World Champion Francesco Bagnaia ahead of Alex Rins and Pedro Acosta on Friday – Marc Marquez also in the top 10 this time – Both KTM riders have to line up in Q1
World Champion Francesco Bagnaia finished Friday’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello in the lead. The Ducati man was the only rider to beat the 1:45 minute mark. Surprisingly, Alex Rins was first in pursuit on the Yamaha. Despite another crash, rookie Pedro Acosta (Tech3-GasGas) was once again among the front runners in third place and the only KTM in Q2.
On his first flying lap, KTM wildcard starter Pol Espargaro equaled the top speed record with 366.1 km/h. This was also due to the tailwind on the 1.1-kilometer finish straight. This value was no longer achieved later in training.
Progress could be seen at Yamaha. Fabio Quartararo was measured at 360.0 km/h in the early stages. When race set-up was used in the early stages, the former world champion and Rins were in the top 5, while Honda was over a second behind.
Halfway through the session, Acosta’s KTM in GasGas colors was lying in the gravel in the Biondetti corner. It was his second crash of the day. Acosta climbed onto a photographer’s electric scooter to be taken back to the pits.
But the bike could not go uphill with two riders. Acosta got off and pushed the electric scooter, which caused a few laughs – including from his Tech3 team boss Herve Poncharal on the pit wall. The rookie continued the session on his second bike
Tell me you’re in a rush at Mugello without telling me you’re in a rush at Mugello ItalianGP pic. twitter.com/HmXWeFfqxT
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) May 31, 2024
Before the time chase began in the final phase, Marc Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) led the classification. The preferred tire choice was medium at the front and soft at the rear. Interestingly, Marc Marquez tried the soft front and medium rear tires for a few laps
Qualifying for the important Q2 places then took place in the final 20 minutes. Before the second and final attempt, Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) led the classification ahead of Rins, Marc Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46-Ducati).
Bagnaia then set the benchmark time of 1:44.938 minutes, turned into the pits two minutes before the end of the session and parked his Ducati. Some riders had their times disallowed due to track limits (too far on the outside of the green area at the exit of the finishing corner)
Tensions rising
This incident between @alexmarquez73 and @PeccoBagnaia is now under investigationItalianGP pic. twitter.com/6NEF3K0KHW
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) May 31, 2024
Bagnaia’s time was no longer beaten. Rins came within 0.273 seconds of the best time with a fabulous time. His teammate Quartararo missed out on Q2 by just 0.019 seconds because he was deprived of a lap and then made a mistake in Scarperia.
After his crash, Acosta returned in third place. Miguel Oliveira finished fourth and went straight into Q2 for the first time since Indonesia last fall. The Portuguese rider from the Trackhouse team was also the best Aprilia representative.
After two Q1 participations, Marc Marquez managed another good Friday with fifth place. Enea Bastianini (Ducati) followed in sixth and Jorge Martin (Pramac-Ducati) in seventh. The world championship leader had no clean laps at the end
Just awesome stuff from @Rins42
The Spaniard puts his M1 into 2nd ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/8d8WCyAY6z
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) May 31, 2024
Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) secured a Q2 place in eighth. The Aprilia duo of Vinales and Aleix Espargaro completed the top 10. It was noticeable that Aprilia was behind in the top speed values at the end of the long straights.
The KTM duo were also behind in the qualifying attempt. Brad Binder was 13th and Jack Miller only 17th, meaning that once again Acosta had pulled the coals out of the fire for Pierer Mobility AG.
While Yamaha made progress, Honda was again the last brand in the pecking order despite its new aerodynamics. Takaaki Nakagami was the best representative in 19th place. His gap amounted to 1.1 seconds. Luca Marini was last, more than two seconds behind.
Qualifying starts on Saturday at 10:50 am. The sprint over eleven laps will start tomorrow as usual at 15:00.
Directly qualified for Q2 are:
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
Alex Rins (Yamaha)
Pedro Acosta (Tech3-GasGas)
Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse-Aprilia)
Marc Marquez (Gresini-Ducati)
Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
Jorge Martin (Pramac-Ducati)
Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati)
Maverick Vinales (Aprilia)
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
