2025 Catalan MotoGP: Brad Binder a surprise Practice leader, Pecco Bagnaia 21st

Brad Binder set a new lap record to lead a factory KTM 1-2 ahead of Pedro Acosta in Practice for the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix, while Pecco Bagnaia was a distant 21st.

One-lap pace has typically been a weakness for the double MotoGP race winner, with the South African not topping a session since Japan last year.

But, following on from Pedro Acosta leading FP1, Brad Binder posted a new lap record of 1m38.141s to head a KTM 1-2 in the hour-long Practice on Friday afternoon at Barcelona.

He was 0.104s clear of team-mate Acosta, while Alex Marquez led the Ducati charge on the Gresini-run GP24 in third.

Championship leader Marc Marquez was fourth, 0.224s off the pace, while factory Ducati team-mate Pecco Bagnaia was 1.029s off the pace in 21st.

Bagnaia won both races staged at Barcelona last year.

Alex Marquez set the initial pace inside the opening 10 minutes of FP1 with a 1m39.074s, which stood as the best lap for quite some time.

It wouldn’t be until the closing 15 minutes when, fitted with a fresh soft rear tyre, Tech3 KTM’s Enea Bastianini fired in a 1m38.972s.

Marc Marquez quickly deposed him with a 1m38.444s, which appeared to blow the field wide open but for LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco putting in a lap just under a tenth slower.

A few moments later, Alex Marquez put in a 1m38.319s, which threatened to be the best time of the day.

But Brad Binder lit up the timing screens with just under three minutes to go to produce a 1m38.141s.

With Zarco and Bastianini crashing at Turn 2 in separate incidents, the resulting yellow flags ensured Binder’s lap remained unchallenged.

Acosta was 0.104s behind his team-mate, while Alex Marquez found a 1m38.280s to complete the top three ahead of Marc Marquez.

Marco Bezzecchi ended his recent Friday slump to go fifth on his factory Aprilia ahead of Bastianini, VR46 Ducati’s Franco Morbidellil and Zarco.

Luca Marini was ninth on the factory team Honda, while Trackhouse Aprilia rookie Ai Ogura cracked the top 10 to bag a direct Q2 qualifying place.

All of MotoGP’s most recent world champions will have to go through Q1, with Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) 11th, Joan Mir (Honda) 13th), Jorge Martin (Aprilia) 18th and Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) 21st.

Bagnaia had been using the set-up he found in Hungary which allowed him to ride more comfortably, but it appears to have made little difference.

Full 2025 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix Practice results