Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia put in a top-class performance in the second free practice session for the Barcelona Grand Prix, putting the pressure on title rival Jorge Martin.
Francis Bagnaia gained the upper hand over its main rival George Martin during the second free practice session for the Barcelona Solidarity Grand Prix. With only 24 points behind championship leader Martin, bagnaia delivered an important performance on Friday afternoon, securing a psychological victory by beating Martin.
Although the two-time reigning world champion led the session, the gap between the two drivers was not huge. bagnaia finished with a time of 1m38.918s, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi of only 0,080 seconds and Aleix Espargaró Aprilia, who completed the top three. Martin, meanwhile, finished fifth after meeting several grip problems at the front, a handicap he was unable to fully overcome during this crucial session.
The one-hour session began with Martin, who set the tone by signing a 1m40.934s, but Bezzecchi quickly took the lead, setting a best time halfway through the session. Martin then came back into the lead with a 1m39.652s, which he improved to 1m39.214s, but he could not resist the increasing power of the other drivers.
Johann zarco briefly held first place with his Honda until Bezzecchi does not take over. However, it is bagnaia who hit hard in the final minutes of the session, sealing the best performance of the day.
Behind the leaders, Maverick Vinales showed great performances finishing sixth, while the Gresini Ducati riders Alex Marquez et Marc Marquez took seventh and eighth positions respectively. Tech3 rookie GASGAS, Pedro Acosta, finished ninth, whileEnea Bastianini completed the top 10.
KTM riders, Brad Binder et Jack Miller, missed Q2, while Fabio Quartararo, could not do better than 14th. The difficult conditions, including the falls of Franco Morbidelli et Augusto Fernandez, have disturbed some drivers, while Miguel Oliveira et Michele Pirro struggled, ranking 20th and 22nd respectively.
The Grand Prix de la Solidarité continues to take shape, and the battle for the title promises to be one of intense pressure between the two main contenders for the crown this Saturday, with the following schedule…
MotoGP, Barcelona: timetables
Saturday, November 16
FP3 Moto3 08:40-09:10
FP3 Moto2 09:25-09:55
FP2 MotoGP 10:10-10:40
Q1 MotoGP 10:50-11:05
Q2 MotoGP 11:15-11:30
Q1 Moto3 12:50-13:05
Q2 Moto3 13:15-13:30
Q1 Moto2 13:45-14:00
Q2 Moto2 14:10-14:25
MotoGP Sprint Race 15pm
