The third round of MotoGP at COTA started with FP1. A slow start gave the impression that the session would be a tame one but a red flag shook it up. As Marco Bezzecchi sets his sight on getting five consecutuve wins, it was Pedro Acosta who topped the leaderboard. The times were close, hinting towards a tight battle in the races.
A Tame Start
FP1 started off relatively tame, with all riders behaving on the track. Ducati Lenovo Team took an early lead with Francesco Bagnaia setting the benchmark time—a 2:04.456. However, he didn’t remain there for long and soon, Bezzecchi took over with a 2:03.014.
As the riders settled into the track, the lap times were quick to decrease. Ducati soon returned to the top spot, this time with Fabio Di Giannantonio from Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. Throughout the session, the #49 would continue to fight for the top spot.
Once again, it wasn’t long before there was a change at the top. This time, Pedro Acosta stole the number one position, posting a lap of 2:02.595. As he set it, riders behind were tracking ahead. However, a red flag would end their efforts to go faster.
A Red Flag For Márquez
Sitting P6 on the leaderboard early in the session, Marc Márquez was the first to make an error. 10 minutes in and, while on a quick lap, he lost the front of the Desmosedici GP26 bike coming over Turn 10. Consequently, he slid off the track and over the gravel, and his bike planted itself into the barriers. A cautionary red flag was released, as the marshalls attended Márquez.
Luckily, the Spaniard seemed to be okay. He looked shaken up, but was able to walk away from the track. The red flag didn’t last long, but the short break allowed the marshals to repair the barrier and remove the damaged Ducati.
After being checked out by the medical team, Márquez was given the all clear. With 10 minutes left on the clock, he returned to track. Initially, he was careful on track, testing both the second bike and himself, but ultimately, he set a lap of 2:02.093 and finished the session in fourth place.
“Marc is fine but he had a big hit on the right arm and left hand. It’s painful, but there’s nothing broken.”
~ Ducati Lenovo Team Manager Davide Tardozzi released an update on his rider’s condition.
A Close Grid
Once the green flag was waved again, riders were slow to return to the track. Ai Ogura was the first to head out, and shot up to P3 on the leaderboard. With half the session gone, it was a close battle, with the top 14 riders within one second and the top four within two hundredths of a second.
Throughout the session, the Yamaha riders struggled to find pace. For the majority of FP1, they were at the bottom and nearly two seconds off the pace. However, the four riders were able to improve, and Jack Miller was the fastest rider. He finished in P14, nine tenths behind Acosta.
Aside from Yamaha, all the manufacturers showed early pace for the weekend and were able to get into the top 10. Despite consistently having good times in sectors one and two, Bezzecchi was losing time during the second half of the lap. He finished the session P9 whereas his teammate, Jorge Martín finished P3 and was the fastest Aprilia rider.
Luca Marini finished the session P7. The Honda HRC Castrol rider had an uneventful session, but was the fastest Honda rider. Di Giannantonio led the way for the Ducati riders. However, Fermín Aldeguer, who is still recovering, finished the session last in P22.
Acosta Leads The Leaderboard and KTM
Although a range of riders saw times that put them P1, it was the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pedro Acosta who ended the session on top. His fastest time was a 2:01.715. Considering the close field, he took a relatively dominant lead, finishing a tenth ahead of Di Giannantonio in second.
KTM had a session of two stories. Despite Acosta leading the way, his teammate, Brad Binder, could only put in a time good enough for P16. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 riders, Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini, had a better session. The pair narrowly missed the top 10, finishing P13 and P14 respectively.
At the end of the session, the top ten were separated by seven tenths of a second. With four of the five manufacturers at the front it will be a close battle later to get straight into Q2.
MotoGP FP1 Top 10
The Top 10 for the session is as follows:
- Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
- Jorge Martín (Aprilia Racing)
- Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team)
- Raúl Fernández (Trackhouse MotoGP Team)
- Álex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP)
- Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol)
- Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team)
- Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing)
- Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
This weekend, Bezzecchi could match Márquez and Valentino Rossi and achieve five consecutive race wins. In Thailand, Acosta took his first win in the sprint race, could his early pace in COTA pave the way for him to achieve his first feature race win? Up next is the practice session. The fastest ten will head straight into tomorrow’s Q2. Can Acosta continue the pace?