Alex Marquez Fastest in Catalunya MotoGP FP1

Alex Marquez started the 2026 Catalan Grand Prix weekend as the fastest rider in MotoGP Free Practice 1 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya aboard the Gresini Racing Ducati.

The reigning Catalunya winner posted a best lap of 1m39.950s during the closing stages of Friday morning’s session after remaining relatively quiet for most of the opening practice.

Marquez finished 0.349 seconds clear of Jorge Martin from Aprilia Racing, who had controlled much of the session before suffering a concerning crash at Turn 12 with roughly 20 minutes remaining.

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Martin lost the front end of his RS-GP through the fast final sector corner and appeared to be in visible discomfort after the incident. However, the Spaniard was still able to return to the circuit later for practice starts following the end of the session.

The session began in relatively cold conditions with track grip improving steadily throughout the 45-minute outing. Pedro Acosta initially led the session for KTM before Martin moved ahead during the opening 10 minutes.

Martin continued lowering the benchmark to a 1m40.299s lap before his Turn 12 accident. Shortly after Martin’s crash, Acosta also fell at Turn 2, with team-mate Brad Binder crashing moments later at the same corner.

Alex Marquez only switched to a full time-attack run during the final phase of the session using a fresh medium rear tyre. After initially setting a 1m40.021s lap, the Gresini rider improved further on his final attempt to break into the 1m39s range.

Fabio Di Giannantonio secured third position for VR46 Racing Team, while Acosta remained fourth despite his earlier crash. Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi completed the top five for Aprilia.

Enea Bastianini, Fermin Aldeguer, Jack Miller, Franco Morbidelli, and Johann Zarco rounded out the top 10 positions.

Meanwhile, it proved to be a difficult session for Francesco Bagnaia, who finished only 17th for the factory Ducati team. Maverick Vinales also returned to action with Tech3 KTM for the first time since Austin and ended the session over one second off the leading pace.

The FP1 results already highlighted the extremely close competition expected throughout the Catalunya weekend, particularly with track conditions forecast to continue evolving ahead of the crucial Friday Practice session that determines direct Q2 progression.