15:53
Binder also out there on slicks now but there doesn't seem to be much hurry, generally speaking, from the rest of the field.
Pedro Acosta, 2026 MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose
MotoGP Brazil Friday practice as it happened
Live updates from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian MotoGP at Goiania as MotoGP returns to Brazil for the first time in 22 years.
KEY MOMENTS
- Honda leading Practice after 30 minutes
- Three crashes so far
- Razgatlioglu showing stunning pace in iffy conditions
- Bezzecchi 20th at halfway point
Live coverage from the opening day of practice at the 2026 Brazilian MotoGP at Goiania as MotoGP makes its return to Brazil.
FP1 saw almost all of the running completed on wet tyres. It had been delayed by an hour due to the severity of the track conditions after overnight rain stretched into this morning, and Jack Miller was the only rider to set a competitive time on slicks, going second-fastest on the final of his 16 laps on a set of medium-compound dry tyres.
Pedro Acosta finished the morning fastest on wets, while Thailand winner Marco Bezzecchi was third and reigning champion Marc Marquez was fourth.
There were no crashes in FP1, but several riders - including both Bezzecchi and Acosta, as well as Joan Mir and Toprak Razgatlioglu - had off-track excursions during the extended one-hour FP1.
None of the current riders were on the MotoGP grid when the championship last visited Brazil in 2004; the oldest rider on the 2026 grid, Johann Zarco, was only 13 when the final Rio race was held 22 years ago.
The Autodromo Internacional de Goiania has undergone a raft of upgrades to make it ready for the top level of motorcycle racing this weekend, but the layout is essentially the same as it was a year ago when three current MotoGP riders took part in a promotional event for the race that included riding laps of the circuit on production bikes.
Those riders were Luca Marini, Diogo Moreira, and Franco Morbidelli, although a handful of laps on a production bike 12 months ago is unlikely to translate into much of a meaningful advantage by the end of this first weekend of MotoGP action at Goiania since 1989.
None of those three riders enter the second round of the season after especially auspicious openers in Thailand three weeks ago, either. Morbidelli was the third-best Ducati in the grand prix on Sunday but only eighth, Marini was only 10th, and Moreira finished his debut MotoGP race 13th and almost 25 seconds off the win.
The riders in-form coming to Brazil are most significantly Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi. Acosta leads the championship by seven points over Bezzecchi, and the Italian was dominant in his run to victory on Sunday in Thailand.
Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez is renowned for his prowess on new circuits, and was the victor the last time MotoGP visited a track for the first time when he won at Balaton Park last summer. The harder construction rear tyre that was thought to have contributed to Ducati's relative lack of competitiveness in Thailand is also present in Brazil this weekend, which might work against Marquez, but perhaps even more so for Francesco Bagnaia who was only ninth over the line in Buriram despite ending the preseason in a positive mood.
Practice is due to start this afternoon at 16:00 local time.
20 Mar 2026
15:51
A second mistake from Bezzecchi at turns nine and 10, almost identical to the one earlier on.
15:50
Zarco sliding a lot on the exit of the last corner on what must be some fairly well overheated wets. Improves on that lap, though, and goes fourth.
15:46
20 minutes to go
20 minutes remaining in FP1. Current top-10 looks like:
- M. Marquez
- Rins
- Acosta
- Morbidellli
- A. Marquez
- Bezzecchi
- Zarco
- Bagnaia
- Razgatlioglu
- Mir
15:45
Another improvement from Rins and he's now within 0.2s of Marquez - 0.173s away to be precise.
15:44
Morbidelli improves, up to P3 and 0.513s behind Marquez. Alex Marquez also improving, he goes fourth and 0.652s off the top.
15:41
Razgatlioglu the latest rider to run off-track - turn one for the Turkish rider.
15:40
Improvement from Rins, goes second and 0.294s behind Marquez. Maybe Miller was a little too early going to slicks, but he's still out there on them.
15:38
Pecco Bagnaia has a big scare in Brazil MotoGP FP1
Bit of a scare for Pecco Bagnaia earlier!
15:36
Big improvement from Marquez on the wets, 1m27.775s to now lead by 0.934s over Bagnaia.
15:34
There have been a few teething issues at the Brazil MotoGP track so far. This cable fire has just been added to the list!
Brazil MotoGP track
© Gold and Goose
15:33
First slick tyres emerging
Jack Miller is the first out there on slicks. Seconds off the pace to begin with but that margin will diminish pretty quickly you'd think.
Marquez heading back out on wets.
15:29
Not a huge gap between Marquez and Acosta but somehow Bagnaia has slotted into it, 0.001s slower than his teammate with his latest lap.
15:28
Still some personal bests being set out there but nothing has beaten Marquez yet. Acosta now closest and only 0.004s adrift.
Top 10 with 37 minutes remaining:
- M. Marquez
- Acosta
- Mir
- Rins
- Bagnaia
- Zarco
- Morbidelli
- Bezzecchi
- Binder
- Fernandez
15:23
Acosta rejoined just behind Bezzecchi, but the Italian immediately ran on at turns nine and 10 so no chance for Acosta to follow his closest championship rival.
15:22
Acosta has run off-track, looks like turn six. He's rejoined without much issue.
15:19
Three riders now within a second of Marquez: Mir, Rins, and Morbidelli, although there is still a 0.6s advantage for the reigning champion.
15:16
Well that didn't last long for Mir - Marc Marquez to the top now on a 1m28.708s, over a second faster than his former teammate.
15:15
10 minutes in now and a few riders already back in the pits as the track continues to dry.
Mir now fastest on a 1m29.724s, just under 0.2s clear of Alex Rins. Brad Binder now up to third.
15:10
Zarco fastest early on here. 1:29.981 the early benchmark from the LCR Honda rider.
15:10
Mir just off the track at turn 10. Just ran into the wet part of the track and had to stand the bike up, no real damage done.
15:08
Everyone with medium-compound wet rears. Jorge Martin and Alex Rins are the only riders to have chosen the medium-compound front instead of the soft.
15:07
Everyone straight out on track at the start of FP1. Everyone on wet tyres.
Bagnaia with an early moment on his out-lap - front lock into turn four, but he stays up.
15:05
FP1 start
Pit lane is open in Goiania and the first MotoGP session in Brazil since 2004 is underway. One hour of FP1 coming up.
14:59
Conditions
Just over five minutes away from MotoGP FP1 in Brazil now, and the rain has abated for now.
So, the track is drying and with 24C of air temperature, 36C of track temperature, it's possible we will see slick tyres fairly soon into this one-hour-long FP1 session.