The eight-time World Champion leads a strong Friday for KTM and Honda, with just over two-tenths separating the top two
World Championship frontrunner Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) made his intentions clear from the get-go in Aragon, setting the pace on Friday with a scorching 1:46.397 lap. That effort put him 0.204s ahead of his younger brother and title rival Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), as Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) slotted into third place, albeit over half a second behind the benchmark time.
Battle for the Top 10: How Friday Played Out
As the session reached its climax, Marc Marquez was already leading by a significant 0.4s margin over Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with Viñales also looking sharp in third. But with just over 12 minutes to go, Marquez raised the bar again, dropping a near-perfect 1:46.397 lap — a full 1.1 seconds quicker than KTM’s Brad Binder at that moment.
Acosta managed to trim the deficit to around 0.7s shortly after, and Alex Marquez joined the elite group of riders able to stay within a second of the elder Marquez. Viñales also improved to join that club before Alex pushed even further to lock in second with a 1:46.907 lap — half a second down on his brother but still a strong showing.
While the Ducati duo of Marc and Alex Marquez sat 1-2 on the timesheets, reigning double World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was stuck down in P10 with less than eight minutes remaining. He managed to respond with a 1:47.292 that briefly moved him into P5. However, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) posted his best of the day shortly after to take fourth. Bagnaia wasn’t done, though — he fired back with another hot lap to reclaim P4. Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was visibly struggling with rear grip issues and remained stuck in 18th.
Quartararo, a frequent pole-sitter in recent rounds, couldn’t improve his time after a mistake in the third sector late in the session. That means he’ll have to fight through Q1 — a massive blow for both him and Yamaha, who had a dismal day overall.
The Ten Who Made It Directly to Q2
Behind the leading trio, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) impressed with a late flyer that saw him climb to P4 — his best Friday performance since joining Honda. Acosta ensured two KTMs were in the top five, while Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) also made it into Q2 with a strong P6 finish. Brad Binder wrapped up P7, making it three KTMs straight into Q2 for the first time since the Catalan GP in 2024.
Rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) showed poise beyond his years, ending eighth ahead of Bagnaia in P9. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) snuck into tenth to secure the final automatic Q2 slot.
Big Names Headed for Q1 Scraps
Late improvements from Aldeguer and Morbidelli came at the expense of Marco Bezzecchi, who dropped out of the top 10 at the buzzer. His teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio also missed the cut, meaning both VR46 riders — along with all five Yamahas — will need to slug it out in Q1. That includes Quartararo, who faces an uphill battle in Aragon.
Eyes Ahead to Sprint Saturday
The focus now shifts to Saturday, with qualifying set for 10:50 and the Tissot Sprint race at 15:00 local time. The big question: can anyone close the gap to Marc Marquez?
Moto2: Gonzalez Rebounds to Lead Friday at Aragon
After Silverstone disappointment, the Championship leader finds his rhythm in Aragon
Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) bounced back in style following a tough outing in Britain. The Spaniard set the benchmark on Friday with a time of 1:50.214, topping the timesheets late in the session and regaining control of the Moto2 title chase.
Gonzalez’s penultimate lap proved crucial, edging out Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) by two-tenths. Moreira, fresh off a podium in Silverstone, once again showed solid form. Meanwhile, Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) — who finished on the podium at Aragon last year — was fastest for much of the session and ultimately secured third, improving throughout the session.
Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) also impressed with a strong run to fourth. There were late surges from Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) and Zonta Van Den Goorbergh (RW Idrofoglia Racing GP), while Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) rounded out the top seven.
Senna Agius, Gonzalez’s teammate and the winner at Silverstone, claimed eighth, ahead of Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) and Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing), who wrapped up the top 10.
Aron Canet and Albert Arenas followed closely in P11 and P12 respectively.
David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) had a dramatic day, crashing twice — once at Turn 12 and again more heavily at Turn 9. Despite the setbacks, he squeezed into Q2 in P14. Daniel Muñoz, subbing in at Red Bull KTM Ajo, delivered an outstanding P14 finish, earning himself a direct Q2 spot as well.
Moto2 qualifying kicks off at 13:45 local time on Saturday.
Moto3: Rueda Fastest on Friday, Despite Crash Drama
Championship leader leads the way but ends the day in the gravel
Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) topped both Free Practice 1 and the combined session, underlining his dominance on Friday at the Aragon GP. However, his day wasn’t without incident — a late crash at Turn 7 soured what was otherwise a near-perfect start. Nevertheless, his 1:57.338 lap time kept him 0.078s ahead of David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP).
David Almansa (Leopard Racing) closed out the top three, with Rueda showing he’s still the rider to beat despite the slip-up.
Several other riders also hit the deck during Practice. Promising rookies Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team) and Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) both crashed — mistakes that now see them headed for Q1.
Meanwhile, there were no such problems for Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), who finished fourth and fifth respectively. Aussie Joel Kelso (LEVELUP – MTA) was sixth, followed by Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in seventh.
Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), Nicola Carraro (Rivacold Snipers Team), and Silverstone podium man Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounded out the top 10. Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power), and Cormac Buchanan also made it into the provisional Q2 group — despite Buchanan suffering a heavy crash at Turn 10 late in the session.
A late flying lap from Ogden pushed Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) outside the Q2 cut-off. The Japanese star now finds himself battling it out in Q1 alongside Quiles, Pini, and several other quick riders.
Moto3 Q1 begins at 12:50 on Saturday — and it promises to be a thriller.
Official MotoGP Press Release
