Marc Márquez takes "surprising" P1 in first Aragon practice

World champion Marc Márquez kicked off the Aragon Grand Prix weekend with a "surprising" first place in the opening free practice session at one of his most successful circuits.

During the initial 45-minute session at MotorLand Aragón, the factory Ducati rider, who boasts a total of eight victories at the Spanish track, set the fastest lap with a time of 1:47.532. This put him 0.035 seconds ahead of the last race winner in Great Britain, Raúl Fernández, who moved into second place at the very end of the session after fitting a new rear tyre.

Rounding out the top three, 0.221 seconds off the pace, was Aprilia's factory rider Marco Bezzecchi, who also set his fastest lap in the closing minutes, despite not using new tyres. Behind him, the younger Márquez brother, Álex, finished fourth, 0.264 seconds behind his sibling.

Pedro Acosta on the KTM completed the top five, his best lap being 0.713 seconds slower than Marc Márquez's benchmark. Acosta was also one of two riders to crash during the first free practice at MotorLand Aragón, going down at Turn 12 just minutes before the chequered flag.

Earlier, Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 Ducati also had a fall, his crash occurring at Turn 3 in the opening minutes. The Italian later managed to return to the track on his second bike to set the eighth-fastest time, with Jack Miller and his teammate Franco Morbidelli finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.

On his return to MotoGP after a brief absence, Fermín Aldeguer secured ninth place ahead of Fabio Quartararo and the other returning rider this weekend, Johann Zarco. The LCR Honda rider had been sidelined for over three months due to a serious injury sustained in Catalunya in mid-May. Upon his return, he finished just over a second behind Marc Márquez at one of the seven-time champion's favourite tracks.

The Aragon Grand Prix weekend, the 13th round of the 2026 MotoGP season, continues later today at 4:00 PM Bulgarian time with the 60-minute official practice. This session will determine the ten riders who will advance directly to the final phase of tomorrow's qualifying at MotorLand Aragón.