Francesco Bagnaia misses out on direct Q2 entry due to yellow flags – Jorge Martin is pulled to P2 by Bagnaia – Maverick Vinales fastest on Friday
The pressure on defending champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) increased after Friday practice at the 2023 MotoGP season finale in Valencia. The world champion missed out on the top 10 and thus direct Q2 qualification due to yellow flags
His world championship challenger Jorge Martin (Pramac-Ducati) played the tactics card and clamped onto Bagnaia’s rear wheel. He allowed himself to be pulled into second place. With a new lap record of 1:29.142 minutes, Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales secured the fastest time.
The temperature rose slightly in the afternoon. The asphalt measured 25 degrees Celsius. At the start of MotoGP practice, the sun was already a little lower, which made for less than perfect visibility in some corners. But in principle the conditions were good.
First on the agenda was the preparation for the two races. Almost everyone opted for the hard front tire. The medium compound dominated the rear, although some riders also tried the soft Michelin tire for the distance.
After five minutes, an Aprilia lay in the gravel in turn 1. Aleix Espargaro was able to get up. He limped off, having suffered a fracture to his fibula in the left knee area in Qatar.
Moments later, Marco Bezzecchi flew off his VR46 Ducati in turn 9. The Italian was spun around violently in the gravel. He remained uninjured. And Augusto Fernandez (Tech3-GasGas) went down in turn 14. The Rookie of the Year was also okay
Bezzecchi in mid-air
He’s crashed out at T8 shortly after Yellow Flags were brought out in T1 for @AleixEspargaro‘s crash ⚠️
Both riders are on their feet! ValenciaGP pic.twitter.com/mcOVJIoGK1
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) November 24, 2023
The crash festival continued in the early stages. Alex Rins was the next to be hit. The front wheel of his LCR Honda folded in on turn 1. He also stood on his feet and walked away. Rins was making his comeback after another operation on his right leg.
There was a new detail to discover on Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha. Small wings could be seen on the front fork of one of the bikes, as they are already used by some of the three European brands.
KTM again rode on two tracks. Jack Miller had the new “Formula 1 rear wing” fitted and again the short exhaust at the bottom right. Brad Binder continued with the long tailpipe and the standard aero element behind the seat
He just loves that top spot way too much @FabioDiggia49 lowers his OWN benchmark ValenciaGP pic. twitter.com/Sx3nCUk4uy
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) November 24, 2023
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini-Ducati) again showed very good pace, leading the classification at the halfway point. But the first riders mounted a fresh soft rear tire at the halfway point and opened the time chase.
A quarter of an hour before the end of the session, Miller had a spectacular highside crash at the exit of turn 3 at the start of his first qualifying attack. The Australian hit the tarmac hard, but was able to get up immediately in the gravel
Tactics at Pramac: Martin shadows Bagnaia
The session was briefly interrupted to clear up debris. Eventually the time chase began and Martin clamped onto the rear wheel of Bagnaia and allowed himself to be pulled into second place, while Bagnaia was not in the top 10.
Then Pol Espargaro (Tech3-GasGas) crashed and brought out the yellow flags. Bagnaia had to abort his lap and thus missed out on a direct Q2 entry. The world championship leader finished Friday in 15th place and will be under pressure in Q1 tomorrow.
Behind Vinales and Martin, Johann Zarco on the second Pramac-Ducati finished third. Qatar winner Di Giannantonio was back among the front runners in fourth. Bezzecchi recovered from his crash to finish fifth
IT’S OVER FOR @PeccoBagnaia!
He will have to go through Q1 as @polespargaro has crashed out! Yellow flags are out! ValenciaGP pic.twitter.com/XVxafYvqAw
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) November 24, 2023
Both KTM riders also made it into the top 10, with Binder finishing sixth and Miller ninth. After his flying lap, Miller had another crash. Marc Marquez raced into the top 10 in seventh place on his Honda farewell.
With Raul Fernandez (RNF) and Aleix Espargaro, three Aprilia riders are represented in Q2. The Ducati factory team will have both riders in Q1 tomorrow, as Enea Bastianini finished eleventh. Both Yamaha riders also missed out on the top 10.
Joan Mir crashed in turn 9 during morning practice. The Honda rider was taken to hospital in Valencia for more detailed examinations. No broken bones were found. Mir skipped the second practice session. He will be checked again on Saturday morning. It will then be decided whether he can continue the weekend.
The injured Miguel Oliveira will be replaced in the RNF team by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori. This means that not all the regular riders have competed in any race this season.
Qualifying starts on Saturday at 10:50 am. The 13-lap sprint is scheduled for 15:00
Directly qualified for Q2 are:
Maverick Vinales (Aprilia)
Jorge Martin (Pramac-Ducati)
Johann Zarco (Pramac-Ducati)
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini-Ducati)
Marco Bezzecchi (VR46-Ducati)
Brad Binder (KTM)
Marc Marquez (Honda)
Raul Fernandez (RNF-Aprilia)
Jack Miller (KTM)
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
