MotoGP Argentina, Termas - Free Practice (1) Results

* Rookie

Official Termas de Rio Hondo MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 37.683s (2014)
Fastest race lap:
Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha 1m 39.019s (2015)

With freight delays cancelling the Friday action, the Argentine MotoGP weekend finally got underway for the premier-class just after midday on Saturday with Takaaki Nakagami fastest during an extended one-hour FP1 session.

Nakagami's best time of 1m 39.028s was just a fraction from the official race lap record, despite a dusty and slippery track surface causing a few scares for many riders.

The LCR Honda rider had looked set to miss this weekend after testing positive for Covid-19, only to test negative during the freight delay and arrive in time for Saturday!

The Japanese made several appearances in P1 before snatching the top spot from reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo by 0.127s on his penultimate lap.

Pol Espargaro, enjoying being back on the standard rear tyre construction, was the top Honda rider in third ahead of Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, who held the top spot heading into the final ten minutes.

Rookie Marco Bezzecchi caused a stir by breifly seizing second place - after chasing countryman Franco Morbidelli - on his way to fifth.

Alex Rins (Suzuki), Mandalika winnner Miguel Oliveira (KTM), Maverick Vinales (Aprilia), Brad Binder (KTM) and Joan Mir (Suzuki) complete the provisional top ten for direct access to Qualifying 2.

Pol Espargaro and Fabio di Giannantonio made light contact through the final corner early in the session, costing di Giannantonio a wing.

Espargaro's team-mate Stefan Bradl finished 22nd during his first grand prix session of 2022, in place of Marc Marquez.

The revised schedule sees the top 10 riders after the FP1 and FP2 sessions given direct access to Qualifying 2, with the usual FP3 and FP4 cancelled.

An extended warm-up and then the race will be held on Sunday.

Updated schedule - 2022 Argentine MotoGP

Saturday

08:15-09:05 Moto3 FP1 (12:15-13:05 UK)
09:20-10:10 Moto2 FP1 (13:20-14:10 UK)
10:25-11:15 Moto3 FP2 (14:25-15:15 UK)
11:30-12:20 Moto2 FP2 (15:30-16:20 UK)
12:35-13:35 MotoGP FP1 (16:35-17:35 UK)
13:50-14:05 Moto3 Qualifying 1 (17:50-18:05 UK)
14:15-14:30 Moto3 Qualifying 2 (18:15-18:30 UK)
14:45-15:00 Moto2 Qualifying 1 (18:45-19:00 UK)
15:10-15:25 Moto2 Qualifying 2 (19:10-19:25 UK)
15:40-16:40 MotoGP FP2 (19:40-20:40 UK)
17:05-17:20 MotoGP Qualifying 1 (21:05-21:20 UK)
17:30-17:45 MotoGP Qualifying 2 (21:30-21:45 UK)

Sunday

09:20-09:40 Moto3 Warm-up (13:20-13:40 UK)
09:50-10:10 Moto2 Warm-up (13:50-14:10 UK)
10:20-11:00 MotoGP Warm-up (14:20-15:00 UK)

12:00 Moto3 Race - 21 laps (16:00 UK)
13:20 Moto2 Race - 23 laps (15:20 UK)
15:00 MotoGP Race - 25 laps (19:00 UK)

Marc Marquez, who suffered a new episode of double vision in the aftermath of his huge warm-up accident in Indonesia, is missing this weekend's event and is replaced by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl.

After a medical check on Monday, Marquez's Ophthalmologist Dr Sánchez Dalmau said there had been a “a very favourable evolution in the paralysis of the fourth right nerve affected by the fall that occurred at the Indonesian Grand Prix." But he added: "Recovery is not yet complete, and Marc Marquez must follow the established therapeutic regime with conservative treatment.”

It is thus not yet known if Marquez will return for COTA next weekend, one of his most successful circuits, or re-join sometime during the European season, which begins in Portimao on April 22-24.

MotoGP is returning to Termas de Rio Hondo for the first time since March 2019, with the event cancelled for the past two years due to the Covid pandemic. That also means the current 'standard' rear tyre construction, introduced in 2020, has not previously been used at the track.