In the first session the Spaniard from Ducati Pramac was third behind his teammate Zarco and Di Giannantonio. The World Championship leader, who has to defend a 21-point lead in the standings, is behind and not at ease with his Ducati. FP2 at 3pm
– Milan
Very first round a Jorge Martin. In the first free practice session of the GP of the Valencian Community, the final race of the 2023 World Championship, the Spaniard from Ducati Pramac is a good third, 2 and a half tenths from the top, while the leader of the World Championship, Pecco Bagnaia, must chase in 13th place. The Piedmontese rider from Ducati, who has a 21 point lead over Martin in the standings, he doesn’t appear comfortable in FP1 on the Spanish Ricardo Tormo circuit: his weekend starts are always progressive and there is nothing to worry about, but Pecco didn’t exactly come out of the starting blocks like a slingshot in the first 45 minutes of activity on the track.
Pecco gasps
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While Martin was in the top positions for a long time, quite at ease with a Ducati Pramac which projected his teammate Johann Zarco to the best time (1:30.191 with a new double average), Bagnaia was unable to find any feeling: he carried out interventions on the fins and brake discs of the his GP23 and with soft-medium combination, never changed in the session, stops 0.778 from the top. A lot, even if it’s just an approach session to the track, which has also been resurfaced. There is time to recover, but many immediately appeared much better than the World Cup leader.
top 10
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Behind Zarco, in fact, stands Fabio Di Giannantonio, second at 0.187 with the Ducati Gresini and still in very good form after the victory in Qatar last week. Good 4th. Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46) at +0.299 and also good for both Maverick Viñales, 5th at 0.343 with the Aprilia, and Fabio Quartararo, 6th at 0.365 on the Yamaha. Also completing the top ten was Marc Marquez, 7th at 0.373 in his last GP with Honda; Augusto Fernandez, 8th with GasGas at 0.376; Enea Bastianini, 9th with the Ducati at 0.620 and 10th. Alex Marquez with the Ducati Gresini at 0.666. Before arriving in Bagnaia we also find Pol Espargaro (+0.683) and Jack Miller (+0.710), while Franco Morbidelli is 15th and Luca Marini 17th.
slip
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Among the fallen riders, noteworthy were the crashes of Joan Mir (turn 9), who did not resume the session; Alex Marquez (turn 1) and Takaaki Nakagami (turn 8). The second session is at 3pm. Important because it will define the top 10 who go directly to Q2. Bagnaia is expected to redeem himself.
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