Quartararo beats Miller to top spot as Rossi falls in FP1

Full Valencia MotoGP FP1 results

Fabio Quartararo has returned to familiar territory by topping the opening practice session ahead of the 2019 MotoGP season finale in Valencia, as Valentino Rossi crashed out late on.

After struggling during the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Petronas Yamaha rider bounced back with the help of a fresh soft rear tyre to produce a 1m 31.455s to move into top spot ahead of Miller by just under one-tenth of a second. With the Pramac Ducati rider briefly topping FP1 late on it saw long-time session leader Marc Marquez moved back to third place for Repsol Honda with the reigning MotoGP world champion not using a new soft rear tyre late on.

Malaysian GP winner Maverick Vinales grabbed fourth spot for Monster Energy Yamaha with Franco Morbidelli seeing three Yamahas inside the top five.

But there was late heartache for Rossi in FP1 as he crashed at the tricky Turn 4 at the start of his final run on the factory Yamaha. The 40-year-old was unhurt in the lowside fall but was relegated to eighth place at the end of the morning session.

Joan Mir made an encouraging start in sixth place for Suzuki ahead of the Red Bull KTM of Pol Espargaro, who secured the Austrian manufacturer’s maiden premier class podium in Valencia 12 months ago, to push Rossi back to eighth place.

Andrea Dovizioso held on to ninth place for Ducati ahead of Suzuki’s Alex Rins who keeps the early provisional Q2 spot in front of Danilo Petrucci on the factory Ducati.

Aleix Espargaro led the Aprilia charge in 12^th place in front of Johann Zarco on his final stand-in weekend for LCR Honda filling in for the injured Takaaki Nakagami.

Zarco duly beat Ducati wildcard Michele Pirro who suffered an engine fire, forcing him to stop at Turn 1, just five minutes into FP1.

Cal Crutchlow had to settle for 15^th place for LCR Honda but ahead of Aprilia’s Andrea Iannone and Red Bull KTM’s Mika Kallio.

Starting his final MotoGP race before retirement Jorge Lorenzo ended FP1 in 18^th place for Repsol Hodna but in front of Karel Abraham on Avintia Ducati after the Czech Republic rider crashed at Turn 10 midway through the session.

Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Ducati) and Tito Rabat (Avintia Ducati) made low-key starts to their Valencia GP weekends in 20^th and 21^st respectively but ahead of the contrasting emotions of Tech3 KTM duo Hafizh Syahrin and Iker Lecuona.

The Malaysian rider is starting his final MotoGP rider ahead of his Moto2 return in 2020, while Lecuona makes his MotoGP debut this weekend filling in for the injured Miguel Oliveira before his full-time move up to the premier class next year.