Alex Márquez started the 2026 MotoGP season facing some difficulties but managed to bounce back this Friday (24) during practice for the Spanish GP in Jerez. The Gresini rider ended the day in the lead with a strong pace, clocking 1min35s704 and opening a 0s333 advantage over Fabio DiGiannantonio of VR46.
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Winner of the Spanish round in 2025, Márquez also made his mark by finishing ahead of championship leader Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia, who completed the top-3. Pedro Acosta of KTM, however, will have to go through Q1 for the first time this year, after a below-expected performance in a busy practice session.
Right at the start of the session, Francesco Bagnaia suffered a fall at Turn 1 on his first fast lap. The incident hampered the start of the session for the two-time world champion, unlike Di Giannantonio, who quickly took the provisional lead, with Márquez himself close behind, separated by just 0s046.
Midway through practice, another fall: Jorge Martin crashed at Turn 13 after losing the front of his Aprilia. The Spaniard, who holds second place in the championship, could not avoid sliding into the gravel.
With about 20 minutes remaining, Di Giannantonio extended his lead to 0s339 by putting on new tires, a move that also propelled Honda riders into the top-6. Johann Zarco, Joan Mir, and Luca Marini began to feature among the front-runners, while Marc Márquez appeared in fifth.
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The final stretch of practice brought significant changes to the standings. Ai Ogura and Bezzecchi reached the top-5 but were again surpassed by Zarco, Fermín Aldeguer, and Marini. Shortly after, Alex Márquez regained control with two consecutive fastest laps, setting the best time of the day and approaching the track record.
In the final minutes, some riders were still looking to improve their positions. Acosta had a critical moment at turn 6 while following his teammate Brad Binder and remained outside the top-10. Bagnaia and Martín, however, managed to improve near the end: the Italian climbed to third, while the Spaniard reached fifth before being overtaken by Bezzecchi, who secured second position.
Marc Márquez also reacted in the decisive part and managed to enter the top-10, even occupying third place. Still, he finished the day in fourth, 0.523s behind his younger brother.
In the end, Alex Márquez confirmed his dominance and emerges as the name to beat in qualifying. Di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi complete the top-3, while other riders such as Ogura, Bagnaia, Raúl Fernández, Aldeguer, and Martín also advanced directly to Q2. Enea Bastianini closed the group of qualifiers, being the only KTM Tech3 representative in the session.
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