Despite finishing a second off the pace, Fabio Quartararo was the man to beat on used tyres and looks like an early contender for victory.
Francesco Bagnaia, who has his first opportunity to claim the MotoGP title this weekend, was two tenths back from the Yamaha rider.
Already complaining of too many mistakes in recent rounds, Aleix Espargaro endured yet more frustration as technical issues and an out-lap crash resulted in the Spaniard completing just five laps.
Crash.net will continue to bring you the latest news and updates throughout the weekend.