MotoGP: Pecco Bagnaia Dominates First Free Practice in the Netherlands
The current MotoGP champion, Pecco Bagnaia, showed his dominance in the first free practice session at the Assen circuit in the Netherlands. The Italian rider set the fastest time, with Marc Márquez and Jorge Martín trailing behind.
The weather conditions were cloudy, with a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius in the air and 33 degrees on the road. There is a chance of rain in the evening.
The session started with a strange incident involving Aleix Espargaró, who had a problem with his engine and fell in the pit lane. After the stewards pushed him, he arrived at the box with his bike.
From the beginning, the Ducati team set the standard, with Marquez and Bagnaia taking turns in first position. Almost everyone was wearing medium tires to get a feel for the track. Many riders, including Acosta and Rins, had excursions through the wide asphalt escape routes, while Bezzecchi had a scare in the gravel.
Yamaha did not stop their three-week break, but instead conducted a test in Valencia, finally escaping the rain. On the Dutch track, they have two different bikes on each side of the box: one with new features and one without.
In the last minutes of the session, some riders opted to change tires, while others did not. Bagnaia was first with a soft front and a half-soft rear tire. The Italian rider is considered the man to beat this weekend.
Raul Fernandez was very close to beating him, but ran into Zarco, who was slow, in the final chicane. Fabio Di Giannantonio, with new compounds, took the lead, but the stewards canceled his turn for stepping outside the track in the penultimate corner. Marc Márquez started with new tires, but cut out at the end after a scare in that chicane at the entrance to the finish line.
Unlike other workouts, Martín did not change his tires. If he did, Quartararo and some Aprilia riders would have benefited. Bagnaia left with the best time.
Moto3 and Moto2
In Moto3, surprise came from David Alonso, who was only fourth. The MT MSi team dominated, with Iván Ortolá first and Yamanaka, second.
In Moto2, the MT MSi team also dominated, with Ogura in front, followed by Sergio García Dols. Canet, already better physically, took third place with the SpeedUp team behind him. Roberts fell and finished ninth.
MOTOGP FIRST FREE RANKING CLASSIFICATION AT ASSEN
The top 10 riders in the first free practice session were:
- Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) – 1:33.345
- Marc Márquez (Ducati) – 1:33.554
- Raul Fernandez (KTM) – 1:33.642
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati) – 1:33.695
- Jorge Martín (Pramac) – 1:33.721
- Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) – 1:33.745
- Quartararo (Yamaha) – 1:33.753
- Bezzecchi (Ducati) – 1:33.795
- Acosta (KTM) – 1:33.808
- Rins (Suzuki) – 1:33.841