Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia delivered a top-notch performance in the second free practice session of the Barcelona Grand Prix, putting pressure on his title rival Jorge Martin.
Francesco Bagnaia gained the upper hand over his main rival Jorge Martin during the second free practice session for the Barcelona Solidarity Grand Prix. With only 24 points behind championship leader Martin,
Bagnaia achieved an important performance on Friday afternoon, winning a psychological victory by beating Martin.
Although the two-time reigning world champion led the session, the gap between the two drivers was not gigantic.
Bagnaia finished with a time of 1m38.918s, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi of only 0.080 seconds and Aleix Espargaró from Aprilia, which completed the top three. Martinmeanwhile, finished fifth after meeting several grip problems at the fronta handicap he was unable to fully overcome during this crucial session.
The one-hour session began with Martinwho set the tone by signing a 1m40.934s, but
Bezzecchi quickly took the lead, setting a best time mid-session. Martin
then returned to the lead with a 1m39.652s, which he improved to 1m39.214s, but he could not resist the rise of the other drivers.
Johann Zarco briefly held first place with its Honda before Bezzecchi
doesn't take over. However, it is Bagnaia who hit hard in the final minutes of the session, thus sealing the best performance of the day.
Behind the leaders, Maverick Viñales showed great performance finishing sixth, while the Gresini Ducati riders Alex Marquez et Marc
Marquez took the seventh and eighth positions respectively. The rookie of Tech3 GASGAS, Pedro Acostafinished ninth, whileEnea Bastianini completed the top 10.
KTM riders, Brad Binder et Jack
Millermissed Q2, while Fabio Quartararocould not do better than 14th. Difficult conditions, notably falls of Franco Morbidelli et Augusto Fernandezdisrupted some pilots, while Miguel Oliveira et Michele Pirro struggled, ranked 20th and 22nd respectively.
The Solidarity Grand Prix continues to take shape, and the battle for the title promises to take place under intense pressure between the two main contenders for the crown this Saturday, of which here is the program…
MotoGP, Barcelona: timetables
Saturday November 16
FP3 Moto3 08:40-09:10
FP3 Moto2 09:25-09:55
FP2 MotoGP 10:10-10:40
Q1 MotoGP 10:50-11:05
Q2 MotoGP 11:15-11:30
Q1 Moto3 12:50-13:05
Q2 Moto3 13:15-13:30
Q1 Moto2 13:45-14:00
Q2 Moto2 14:10-14:25
Sprint Race MotoGP 15:00
