Marco Bezzecchi breaks Aragon lap record in MotoGP practice as Francesco Bagnaia drops to Q1

Record-setting pace in pre-qualifying

Marco Bezzecchi set the fastest time in Friday pre-qualifying at MotorLand Aragon, establishing a new circuit lap record of 1:45.455 on his factory Aprilia. The Italian rider edged Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati by 0.010 seconds, while Marc Marquez finished third on the factory Ducati, 0.038 seconds behind. The 0.038-second spread across the top three represents the closest Friday practice top three in MotoGP history. The afternoon run improved on previous Aragon lap benchmarks, including Marc Marquez's 2025 pole time of 1:45.704 and Maverick Vinales's test mark of 1:45.694. Marc Marquez had paced the morning free practice ahead of Raul Fernandez and Bezzecchi before lowering the track benchmark to 1:45.493 early in the afternoon session.

Physical challenges across the paddock

Several riders entered the Aragon race weekend dealing with the physical effects of previous crashes across the 44-race calendar. Bezzecchi, who won three races earlier in the season before losing the championship lead after Mugello, continues to manage left knee and shoulder pain from a July crash at the Sachsenring. The anti-clockwise layout of MotorLand Aragon places heavy physical demands on the left side through multiple left-hand turns, causing fluid buildup in his knee.

The left side of my body is struggling a bit. The shoulder is painful and the knee is more painful. I'm a bit worried because it's going to be a long weekend.

Marc Marquez also managed right-arm discomfort, opting to complete his final afternoon run on a used tyre rather than fitting fresh rubber. Despite skipping a final soft-tyre attempt, the seven-time Aragon premier class winner finished within four hundredths of a second of the top spot. He noted that the tightly contested times pointed to difficult competition across the remainder of the event.

I'm under the record but not the fastest. So, that means everybody is super-fast, and everything is very close, and it will be a tough weekend.

Qualifying cut-off and championship order

Fabio Di Giannantonio took fourth place (+0.299) on his VR46 Ducati, followed by Fermin Aldeguer in fifth (+0.440), who returned after a vertebral fracture in the Netherlands. Raul Fernandez finished sixth (+0.504) for Trackhouse Aprilia, while championship leader Jorge Martin recovered from 18th in morning practice to take seventh (+0.572). Pedro Acosta placed eighth, Franco Morbidelli ninth, and Johann Zarco claimed tenth on his return after three months away following a crash in Barcelona. The top ten riders earned direct admission into Saturday's Q2 qualifying session.

Francesco Bagnaia finished 13th with a lap time of 1:46.487, ending 1.032 seconds adrift of Bezzecchi and behind Honda riders Diogo Moreira and Luca Marini. Bagnaia, still recovering from a double hand operation in July after finishing 20th in morning practice, will contest Saturday's Q1 session. The session took place with Ai Ogura absent due to a training hand injury and Maverick Vinales sidelined with an ongoing shoulder injury.