Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez set a new lap record to top practice at the British Grand Prix, while championship leader Marc Marquez ended fourth after an early crash.
Marc Marquez had predicted on Thursday at Silverstone that his younger brother Alex would be a strong contender this weekend, noting the circuit’s flowing layout suits Alex’s riding style.
Alex confirmed this prediction by setting a 1m57.295s time on his final flying lap, beating the previous lap record and securing first place in practice by just 0.047s.
Fabio Quartararo was second on the leading Yamaha, while Jack Miller completed the top three aboard the Pramac Yamaha M1 despite an early crash. Marc Marquez, riding the factory Ducati, finished fourth, 0.360s off Alex’s pace, recovering well from an early spill at Village corner.
Reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia had a challenging session but managed a late improvement, finishing seventh. Fermin Aldeguer nabbed the final top-10 spot in dramatic fashion, forcing Pedro Acosta into Q1 by a slim margin of 0.044s.
The hour-long session began with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi setting the early pace with a 1m58.349s lap as most riders focused on race simulations. With just under 30 minutes remaining, Tech3 KTM’s Maverick Vinales fitted a new soft rear tire and briefly grabbed the top spot with a 1m58.347s.
A flurry of fast laps followed in the closing stages, culminating in Alex Marquez’s record-breaking time. Quartararo had a brief stint at the top but ultimately finished second, 0.047s behind. Miller rounded out the top three, recovering well from his earlier crash.
Marc Marquez fought back from his early fall to take fourth, ahead of Bezzecchi in fifth. Fabio Di Giannantonio put his VR46 Ducati sixth, narrowly ahead of Bagnaia, who struggled for much of the session before a late improvement. Johann Zarco was the top Honda rider in eighth, with Alex Rins ensuring three Yamahas earned direct Q2 spots for the first time since Valencia 2021.
Aldeguer’s late improvement to secure 10th edged out Acosta on the factory KTM. Joan Mir was shuffled out of the top 10, finishing 12th on his Honda.
Further down the order, VR46’s Franco Morbidelli ended the session in 16th after a crash, and he is under investigation for impeding Bezzecchi at the Maggotts section of the track. Additionally, Trackhouse Racing's Ai Ogura retired from the session after just one lap due to knee pain from a crash in FP1.
