Alex Marquez came out in blistering form in the opening practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello by leading the test by under a tenth-of-a-second over Fabio Quartararo.
The Gresini Ducati pilot provided a snapshot of his potential in the early goings of the 45-minute session as he went to the top of the timesheets with a 1:46.852s effort, though he was swiftly demoted back by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro who banged in a 1:46.824s.
The Italian held onto the top spot for a while until the final mini-qualifying shootout got underway as the session entered its final five minutes, Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales getting the ball rolling with a 1:46.404s before quickly being deposed by Pramac’s Jorge Martin as well as Quartararo, the Yamaha rider showing encouraging speed early in the weekend.
The 2021 MotoGP world champion was denied a scratch FP1 time though as Marquez had a little more left in the tank, the Spaniard posting a 1:46.121s to secure leading honours by just 0.087s over Quartararo.
KTM’s Brad Binder was another late charger to grab third just ahead of French GP victor Marco Bezzecchi, while Johann Zarco completed the top five on his Pramac-run Ducati.
Martin slotted into sixth just behind his team-mate ahead of Franco Morbidelli, who proved Yamaha’s early event form was no fluke, the home hero just edging Vinales who faded to eighth ahead of Honda’s Marc Marquez and RNF Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez – the top ten covered by a slender 0.307s.
Pirro ended ip being knocked out of the top ten to 11th just clear of LCR Honda pair Alex Rins and Takaaki Nakagami, while factory Ducati duo Enea Bastianini and Francesco Bagnaia were left with work to do for FP2 after ending the outing 15th and 16th respectively.
Aleix Espargaro failed to post a competitive lap later in the session having been forced to undergo medical checks following a crash at the fast final bend, the Aprilia man tucking the front of his RS-GP after carrying too much speed into the entry of the long left-hander at the mid-point of FP1, the incident leaving him having to be helped away by the attending marshals as he struggle to walk under his own power.
