Aragón Grand Prix MotoGP FP2: Márquez crashes. Yamaha hat-trick.

For French enthusiasts, this 14th round of the MotoGP world championship already presents a bittersweet flavor with the absence of Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo in the firmament, all in a pronounced “pre-transfer window” atmosphere.

But let's put all that aside momentarily to try to concentrate on the match to come which, while not presenting the slightest suspense for the attribution of the world title, could nevertheless prove interesting... at least until FP1 this morning during which Marc Marquez literally atomized all his opponents, leaving the closest of them more than 1,6 seconds behind!

Shock and dismay in a paddock which had not seen such differences since... We don't even know anymore!

So, in the name of suspense, we would almost come to wish that the rain expected all day tomorrow would upset the cards of the Escoba game which is currently taking place on Iberian soil...

In the meantime, the sun is seriously starting to fade in Aragon, with temperatures still very reasonable at 27° in the air and 36° on the ground.

Here are the references available, at the time when the 23 pilots (Bradley Smith is wildcard for Aprilia) of the premier category are preparing for this second 45-minute free practice session:

Aragon MotoGP™	2018	2019
FP1	1'48.020 Andrea Dovizioso (See here)	1'46.869 Marc Márquez (See here)
FP2	1'47.382 Marc Márquez (See here)	1'48.014 Maverick Viñales
FP3	1'47.393 Cal Crutchlow (See here)
FP4	1'48.129 Jorge Lorenzo (See here)
Q1	1'47.823 Maverick Viñales (See here)
Q2	1'46.881 Jorge Lorenzo (See here)
warm up	1'47.888 Andrea Iannone (See here)
Course	Marquez, Dovizioso, Iannone (See here)
All time lap record	1'46.635 Marc Marquez (2015)

When the red lights go out, it's this time Jorge Lorenzo who leads the pack led by Franco Morbidelli. Like this morning, Fabio Quartararo sets off last to benefit from a clear track.

In terms of tires, the hard rear tires are out for most drivers while the medium garners the majority for the front.

At the end of the first flying round, it is Fabio Quartararo in 1'50.014 which climbs to the top of the table, ahead Valentino Rossi et Marc Marquez.

The Honda driver, however, takes the reins on the next lap, in 1'48.708, but we note that the gaps have for the moment returned to "normal". This hardly lasts and from his fifth round launched, Marc Márquez a gap of half a second is created in 1'48.204, on a Alex Rins already faster than this morning and which ejects Takaaki Nakagami pre-qualified for Q2.

At the end of the first run, the hierarchy is composed of Marc Márquez before Alex Rins, Jack Miller, Fabio Quartararo, Aleix Espargaró, Franco Morbidelli, Cal Crutchlow, Valentino Rossi, Danilo Petrucci and Maverick Viñales. Andrea Dovizioso is 12th, Jorge Lorenzo always last.

The session then had a moment of calm until another small spat between Marc Márquez et Maverick Vinales, neither of them wanting to drag the other away. The same spectacle occurs a few moments later between Maverick Vinales et Valentino Rossi...

Meanwhile, no one is actually improving but Marc Márquez minor fall while losing the front at turn 8.

It's Andrea Dovizioso's dad who brings him back to the box: good spirits!

 

12 minutes from the checkered flag, Pol Espargaro produced his effort and went from 7th to 4th position, before returning it to Cal Crutchlow, previously 11th.

It is then the turn of Valentino Rossi et Aleix Espargaró, both equipped in Medium/Soft, to carry out their attack. In the end, it was the Spaniard who did the best, taking 3rd position while the Italian had to settle for 8th.

Joan mir seizes 4th place, when Maverick Vinales reduces his gap with the leader to 15 hundredths.

On the next pass, the Yamaha rider lit the first three sectors in red before setting the best time of the afternoon in 1'48.034. Note, however, that we are still more than a second away from the ant-man's time this morning...

During the last two minutes, Maverick Vinales improves a little more, just like Pol Espargaro et Cal Crutchlow.

Valentino Rossi, then 12th, achieved the best time in the third sector and obtained second provisional position. fabio quartararo then completes this Yamaha trio.

Jorge Lorenzo finally takes off from last place to position itself 17th.

In extremis, Aleix Espargaró Black Alex Rins from the top 10 combined, composed of Marc Marquez, Maverick Viñales, Valentino Rossi, Fabio Quartararo, Pol Espargaró, Jack Miller, Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso, Joan Mir and therefore Aleix Espargaró.

All drivers except Marc Márquez improved their times this afternoon.

Let's face it, this "normal" session does not explain to us the supernatural performance of Marc Márquez this morning...

FP2 classification of the MotoGP Aragón Grand Prix:

Combined FP1/FP2 classification of the MotoGP Aragón Grand Prix:

Credit rankings: MotoGP.com