Catalunya MotoGP Practice | Zarco toasts new Pramac Ducati deal to top FP Friday

Johann Zarco added another boost to a constructive week by topping the timesheets in Friday Free Practice for the Catalunya MotoGP, round seven of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.

After moving up to second position in the overall standings with a run to fourth position in last weekend’s Italian MotoGP, yesterday [Thursday] it was confirmed he would remain a Pramac Ducati rider for the 2022 MotoGP season.

Carrying that confidence through to free practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Zarco leapt to the head of the field during the customary flurry of fast final laps, in so doing denying Franco Morbidelli the Friday Spanish spoils.

Though pipped in the closing stages, Morbidelli - who scored his first MotoGP pole at the venue in 2020 - will welcome a trouble-free day as he bids to use this weekend’s event to reverse a run of disappointing form on the Petronas SRT Yamaha.

It is in stark contrast to former team-mate Fabio Quartararo - third after practice - who is riding high after his exemplary victory in Mugello five days ago, a result that allowed him to open up a 24 point lead in the overall standings. 

Brad Binder made a strong late improvement to bolster his Q2 hopes en route to fourth in the classification, much like Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller, who pumped in big moving jumps in the closing stages to end the day in fifth and seventh respectively, split by the Yamaha of Maverick Vinales, who begin work with new crew chief Silvano Galbusera this weekend.

Enea Bastianini was an impressive eighth best on the Avintia Ducati, ahead of FP1 pace setter Aleix Espaegaro, who had his brother Pol right behind him on the timesheets in tenth. On a circuit the siblings know intimately having grown up nearby, that experience of the circuit would end up catching out the younger of the two [Pol] when he twice ran off at the reconfigured Turn 10 left-hander.

Similarly, Miguel Oliveira took a trip across the gravel trap with an excursion there, though the only tumbler in FP2 was Luca Marini, at Turn 4.

Elsewhere, Marc Marquez’s recovery continues at a modest pace, the Spaniard only 15th best, while Suzuki will be concerned to see Joan Mir only 16th on a weekend already hurt by the withdrawal of the injured Alex Rins.

2021 Catalunya MotoGP FP1 - FP2 Results | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya