Aragon MotoGP, MotorLand - Free Practice (2) Results

* Rookie

Official Aragon MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 46.322s (2020)
Fastest race lap:
Franco Morbidelli ITA Yamaha 1m 48.089s (2020)

Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin holds off title leader Fabio Quartararo to head Free Practice 2 for the 2022 Aragon MotoGP.

Aleix Espargaro, who topped the morning session despite a fall, hit the ground again in the early stages of FP2 as Francesco Bagnaia, Quartararo and Luca Marini all dipped under the Spaniard's 1m 48.686s morning time.

While Espargaro then improved it was Aprilia team-mate Maverick Vinales, just 15th this morning, who was leading the timesheets at the halfway mark of the 45 minutes.

Vinales, Bagnaia, Quartararo and Marini remained covered by a mere 0.051s until new soft rear tyres appeared for the final minutes.

Bagnaia, Alex Rins, Quartararo and Jorge Martin then leapt to the top in quick succession, with Martin emerging quickest by 0.074s over Quartararo, who saved a lowside in the closing stages but will be pleased to have gained ground from eighth this morning at one of his toughest tracks.

Behind Quartararo, Johann Zarco, Enea Bastianini and Bagnaia made it four Desmosedicis in the top five, with Alex Rins sixth for Suzuki and Vinales slipping to seventh for Aprilia.

11th (+0.521s) on his return to MotoGP action in FP1, Marc Marquez took to the track with the new Kalex-built aluminium swingarm on his RC213V this afternoon.

The Repsol Honda rider held sixth (+0.148s) on race tyres, then eighth (+0.359s) on soft rubber in the end-of-session time attacks... but was challenging for P1 until a slide through the fast Turn 16.

Cal Crutchlow and Joan Mir, also returning to action this weekend, were 19th and 21st respectively, although the Suzuki rider was only 1.2s from the top around the near two-minute lap.

Francesco Bagnaia is seeking a 5th win in a row this weekend, as he returns to the scene of his debut MotoGP victory at Aragon last season.

But the big news is that Marc Marquez, the rider Bagnaia narrowly beat one year ago, will be returning to race action for the first time since Mugello in May, after which he underwent a fourth operation to improve mobility and reduce pain in his beleaguered right arm.

Reigning champion and title leader Fabio Quartararo faces what has proven to be one of his toughest circuits - a best of fifth in 2019 and only eighth last year - with a reduced 30 point lead over Bagnaia.

Aleix Espargaro – now pushed to third in the standings by Bagnaia’s rise - could be another one to watch, with Aragon traditionally one of his best events of the season on the Aprilia.

Team-mate Maverick Vinales is also on red-hot form, with RS-GP podiums in three of the last four rounds.

After missing Misano due to ankle injuries from Austria, Joan Mir rejoins Alex Rins at Suzuki.

With Andrea Dovizioso hanging up his leathers after Misano, triple MotoGP race winner and current Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow is taking over the RNF seat for the final six rounds of this season.

MotoGP Aragon weekend schedule (UK time)

Friday September 16

8am - Moto3 FP1

8.55am - MotoGP FP1

9.55am - Moto2 FP1

12.15pm - Moto3 FP2

1.10pm - MotoGP FP2

2.10pm - Moto2 FP2

Saturday September 17

8am - Moto3 FP3

8.55am - MotoGP FP3

9.55am - Moto2 FP3

11.35am - Moto3 Q1

12pm - Moto3 Q2

12.30pm - MotoGP FP4

1.10pm - MotoGP Q1

1.35pm - MotoGP Q2

2.10pm - Moto2 Q1

2.35pm - Moto2 Q2

Sunday September 18

8am - Moto3 warm-up

8.20am - Moto2 warm-up

8.40am - MotoGP warm-up

10am - Moto3 race

11.20am - Moto2 race

1pm - MotoGP race