Takaaki Nakagami of LCR Honda secured the fastest time in the opening practice session (FP1) at the 2024 MotoGP Solidarity Grand Prix in Barcelona, while Francesco Bagnaia suffered a late crash during the practice start phase.
This weekend’s race marks MotoGP’s second visit to Barcelona in 2024, coming after the cancellation of the Valencia Grand Prix due to severe flooding at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. The Solidarity GP honors the people of Valencia, recognizing their resilience in the wake of the disaster.
The championship battle remains tight as Jorge Martin leads Francesco Bagnaia by 24 points. In FP1, Martin finished in fifth, ahead of Bagnaia who was seventh at the end of the session.
Nakagami, in what could be his final MotoGP race as a full-time rider, impressed by topping the session with a 1m40.501s on his LCR Honda RC213V. The Japanese rider, who will transition to a development role with HRC after this weekend. Set the fastest lap in the final moments, finishing 0.411 seconds clear of rookie Pedro Acosta.
Acosta, riding for Tech3 GASGAS, had an eventful session, including a dramatic crash with teammate Augusto Fernandez. The duo made contact exiting Turn 5, causing both riders to fall and prompting a red flag. Fortunately, both riders emerged unscathed and rejoined the session after the restart.
When the action resumed, Martin briefly took the lead with a 1m41.820s, before Bagnaia nudged ahead with a 1m41.798s. However, the top spot shifted several times, with Martin, Alex Marquez, and Acosta all briefly holding the lead. Acosta set the fastest lap of the session with a 1m40.912s. But Nakagami’s final push saw him steal the top spot with just over two minutes remaining.
Marquez finished in third, followed by KTM’s Brad Binder in fourth. Martin rounded out the top five, while Bagnaia settled for seventh, behind Pramac’s Enea Bastianini.
In an unusual incident during the practice start phase, Bagnaia was caught off guard as Aprilia’s Maverick Viñales overtook him into Turn 1. Bagnaia crashed under braking, visibly frustrated with Viñales, who ultimately finished eighth.
Jack Miller (KTM) and Marc Marquez (Gresini) completed the top 10. Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo was 11th, while Fernandez, who had earlier tangled with Acosta, finished 18th. Michele Pirro, filling in for the injured Fabio Di Giannantonio at VR46, was 20th. Miguel Oliveira, returning from injury, placed 21st, ahead of his Trackhouse teammate Raul Fernandez.
As the weekend progresses, the competition is set to intensify, with Nakagami and Martin both looking to maintain their momentum ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying sessions.
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