2024 MotoGP Catalunya, Barcelona - Friday Practice Results

* Rookie

A day after announcing his retirement plans, Aleix Espargaro set a new all-time lap record to lead an incident-packed Friday practice for the 2024 Catalan MotoGP.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez was among the riders outside the top ten - not helped by yellow flags after a fall by his brother and team-mate Alex - and is therefore heading for Saturday’s Qualifying 1.

Brad Binder (twice, at Turn 2), Fabio Quartararo, Fabio di Giannantonio (twice), Alex Marquez and Augusto Fernandez were all caught out during the afternoon hour.

Despite Binder’s early double trouble, he was sitting second to KTM team-mate Jack Miller by the midway stages.

Maverick Vinales then went top as the first rider to fit new soft rubber, briefly keeping the Aprilia rider in command until team-mate Espargaro made it an RS-GP one-two.

Morning pacesetter Jorge Martin then put his Pramac Ducati in front, with rookie Pedro Acosta, Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia squeezing between Martin and the Aprilias.

But Espargaro responded by punching out a new lap record in the closing minutes, with Binder putting his earlier woes firmly behind him to lead Acosta and Bagnaia.

Alex Rins impressed by taking the new Yamaha aero to ninth and direct Qualifying 2 access.

HRC wild-card Stefan Bradl, who like Johann Zarco has the new aero package available, did not ride this afternoon due to illness.

* Rookie

Pramac's MotoGP title leader Jorge Martin leads 2025 factory team rival Marc Marquez (Gresini) and KTM's Brad Binder during opening practice for the 2024 Catalan MotoGP.

Martin, who holds a commanding 38-point world championship lead, saved his best for his final run to finish 0.292s clear of Marquez.

However, Martin switched to a new set of tyres at the end, while Marquez remained on old rubber...

Binder, GASGAS rookie Pedro Acosta and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro - riding for the first time since confirming his end-of-season retirement - were all within 0.472s of Martin.

Alex Marquez, reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, Augusto Fernandez, Jack Miller and Raul Fernandez completed the top ten.

Fresh from a private Mugello test, the Honda and Yamaha teams have new parts this weekend; including aero on the M1s and the RC213Vs of Johann Zarco and Stefan Bradl.

Zarco was 13th, albeit using the standard aero. Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins were identically matched on lap time for 15th and 16th, with Luca Marini receiving a boost as the top Repsol Honda in 17th, 1.049s from Martin.