MotoGP riders reflect on opening day of practice at Catalunya – Moto2/3/E Reports/Results

MotoGP 2025

Round 15 – Catalunya
Day One

Brad Binder – P1

“P1 with a lap record to go with it. Lekker Friday in Barcelona. That’ll do nicely, thanks KTM”

Alex Marquez – P3

“Obviously I’m happy but not fully satisfied. I’m not as smooth as I’d like in the fast corners, but we know how and where to work on to be on top of our game tomorrow. We worked a lot with the medium tyre and it worked, while we’re not sure about our potential with the soft one. The primary goal is to improve in the fast corners.”

Marc Márquez – P4

“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. We used the base set-up today, while tomorrow the team will help me with some minor adjustments to find more stability in the faster sections and help me be more consistent.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P5

“It was a good first day, especially since we proceeded step by step. I had fun in the afternoon because I managed to improve, particularly in terms of pace during the long runs. I did rather well with the soft tyre, and I felt comfortable on the medium this morning as well. After two weekends where I was unable to go straight through to Q2, I finally managed to do so today, and that is a bit of a load off.”

Enea Bastianini – P6

“The two sessions have been positive for us, the pace was very good with the soft tyres, although we need to carefully analyse everything for tomorrow, because the grip is too low this year, and we expect a big drop. I crashed at T2 today unfortunately at the end, but it seems that I crash every year at this corner, so it looks like a bad habit, which I need to accept! Anyway, it was a very good day for us, and I am looking forward to continuing the work tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli – P7

“It was a positive Friday, because when you’re directly into Q2 it means the result is good. We had to fight to reach this level of performance. We started quite far behind, I didn’t have a good feeling on the bike, but the team worked well and we managed to do two solid time attacks. Rear grip is the main issue on this track, so we’ll need to work on improving that. There’s more competition than usual here, so we’ll have to work well looking at the races.”

Johann Zarco – P8

“It’s a pity about the crash, but I’m happy to be competitive and feel fast on the bike. I’m still struggling in some areas, but despite that, we’re in a good position and doing a good job. We need to find a different solution that could allow me to feel more comfortable and take another step. In any case, it’s good to be back at this level on a circuit I like, and we’ll aim for the best possible result in qualifying and in the Sprint.”

Luca Marini – P9

“Our performance today was better than I was expecting honestly, from FP1 I was feeling good with the bike, and I was able to be competitive the entire day. It feels like there is a bit more grip here compared to our last visit. I’m still recovering from a virus I’ve had all week but it’s not limiting us too much. We’ve been working really hard the last two years so it’s good to see these improvements today. Tomorrow I’ll keep working on comparing the two bikes that we have.”

Ai Ogura – P10

“I’m really happy about today. We started very good this morning and to be honest, I didn’t expect that much improvement in the practice session. Anyway, it was a nice lap. We know what to improve for tomorrow as well, which is the most important thing, so we will just keep working that way – I think it’s a good way. The things we have been working on in the last two, three, races, seem to show now and that’s the reason why I’m really happy, especially for my guys.”

Fabio Quartararo – P11

“Clearly, this morning was not a good session. This afternoon was a bit better. Unfortunately, on the last two laps, I had two yellow flags in Sector 1, and I couldn’t make a second hot lap. It’s never easy, but I think we would have had a good chance to get into Q2 if it wasn’t for that. It’s a shame. Our pace is not so good because our grip is always low here. We’re trying to learn. Before the first time attack I thought Q2 was out of reach for us, but I felt great after the first time attack. I think that tomorrow we have a chance to still get into Q2.”

Miguel Oliveira – P12

“It‘s normal to be frustrated when you‘re so close, but overall it was a good session. I had a good feeling with the bike, the time attacks went well, I just missed the first sector on my best lap. Still, the overall feeling was positive. The grip was poor, but surprisingly better on the time attack – I didn‘t struggle as much as I expected, maybe I was just too pessimistic. We can defend ourselves on the brakes and carry speed without being too slow in the corners, which otherwise makes you stress the tyres a lot when you accelerate.”

Joan Mir – P13

“Today we have been working a lot with different chassis options to understand them at a different kind of circuit. We spent the first part of the day changing the setup to suit the Barcelona track, a lot of work to do which took up some time. For the time attack we found a good setting, and I was able to make an improvement with my pace, we were very close to the top ten and just a few small things saw us miss out. For tomorrow we have margin, so we need to work a lot overnight to realise it.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P14

“I didn’t shine in the two time attacks. I made a few small mistakes which cost us the direct seed to Q2. We need to stay calm though, even though it’s going to be a very challenging Q1 with so many fast opponents. The goal stays the same: to start near the front and try to battle for the top five, meaning this is going to be a crucial Saturday. The track is not an easy one, with little grip, so we’ll have to be perfect to make it into Q2.”

Jack Miller – P15

“It‘s been quite a good day, even if on paper it might not look like it. In terms of pace and feeling, we‘re not too far off. It was a rocky start when I went down at Turn 1 on lap three this morning, which wasn‘t ideal, but we managed to bounce back. The bike feels okay – we clearly have some issues with drive, and the grip is basically non-existent, but we already know Barcelona is historically one of the worst tracks for grip, which is always our weak point. We‘ll rack our brains tonight, try some different set-up ideas and see. I don‘t think we‘re too far away – we just need to improve the package.”

Alex Rins – P16

“The grip was really low for us, and that made it difficult today. It’s low grip for everyone, but we seem to struggle more than others. It’s not easy, but I am proud of myself: I gave it my 100% and I keep my motivation high. For sure, we will discuss today’s performance and try to find an improvement.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P17

“We started the weekend with some ideas, but we had to go back on them. We worked by returning to our reference points during the Practice session, where we had a good pace with the medium rear tyre. Unfortunately, we were unlucky in the first time attack due to traffic, and in the second one because of yellow flags. If you want to aim for victory, you need to be fast already from FP1. We’ll try to bounce back tomorrow, just like we did during the weekend in Hungary.”

Jorge Martin – P18

“I knew I’d struggle a bit more in the time attacks. In any case, I’m pleased because I took a huge step forward in terms of sensations between the morning and the afternoon. I definitely still need to put all the pieces together, but I know where I need to improve, and that’s what’s important.”

Raul Fernandez – P19

“This season for different reasons I don’t really understand why we are quite strong in some tracks and in others we are struggling in different areas. Today we have been using an old engine again for the practice and especially, when I had to do the time attack, I felt a drop in the engine – I didn’t feel the power. I definitely have something to improve for tomorrow but, today, in a critical moment, I didn’t feel it and run by run, it felt like it was getting worse. We need to understand because in terms of feeling we are in a really good position.”

Aleix Espargaro – P20

“I am really happy to be back on track; I’ve been able to recover from the injuries I had in Hungary. I am not 100%, the ribs are giving me some trouble when I am moving on the bike but even like this, we are quite close to the other Honda riders, and I am satisfied with the opening day. There is a lot of work to do, so I am really happy to be here and helping. Some items to work on tomorrow before we switch into race mode with Q1 and the Sprint.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P21

“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. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P22

“We’re continuing our work on development, and this morning we also did some long runs to see general consumptions in order to support the factory team. We were here two weeks ago for testing, and we tested several solutions, but we always have some new upgrades to take to the track.”

Maverick Viñales – P23

“Honestly, it is a gift that I am able to ride here in Montmelo, it is much sooner than I expected. Today, we just tried to ride to understand how the shoulder would react. We felt quite limited as the day went by, but I am just really happy to be here today. We need more time, it is tough physically as I have lost muscles and I am basically riding with one arm, but we knew all of this arriving here. Let’s take things step by step.”

Somkiat Chantra – P24

“This weekend, I need to take things step by step, as everything has felt quite different for me since the first morning session, after a few weeks off the bike. By the end of the day, I felt some pain because I’m still recovering, so I need to be especially careful with my knee. I’ll focus on regaining the feeling, adapting to the speed, and doing the best possible job.”

Team Managers

Paolo Bonora – Aprilia Racing

“A positive day for Marco, who managed to put in some good lap times in the afternoon, partially solving the problems with grip that both he and Jorge had this morning. Jorge, on the other hand, was unfortunately unable to put all the elements together to go straight through to Q2. With Lorenzo, we’re fine-tuning the work we started a couple weeks ago during the tests we did here. We have been struggling a bit more on Friday for a few races now, but we intend to work this evening, as we have on recent weekends, to solve these last issues and be ready for the race.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“We are very happy to see Ai going straight to Q2 and we saw him already quite fast and progressing last weekend. Hopefully, we can put everything together this weekend – of course, to be in Q2 is already a good step towards the race and we will continue tomorrow trying to see if we can get a good starting position for the races. On the other side, Raul is a little bit in difficulty and we have some work to do. We will try to find out how we can help with some bike settings and see where we can go. This is Barcelona, he has always been fast here, so we have to understand why and find a way. So, some work to do on both sides, to get Ai in the best possible position and try to fix the problems for Raul to get him where he deserves to be. Let’s try tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha Team Director

“We encountered more challenges than anticipated in FP1. While grip levels are typically low here in Montmeló, our performance in the morning sessions is usually more stable. As expected, grip deteriorated with rising temperatures in the afternoon. Nonetheless, the team responded well, and we managed to close the gap significantly during the time attack. Unfortunately, yellow flags at the end of the session prevented both riders – particularly Fabio – from executing a final flying lap. I’m confident he could have contended for a top-10 position without that setback, but such variables are part of MotoGP. Q1 promises to be highly competitive tomorrow, so we’ll focus our efforts tonight and tomorrow morning on ensuring we’re fully prepared for the qualifying shoot-out.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“I have to say the weekend has started really well. Beyond the outright lap time, both riders showed a solid rhythm, which is a very positive sign. We came close to Q2, it was only a matter of a few thousandths, but what strikes me most is that on this track – where we expected to struggle due to the lack of grip – we actually performed better than anticipated. That‘s encouraging, also looking ahead to Sunday‘s race.”

MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	M. Marquez	455
2	A. Marquez	280
3	F. Bagnaia	228
4	M. Bezzecchi	197
5	P. Acosta	164
6	F. Morbidelli	161
7	F. Di Giannantonio	154
8	F. Aldeguer	126
9	J. Zarco	114
10	F. Quartararo	109
11	B. Binder	91
12	R. Fernandez	73
13	L. Marini	72
14	M. Viñales	69
15	E. Bastianini	63
16	A. Ogura	58
17	J. Miller	52
18	J. Mir	46
19	A. Rins	45
20	J. Martin	23
21	P. Espargaro	16
22	T. Nakagami	10
23	M. Oliveira	10
24	L. Savadori	8
25	A. Fernandez	6
26	S. Chantra	1
27	A. Espargaro	0

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Moto2

Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) set the pace in Moto2 Practice at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia, snatching P1 with a late flyer. The Spaniard’s effort edged Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Impulse Aspar Team) by less than a tenth, with Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) securing third as the leading Boscoscuro.

Substitute rider Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) continued to catch the eye with fourth place, while Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) completed the top five. Rookies Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ivan Ortolá (QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI) also impressed inside the top seven.

Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) wrapped up the day in P10 just ahead of Senna Agius. The Australian secured a direct qualification for Q2 on his return from injury.

Remarkably, just 0.297s covered the entire top 14, setting the stage for what promises to be a fiercely competitive qualifying day in Barcelona.

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