Spanish MotoGP, Jerez - Friday Practice Results (2)

Friday practice results from the Spanish MotoGP at Jerez, round 4 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Aleix Espargaro, MotoGP, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April
Aleix Espargaro, MotoGP, Spanish MotoGP, 28 April
2023 Spanish MotoGP, Jerez - Practice (2) Results
Pos RiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1^4Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)1'36.708s21/22290k
2^8Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.002s24/25293k
3^5Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.127s26/27293k
4^7Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.188s21/22290k
5^8Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.248s24/25291k
6^1Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.333s22/23290k
7^7Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.466s23/24293k
8^1Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.525s20/21290k
9˅8Dani PedrosaSPARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.543s23/24298k
10˅6Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.568s22/25290k
11˅9Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.598s24/28293k
12˅6Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.682s21/24293k
13^4Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.695s19/20289k
14˅11Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+0.775s25/26288k
15^3Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.797s25/28292k
16^4Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.992s21/25291k
17^2Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.152s19/24288k
18˅2Stefan BradlGERTeam HRC (RC213V)+1.165s24/25290k
19˅4Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.208s22/22288k
20^2Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.277s17/17291k
21˅9Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+1.424s22/24289k
22^1Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)+1.990s19/20289k
23˅2Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+2.220s21/24287k
24=Iker LecuonaSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+2.566s21/24288k

Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than Practice 1.
= Rider is same position as Practice 1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than Practice 1.

* Rookie

Riders directly to Qualifying 2 - Top 10 Combined Practice Times:
PosRiderNatTeam
1Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Factory (RS-GP23)
2Maverick VinalesSPAAprilia Factory (RS-GP23)
3Dani PedrosaSPARed Bull KTM (RC16)
4Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)
5Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)
6Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)
7Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)
8Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)
9Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)
10Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)

Official Jerez MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 36.170s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 37.669s (2022)

Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales snatch a late one-two during Friday practice for the 2023 Spanish MotoGP at Jerez.

Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Quartararo are among those left outside the top ten, sending them into Saturday's Qualifying 1.

Rising track temperatures meant morning lap times had remained unbeaten for the previous Moto3 and Moto2 classes.

That trend continued for much of the MotoGP hour, meaning wild-card Dani Pedrosa's 1m 36.770s Practice 1 best wasn't threatened until the final ten minutes when Vinales leapt from tenth to third.

Jack Miller, Johann Zarco and Miguel Oliveira were also able to make late gains but it was a tough task for others, including the likes of reigning champion Bagnaia and 2021 title winner Quartararo.

Iker Lecuona suffered his first fall from a Repsol Honda this afternoon, at the final hairpin, walking away unharmed but with red flags later waved due to the damage his RC213V made to an airfence.

Frustrated team-mate Joan Mir ran through the gravel before falling at Turn 6, then again at Turn 5.

World championship leader Marco Bezzecchi then suffered a spectacular engine failure just after the midway stage of the hour, along the back straight, but no red flags were needed.

Alex Rins was a late faller, also at the Turn 6 hairpin, ending his direct Qualifying 2 hopes.

2023 Spanish MotoGP, Jerez - Practice (1) Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Dani PedrosaSPARed Bull KTM (RC16)1'36.770s20/20298k
2Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.034s19/20294k
3Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+0.274s17/19291k
4Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.283s18/19292k
5Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.320s15/18292k
6Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.327s20/20295k
7Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.368s18/19293k
8Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.492s18/19298k
9Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.618s17/17293k
10Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.619s17/19295k
11Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.662s16/20294k
12Alex RinsSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+0.717s18/19290k
13Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.863s17/17296k
14Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.912s19/19291k
15Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.080s17/18290k
16Stefan BradlGERTeam HRC (RC213V)+1.132s17/17292k
17Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.285s13/19291k
18Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.303s6/21290k
19Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.334s16/19289k
20Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.336s14/16290k
21Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+1.508s17/19288k
22Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+2.161s13/13293k
23Jonas FolgerGERTech3 GASGAS (RC16)+2.775s17/18290k
24Iker LecuonaSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+3.739s13/16289k

 

* Rookie

Official Jerez MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 36.170s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 37.669s (2022)

KTM wild-card Dani Pedrosa, competing at Jerez for the first time since 2018, rolled back the years by leading the opening session for the 2023 Spanish MotoGP.

The Spanish star, who like fellow wild-card Stefan Bradl (Honda) has taken part in private tests at the track this year, was leading the session when new-tyre time attacks began - something he is not familiar with due to the limited test tyre allocation.

But after being pushed down the order, Pedrosa responded on his final lap to snatch the top spot back by 0.034s from Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) to the delight of the KTM team and local fans.

Pedrosa was using a larger square-shaped wing on the back of his RC16 plus other new aero parts on his RC16.

LCR Honda's Takaaki Nakagami, who counts Jerez as his favourite track, had been first to topple Pedrosa in the final minutes, using new soft tyres, on his way to third.

VR46's Luca Marini claimed a late fourth, followed by Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, Red Bull KTM's Brad Binder, Gresini Ducati's Alex Marquez and Binder's team-mate Jack Miller.

2022 Jerez winner and reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, who has given away 45 points with accidents in the last rounds, was ninth with Maverick Vinales completing the top ten.

Having suffered at the starts in Texas, Vinales did several practice starts out of pit lane during the session, as he seeks to refine the RS-GP's clutch release.

COTA winner Alex Rins took his LCR Honda to twelfth place, behind Johann Zarco, having apparently settled on the original RCV chassis after trying Marc Marquez's design in Termas. "Alex made the difference in COTA," team-mate Nakagami said on Thursday, ruling out special parts or set-up being behind the Spaniard's victory.

RNF Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira was the first rider to break the 1m 38s barrier and remained on top of the timesheets through the middle stages, on his way to 13th.

World championship leader Marco Bezzecchi was 14th, with Monster Yamaha Fabio Quartararo just 18th - but did not fit new soft tyres at the end.

Team-mate Franco Morbidelli tried new, longer, KTM-style exhausts on his way to 20th.

Enea Bastianini, looking to restart his debut season at the factory Ducati team after a fractured shoulder following contact from  Marini in the Portimao sprint, was 20th.

Iker Lecuona, making his Repsol Honda debut in place of the injured Marc Marquez, began the weekend last of the 24 riders.

Remote video URL

While Enea Bastianini is returning to action after being side-lined by shoulder injuries in the season-opening sprint race, Marc Marquez is missing his third event in a row due to hand injuries sustained in his collision with Miguel Oliveira in Portimao.

The eight time world champion is being replaced at Jerez by Honda WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona, who raced in MotoGP for Tech3 KTM during the 2020 and 2021 seasons with a best finish of sixth place. Lecuona, 23, took a WorldSBK podium last season and is currently ninth in the early 2023 standings.

31-time MotoGP winner Dani Pedrosa is also re-joining the premier-class grid this weekend, as a KTM wild-card. It is Pedrosa’s first grand prix appearance since Austria 2021 and first at Jerez since his final full-time season, at Repsol Honda, in 2018.

Pol Espargaro continues to recover from multiple injuries in Portugal and is again replaced at Tech3 by Pedrosa’s fellow KTM test rider Jonas Folger.

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