Friday’s action at MotorLand Aragón saw Marc Márquez set the pace in FP1 this morning, before Marco Bezzecchi topped the timesheets in this afternoon’s Practice session. Here’s more from the teams following the opening day of track action in Aragón.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Marco Bezzecchi leads and sets new track record, Jorge Martín seventh. SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Fernandez sixth.
A positive first day of practice for Aprilia Racing at MotorLand Aragón.
Marco Bezzecchi finished FP1 in third place and the practice session in the lead, thereby going straight through to Q2. The Italian rider also set the new all-time lap record with a time of 1’45.455.
It was also a positive day for Jorge Martín, eighteenth in FP1 and improving significantly in the afternoon. The Spanish rider gradually regained the feeling with his RS-GP26, finishing the practice session seventh to go straight through to Q2.
Also worth a mention is the performance by Raúl Fernández of the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team, sixth in the practice session to put three Aprilias straight through to Q2.
Marco Bezzecchi: “It was a good day and I’m happy. It’s only Friday, but it was important to start off on the right foot. FP1 began on a positive note. We worked hard between the sessions, and the afternoon session went well too. Physically, my shoulder isn’t bad, whereas my knee is still bothering me quite a bit. There are a lot of left-handers on this track which unfortunately makes it painful.”
Jorge Martín: “Compared with the morning, I felt good straight away in the afternoon from the start of the session. I expected a bit more from the second time attack, where I was hoping to drop my time to 1’45. We clearly still have work to do for tomorrow because there are a couple of riders who are faster than us at the moment. I didn’t ride here with the Aprilia last year, but when I’m in this situation I usually still have some margin for improvement on Friday but manage to take a step forward on Saturday.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:
Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team third in MotorLand Aragón Practice, just milliseconds from the top. Francesco Bagnaia thirteenth.
- Four Ducatis in the top 5: Alex Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) is second, Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Racing Team) fourth ahead of Fermín Aldeguer
The Ducati Lenovo Team competed in the opening day of action at MotorLand Aragón, host of the thirteenth Grand Prix of the season. Marc Márquez finished Practice in third position, while Francesco Bagnaia – thirteenth – will have to tackle Q1 tomorrow morning at the Spanish venue.
Márquez – the fastest rider in FP1 – took first position in the early stages of Practice and stayed in the lead for two-thirds of the session. Marc then bounced back to the top with nine minutes remaining to eventually finish third, only 0.038secs adrift of today’s fastest lap-time. Bagnaia, twentieth in Free Practice 1, got closer to the top ten in the final minutes of Practice. During his last time attack, Pecco, who was projected to make it into the top ten, ran wide at the final corner.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will return to action at 10:10 local time (GMT +2) tomorrow for Free Practice 2, which will be followed by Q1 (10:50), Q2 (11:15) and by the thirteenth Sprint of the season, to be contested over 11 laps from 15:00.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd: “This is a track I like, much more than others. Today I rode well and in a consistent way; it’s true that Marco (Bezzecchi) and Alex (Márquez) were quicker than me in the time attack, but the important thing for us is to continue in this direction. We knew that the time set in the first quick lap attempt would have granted us a direct seed to Q2, so we chose not to take any risks and instead focused on the tyres. If we want to battle for the title, it’s clear that on a favourable track the goal must be to score maximum points or go very close to it, while trying to better our main rivals.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 13th: “I was expecting a different type of feeling and performance here at Aragón. Since Silverstone, we’re having a difficult time: it’s true that even in the previous races I wasn’t able to shine, but I had still managed to be in the top ten. We’re trying to understand the reason behind the further loss of grip at the rear-end. Generally speaking, it was a challenging day as I took many risks and nearly crashed several times. In the last time attack, I tried to brake hard but had to run wide, losing the chance to be in the top ten, which would have been a great result given the situation.”
More, from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Team:
Fermin Aldeguer back in Q2 as Alex Marquez targets a strong weekend.
- PRACTICE
ALEX MARQUEZ 2º (1’45.465s)
FERMIN ALDEGUER 5º (1’45.895s)
- FREE PRACTICE
ALEX MARQUEZ 4º (1’47.796s)
FERMIN ALDEGUER 9º (1’48.498s)
Alex Marquez: “I can’t hide the fact that Sector 3 is our weak point. I usually struggle there, but today it was even more difficult than on other days. On top of that, it’s the sector where Marc makes the biggest difference. There are four corners, and the positive thing is that we know where we need to work… The corners are too slow for me and don’t really suit my riding style. We need to improve and try to lose as little as possible in that sector if we want to aim for a good result this weekend.”
Fermin Aldeguer: “I knew I was feeling good physically, but I didn’t expect to be in the top five and to have such good feelings on the bike. At the end of the day, I’m still surprised by my physical condition. It’s true that I’ve never done more than five or six laps at a time, but I feel good. We’re fit for the whole weekend, and that was the most important thing. Being in Q2 is really incredible.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Tenths the difference for Honda HRC Castrol as Aragon GP begins.
Luca Marini and Joan Mir were once again reunited with their Honda RC213V machines, the Honda HRC Castrol pairing battling until the very end of the day for Q2 spots but missed out by mere tenths of a second.
Some 250 kilometres west of Barcelona, the MotoGP World Championship began their preparations for Round 13 at Motorland Aragon. Cooler than expected conditions made for a busy morning, the Honda HRC Castrol duo completing 30 laps between them as the prepared for the crucial afternoon Practice session.
Improving from a 1’49.114 in the morning to a respectable 1’46.376 in the afternoon saw Luca Marini end the day in 12th. Less than a tenth of a second away from a returning Johann Zarco in tenth, the tightest of margins once again had a big impact as Marini will be forced to duke it out in Q1. His Friday speed does suggest he will be in good standing to make it out and into Q2 however.
Joan Mir was one of the first movers in the afternoon, rocketing up to inside the top ten and ultimately ended the day in 15th position on the combined times. Four tenths off the top ten, the #36 had wanted to enter the weekend and show his potential immediately but there are still a few settings to refine on his Honda. He and the Honda HRC engineers are confident that improvements can be made before Q1 on Saturday to allow the 2020 MotoGP World Champion to show his true speed.
Saturday will begin in earnest with the always hotly contested Q1 session at 10:50 Local Time, both Marini and Mir ready to fight their way through and into the top twelve. Once the grid is decided, all eyes will be on the 11-lap Sprint at 15:00 Local Time.
Luca Marini: “We tried something on the setting to see what it did at this circuit, it improved the bike in one area, but we lost a little bit in another part. There are of course still some things to work on to improve, so I hope that with that we can make the step into Q2. It’s about working with the package that we have, aiming to be the best Honda on track and seeing what happens when each session starts, I am really focused on myself – to improve my riding, my setting and not looking around too much. Times are really tight so again, if we can find something then I think we can be in the mix.”
Joan Mir: “A more complicated Friday than what we were expecting to be honest, we were expecting a lot more. We used more or less the same setup as in Silverstone and unfortunately it is not the direction we need to head here. Our braking, which is usually my strongest point, was not where I need it to be so there’s work to do in this area overnight. Tomorrow is a new day and I am confident that we can find something together overnight. There is plenty of potential still left to find.”
More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:
Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco has finished 10th on Friday in Aragon.
- Coming back to racing after three months at home due to the injury sustained to his left knee, the Frenchman delivered a tremendous performance on his first day back on track.
- From his first exit on track in the morning, Zarco impressed everybody by being immediately fast and setting a good rhythm.
- In the afternoon, the rider nailed the job, not only confirming the good feelings he had on the bike in the morning, but also securing a Q2 spot ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying.
More, from a press release issued by KTM Tech3:
Bastianini plotting top ten route after Aragon practice.
Enea Bastianini is confident that further set-up changes can help unlock greater performance after finishing Friday in 17th place, while Pol Espargaró showed encouraging pace in 20th as the Spaniard continues to deputise for the injured Maverick Viñales at the Aragón Grand Prix.
After a two-week break in August, the Tech3 team was back on track for Round 13 of the 2026 MotoGP™ World Championship at the MotorLand Aragón circuit in Spain. Conditions were tricky throughout the day. The 5.08km layout was dirty and dusty during FP1, while temperatures had risen to a hot 25 degrees for afternoon Practice.
Bastianini’s feeling in FP1 was far from ideal as he placed 21st. Thanks to the hard work of his crew, the Italian felt more comfortable in Practice, but still noted he could not slide the rear of his KTM RC16 as he wanted.
After doing considerable work to get the Michelin soft rear tyre working across the first two runs, ‘La Bestia’ was able to knock close to 0.8s off his personal best in the final minutes of the day but could only secure P17 and a spot in Q1.
After getting reacquainted with the KTM RC16 in Silverstone following an extensive testing programme on the new 850cc bike, Espargaró felt more comfortable on his opening laps in Aragón.
The 35-year-old showed potential in FP1, when he finished 15th, but admitted to lacking performance in time attack mode in Practice. With some improvements in Sector 3, the #44 rider is confident of fighting with the other KTMs tomorrow.
The action gets underway on Saturday with Bastianini and Espargaró heading out for FP2 at 10:10 CEST (UTC+2) ahead of Qualifying at 10:50 (UTC+2) and the 11-lap Sprint at 15:00 (UTC+2).
Enea Bastianini: “I must be honest: I was thinking today would be better. The first practice in Aragón is always tricky due to the dirty track. We did a step in the afternoon, but it wasn’t enough. I have understeer because the rear tyre is pushing the front. And if I try to slide the rear, it’s difficult because of the lack of grip. It’s particularly tough when I’m entering the corners. On a track like this, it’s very hard to ride like I want when the grip is low. We need to try something for tomorrow to help me slide the rear in entry because we’re far from the other factories, so we’ll work on the setting this evening. With a few improvements I’m sure we can be fighting around the top ten and much closer to the front.”
Pol Espargaró: “It’s coming! I feel much more competitive today than I did at Silverstone. This morning, I was even better than this afternoon. It’s only when everyone starts pushing on soft tyres that I’m missing speed. I wasn’t far away from Brad [Binder] and Enea’s time and was only one second off Pedro [Acosta]. I did a good lap but there were also a few mistakes – I need to improve Sector 3 a lot. If I adjust a few things there I should get two tenths. I’m not expecting to go through to Q2 tomorrow, but I want to be respectable and as close as possible to my team-mates. That would be great.”
More, from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:
- On a circuit he enjoys, Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira had a positive start to the weekend.
- The rider faced some difficulties with grip and made a mistake while pushing for a Q2 spot, meaning he will have to go through Q1 tomorrow.
- Despite this, Moreira feels positive about the bike and believes he has the potential to do a good job tomorrow.
Diogo Moreira 11th: “It’s been a positive day, I was there. I made a mistake that cost me Q2, but in any case, we worked well. As for tomorrow, the bike is ready and I’m happy with it. The main problem here is the grip, it’s all about the grip. I could improve on the entry, and we are working on different solutions, which is good. We will try to do our maximum tomorrow. Let’s see!”
More, from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Faces a Difficult Friday at Aragón.
Jack Miller showed competitive pace throughout Friday before a late crash compromised his final time, while Toprak Razgatlıoğlu struggled to find the right feeling at Aragón. Both riders will have to progress through Q1 on Saturday.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP completed the opening day of practice at MotorLand Aragón, with the team facing a challenging Friday as both riders ended outside the top ten and will therefore have to go through Q1 tomorrow morning. The counter-clockwise Aragón circuit, one of the few in the MotoGP calendar to run in this direction, provided another demanding test for the YZR-M1 as the team continued working to find the right set-up and balance.
Jack Miller had looked competitive throughout both sessions, finishing sixth in the morning and remaining consistently inside the top ten during the afternoon. However, with around 15 minutes remaining, the Australian crashed while beginning his first attempt at a fast lap. The incident cost him valuable track time as he returned to the garage and was then forced to switch to the second bike, leaving him unable to put together the lap he had shown the pace to achieve. He eventually ended the session 19th.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu had a more difficult day, struggling to find the feeling needed to extract the performance from the YZR-M1 across both sessions. The Turkish rider finished 21st and will now use the evening to analyse the data with his crew and identify areas where he can make a step forward ahead of qualifying.
With both riders set to start from Q1, Saturday will begin with an immediate opportunity to recover ground. The priority will be to make the most of the morning session, fight for progression into Q2 and secure the strongest possible starting positions for the Sprint later in the afternoon.
Jack Miller: “Overall, I’m happy with the performance today. Obviously, the timing wasn’t ideal with that small crash at the end of the session on my first tyre. Not having another front tyre available and having a different setting on the second bike made it difficult to improve the lap time, but we still managed to make some progress. I feel like we have quite a bit more potential for tomorrow, so we’ll look at the data tonight, work on what we can improve and try to put everything together when it counts.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: “Today the beginning was not so bad, but in the end we couldn’t get a good lap time with the soft tyre. Still, we can see that the bike has potential, especially looking at Fabio’s lap time, which was very close to the front. So tomorrow we will try a different set-up to see if we can unlock more of that potential. I already feel quite strong under braking, but I’m still struggling to get the same feeling through the corners and with the rear grip compared to the other Yamaha riders. That’s why we’re looking to try something different tomorrow. I think I just need to find a little bit more grip and improve the cornering, so hopefully the new set-up can help me make that step.”
More, from a press release issued by CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team:
Máximo Quiles returns from injury with a solid top-10 finish
The CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team rider clocked the eighth-fastest time of the day on his comeback following a collarbone injury and will be in Q2 tomorrow alongside his team-mate Marco Morelli, who finished eleventh
The CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team has kicked off the Aragon Grand Prix having achieved the weekend’s first objective. The team’s riders have secured their places in tomorrow’s Q2 after Máximo Quiles finished eighth and Marco Morelli eleventh. The Spaniard passed his medical examination yesterday and confirmed his return to MotorLand Aragón following surgery on his collarbone after the crash he suffered at Silverstone two weeks ago. David Almansa was the fastest in Moto3, beating Rico Salmela, who finished second, by 49 thousandths of a second. Valentín Perrone was third, four tenths of a second behind the leader.
The first day of practice proved to be quite a challenge for Máximo Quiles. The CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team rider took to the track focused on assessing his physical condition on the bike after two weeks spent recovering from his collarbone injury. After just a few laps, Quiles was already in fourth place, confirming that he was feeling confident. Following a final positive medical check-up, the Moto3 leader continued with his usual work plan to prepare as well as possible for the afternoon session. The crucial moment came in the second session of the day, which decides who goes straight through to Q2. Here, Quiles managed to improve on his morning times by almost one and a half seconds. After completing a total of 14 laps, he finished in eighth place with a time of 1:58.114. Meanwhile, Marco Morelli also had a positive Friday on his Moto3 debut at the Aragon circuit. Despite not feeling 100 per cent comfortable on the bike, the CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team rider made a big leap forward in the afternoon and also significantly improved his lap times. Thanks to his 1:58.293, Morelli finished in eleventh place to secure his place in Q2.
8th Máximo Quiles 1:58.114 (+0.641): “I took it easy today to see how my collarbone would respond. I felt great, and that’s the most positive thing. There are a few corners where I struggle a bit, the right-handers, but almost the entire circuit has left-handers, and that helps. I had some doubts about how I would feel because the surgery was still very recent, and it was complicated to get here, but as soon as I got on the bike and did a couple of corners, I thought, ‘It’s not going to bother me much.’ Everyone has done a tremendous job so that I could be here this weekend. I feel good and I’ve continued working with the team in the same way as always. Today I completed quite a few laps, but it wasn’t a race distance. Tomorrow will be a slightly longer day, although I don’t think there will be any problem. The track was quite dirty this morning and very slippery, so it was quite a challenge, but I achieved my goal for the day and I’m very happy.”
11th Marco Morelli 1:58.293 (+0.820): “The important thing today was to get into Q2 and we did it, but it hasn’t been easy to get a good feeling. I felt a bit uncomfortable on the bike, we have to keep working to improve and find a solution that will allow me to ride more freely. Tomorrow we’ll use free practice to focus on that and make everything a bit easier. There’s still work to be done, but I’m happy with the result.”
More, from a press release issued by BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team:
Guevara Secures Top-10 Spot on Aragon Friday as Ferrández Continues Progress.
The BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 team were keen to hit the ground running as they started the busy final stretch of the 2026 season. However, the level of competition was fierce on the Grand Prix of Aragon Friday. Izan Guevara and Alberto Ferrández completed the Practice session in P10 and P24 respectively.
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Izan Guevara made a solid start to the Grand Prix of Aragon weekend, securing a place inside the top 10 during the Moto2 Practice session. He promoted directly to tomorrow’s Q2. Teammate Alberto Ferrández continued his adaptation to the Moto2 category at a circuit he knows well, using valuable track knowledge to build experience ahead of Saturday’s crucial qualifying sessions and Sunday’s Race. He wrapped up the Friday in P24 and will take part in tomorrow’s Q1.
Guevara showed that, despite the news of his MotoGP promotion for 2027, he still has his head in the game. The 2026 Moto2 title contender finished FP1 in P3 and again showed good pace early on in the Practice. He held second place until the time attacks got underway. The Spaniard ended the session in tenth place thanks to a 1’50.493s set on lap 12/13, 0.702s from first.
Ferrández knows the Aragon track well and aimed to use the previous knowledge to his advantage. Having ended FP1 in P16, he was keen to battle for a position inside the top 14 in the afternoon session. Despite finding a time improvement of 0.748s compared to his fastest morning time, clocking a 1’51.008s on lap 11/14, he ultimately finished in P24 in the Practice classification, 1.217s from the top.
Track action resumes on Saturday at 09:25-09:55 (GMT+2) for FP2, and the qualifying sessions will take place from 13:40-14:20.
Izan Guevara: “Overall, today was a good day. I felt very comfortable on my first run this morning, although we made a small change for the second run in the afternoon, hoping it would improve the bike. Instead, it made the bike a little more nervous, which made it harder to push and extract the lap time. I also had some chatter that was limiting me when I tried to increase the pace. Even so, I’m not too concerned. I don’t think we could have done much better today, and we achieved our main objective of going directly into Q2. That’s important, and now the focus is on tomorrow, when we need to make another step and have a strong qualifying session.”
Alberto Ferrández: “Today was a difficult day. I didn’t feel completely comfortable with the bike from the beginning, and I also made a few mistakes with the lines in some corners during FP1. During the Practice, I was able to improve my riding and understand the track better, but we also need to make some improvements to the bike. We are very fast in a couple of sectors, which shows that we have good potential, but we are losing time in the other two and need to understand why. We’ll work on the data tonight and try to make a step tomorrow. The goal is to fight for Q2 and put ourselves in a better position for Sunday’s Race.”
More, from a press release issued by CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team:
Holgado finishes 58 thousandths off the fastest time at Aragón
The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider put in a superb performance on the first day at MotorLand Aragón and set the second-fastest time. His team-mate David Alonso narrowly missed out on qualifying for Q2 and will have to compete in Q1 tomorrow
The Aragon Grand Prix has got off to a very positive start for Dani Holgado and the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team. The Spaniard was in fine form on Friday and finished in second place, just 58 thousandths of a second off the day’s fastest time, which on this occasion was set by Iván Ortolá. Australian rider Senna Agius rounded off the top three in the intermediate class, finishing just one tenth of a second behind Ortolá’s time. David Alonso has made progress and is regaining his confidence on the bike. The Colombian fought until the very last lap to secure a place in Q2, but ultimately finished in eighteenth place and will have to compete in Q1 at MotorLand.
Dani Holgado has been in fine form since the first session of the weekend. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider rode alone throughout the day to focus on his pace, something that will make all the difference in Sunday’s race. After finishing the morning session, Holgado returned to the track in the afternoon to stay at the top of the timesheets and secure his place in Q2. After leading the session and breaking the track record, he was pipped at the post by another rider by a mere 58 thousandths of a second. As a result, his time of 1:49.849 was the second-fastest of the day. His team-mate David Alonso focused his working plan on regaining confidence and a good feel for the bike. The Colombian took small but steady steps forward to lay a solid foundation for the afternoon session. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider improved on his morning times and fought to qualify within the top fourteen, but ultimately finished in eighteenth place, one tenth of a second off the cut-off.
2nd Dani Holgado 1:49.849 (+0.058): “Today has been a positive day here in Aragón and we got off to a very good start. I struggled a bit in the first session because I didn’t feel quite right on the bike, particularly at the rear. Even so, I’m very happy because we’ve worked really well; we’ve taken a big step forward as a team, especially after the first session, and we’ve managed to achieve a great result. The pace has been very good and I’ve always been riding on my own. It’s important for us to get off to a start like this. Tomorrow we’ll see how the tyres wear and see how I feel for the race. I’ve been trying to fine-tune a few details this summer and today I’ve already seen the results of all that previous work. When you try something new, it’s always a struggle, but now I’m starting to incorporate it into my riding style. I think we’re doing quite well at the moment, but we need to keep our feet on the ground, keep working and enjoy the home Grand Prix. I hope to be on one of the first two rows of the starting grid and I’ll fight to achieve that tomorrow.”
18th David Alonso 1:50.761 (+0.970): “We were a few laps short of making it through to Q2 today. I’m feeling better and better, but I need a bit more time to regain the confidence I had a few races ago. I’m getting there step by step, and I think it’ll be good for me to go through Q1 so I can spend more time on the track and get a better feel for the bike. I need to keep edging closer to the limit and try to push harder and harder. It wasn’t quite enough today, but I think that if we improve a few details tomorrow, we can take another step forward. I want to be able to enter the corners with more determination and precision because that’s something that gives you more speed and allows you to improve your time lap. At Silverstone we changed a lot of things and in the end we lost our way, but this weekend I’m keeping my cool and trying to make things work with the bike I’ve got.”
