The Austrian squad enjoy a dream Friday as Bagnaia, Martin and other heavyweights face the Q1 gauntlet

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing couldn’t have scripted a better start to the Catalan Grand Prix. Brad Binder set the benchmark on Friday afternoon, narrowly edging teammate Pedro Acosta as the orange machines locked out the top two positions on the timesheets. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) carried the flag for Ducati power in third, leaving some of MotoGP’s headline names in trouble — notably Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), last season’s title protagonists, who both find themselves heading for Q1.

Early Exchanges: KTM in the Mix, Bagnaia in Trouble

The session opened with plenty of shuffling. After 20 minutes, Alex Marquez was the rider to beat, ahead of Acosta — the morning pace-setter — and Luca Marini (Castrol Honda HRC). Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) rounded out an early top five, while Binder crept into P3 soon after, ensuring both factory KTMs were inside the leading group.

Marc Marquez, meanwhile, was quietly working his way into contention on the Ducati, running seventh midway through the session. By contrast, the reigning World Champion Bagnaia was nowhere near the front. With half an hour to go, he languished in 21st position, nearly a full second off Alex Marquez’s benchmark. Martin wasn’t faring much better — the #1 sat back in 23rd.

The Time Attack Storm Arrives

As the clock ticked under 20 minutes remaining, the tension lifted. First, Bastianini launched into provisional P1 with a 1’38.972, sparking the customary late-session flurry of fast laps. Marc Marquez immediately responded, going quicker with a 1’38.444, while Zarco surged into second.

Alex Marquez briefly returned to the top before Acosta and Binder began to flex their muscles. Acosta initially pushed into third, then improved again to depose his brother from P3, but Alex Marquez retaliated with another rapid lap to reclaim P1 by just under a tenth.

The last ten minutes saw more drama: Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) inserted himself into the fight, Quartararo finally broke into the top four with a flying lap, and suddenly all five manufacturers were represented in the top seven.

KTM Take Control, Bagnaia Left Stranded

With less than five minutes to go, the decisive laps came from the factory KTM riders. Binder produced a superb 1’38.141 to take control, Acosta right behind to secure a one-two for the Austrian brand. Bagnaia, however, remained marooned in 21st — and a pair of late crashes for Zarco and Bastianini brought out yellow flags that denied him a final shot at rescuing his session.

For the second consecutive weekend, the reigning World Champion will have to fight his way out of Q1. Meanwhile, KTM could celebrate a near-perfect Friday: both Binder and Acosta sending a clear message that they are the benchmark in Barcelona.

Barcelona Friday Top 10

1. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – 1’38.141
2. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – +0.038
3. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) – +0.095
4. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team)
5. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing)
6. Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3)
7. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing)
8. Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR)
9. Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol)
10. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP) – rookie earns first direct Q2

The spread from Binder’s P1 time to Ogura in tenth? Just 0.458s. Proof once again that MotoGP margins remain razor-thin.

Big Names in the Q1 Shootout

Saturday morning’s storyline writes itself: Bagnaia, Martin, Quartararo — three of the sport’s biggest names will fight for just two golden tickets into Q2. All eyes will be on how the World Champion responds after his own blunt assessment of Friday: “I feel like I’m riding between two test riders.”

Off track, there was a major paddock announcement: former Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner will take over at the Tech3 MotoGP squad, adding intrigue to an already eventful weekend.

Moto2: Canet Pips Holgado in Tight Barcelona Battle

Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) left it late but snatched P1 in Moto2 practice with a lap just under a tenth quicker than Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Aspar). Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS) completed the top three, while replacement rider Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) continued to impress with P4.

Diogo Moreira (Italtrans) rounded out the top five ahead of rookies Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI). Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Dynavolt Intact GP) settled for P10 but the numbers underline how close it is: the top 14 covered by just 0.297s heading into qualifying day.

Moto3: Perrone Sets the Pace, Piqueras Misses Out

Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) was the standout rookie in Moto3, his 1’47.584 keeping him narrowly ahead of David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) by less than a tenth. David Almansa (Leopard Racing) claimed P3, while Guido Pini (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Aspar) both cracked the top five — Quiles bouncing back strongly after a heavy FP1 crash at Turn 13.

Title leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) left it late to secure a top 10, keeping his record of always finishing inside the automatic Q2 spots. His closest rival Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) wasn’t so fortunate: a yellow flag infringement wiped out his late effort, relegating him to P15 and into the Q1 gauntlet.

Summary:
Friday in Barcelona belonged to KTM, with Binder and Acosta setting the tone at the sharp end of MotoGP. Behind them, the usual big names find themselves in unusual territory, while Moto2 and Moto3 continue to serve up drama of their own. Qualifying day promises fireworks across all three classes.