peculiar crash at turn 5 early in the session, losing control of his GP23 late in the corner. Fortunately, his bike did not suffer additional damage, allowing him to quickly return to the track. Fabio Di Giannatonio once again finished ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, but the VR46 team continued to struggle with their last year’s Ducati, resulting in 11th and 18th places respectively.
Joan Mir showcased his skills on the factory Honda bike, finishing in 14th place. Augusto Fernandez, the only KTM rider to face the Q1, finished just behind Mir. Enea Bastianini, the factory Ducati rider, struggled to find the right setup for the race and ended up in a disappointing 16th place. Maverick Vinales also faced difficulties and settled for 17th place.
Malgré avoir assuré une place automatique en Q2, Alex Rins a terminé la séance d’entraînement finale en 19ème position. Une fois de plus, Honda occupait les dernières places sur la grille, avec Takaaki Nakagami devant son coéquipier de LCR, Johann Zarco, qui a chuté tardivement dans le virage 5. Luca Marini a terminé 22ème, tandis que le pilote d’essai Stefan Bradl est revenu après avoir manqué la deuxième séance d’entraînement hier en raison d’une maladie.
