Márquez Fourth, Bagnaia Struggles in Montmeló Practice

Marc Márquez secured fourth in Montmeló MotoGP practice for Ducati Lenovo, while Francesco Bagnaia slipped to 21st. Alex Márquez impressed in third for Gresini.

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The Ducati Lenovo Team endured a mixed start to the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia at the Circuit de Barcelona–Catalunya, as Marc Márquez shone in fourth while reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia finished a disappointing 21st.

Márquez in the Fight at the Front

Marc Márquez showed promise throughout Friday, topping the timesheets in Free Practice before delivering another strong display in the afternoon session. The #93 rider briefly reclaimed the lead with 14 minutes to go, ultimately settling for fourth place, just 0.139s off the fastest lap of the day.

While the Montmeló circuit has not always been a favourite for Márquez, the eight-time world champion appeared satisfied with the opening day:

“At tracks like this one, which is not among my favourites, the goal is to stay with the front group. The race here will be very long, but today’s time attack went well, and that’s important. I need to improve riding-style-wise in the fast right-handers – where I’ve always struggled a bit – as the bike itself is already good as it is.”

He added that the team will work on minor adjustments overnight to improve stability in the faster sections.

Bagnaia Facing an Uphill Battle

In contrast, teammate Francesco Bagnaia endured a frustrating session. Unable to extract confidence from his Ducati, the #63 rider struggled with movement under braking and acceleration, ending the day over one second off the pace and outside the Q2 cut-off.

“Unfortunately, today we were quite far from a direct seed to Q2. The problem is that I can’t feel the bike underneath me and we need to understand why. I’m pushing hard and I always feel at the limit, and the bike is moving a lot – especially on corner entry and under acceleration. We surely need a reset and to try other ways so that we can get out of this situation, which is surely not a simple one.”

Bagnaia will now have to fight his way through Q1 tomorrow morning, with significant work to do if he is to salvage a competitive grid position.

Alex Márquez Impresses for Gresini

Adding to Ducati’s presence at the sharp end, Alex Márquez of the Gresini Racing Team delivered a strong showing, placing his satellite machine in third position overall.

What’s Next

Action resumes tomorrow with Free Practice 2 at 10:10 local time (GMT+2), followed by the all-important Q1 at 10:50 and Q2 at 11:15. The fifteenth Sprint of the season, a 12-lap dash, will then take place at 15:00.