Fabio Quartararo came out swinging in the opening free practice session of the final MotoGP event of 2022 at Valencia, while series leader Francesco Bagnaia was 16th.
Quartararo got straight down to business as FP1 got underway, the Yamaha racer posting a 1:31.689s to lead the way early on before Honda’s Marc Marquez stole away the initiative with a 1:31.434s, though his rapid effort swiftly led to a crash at Turn 2 as he asked a little too much of the front wheel of his RC213-V.
Bagnaia meanwhile – who only has to score two points in Sunday’s Valencia Grand Prix to secure a maiden premier class title – seemingly focussed on race setup as he languished well out of the top ten throughout, Ducati aiming to bag its first riders championship since Casey Stoner’s 2007 crown.
With only a win good enough for Quartararo’s dwindling title hopes, the Frenchman did what he needed to do by pacing the field as he once again retook the top spot with a 1:31.399s in the closing stages of the outing, a time that would keep him just 0.035s clear of Marquez.
Brad Binder ended up a strong third overall for KTM with a late flyer of his own, while the Jack Miller started out his final weekend for Ducati in fourth just ahead of Suzuki’s Alex Rins, the Japanese manufacturer looking to go out with a bang in its series swansong.
Johann Zarco was sixth for Pramac Ducati just clear of team-mate Jorge Martin, with the other factory KTM of Miguel Oliveira in eighth.
Aleix Espargaro was ninth for Aprilia as he looks to try and secure third in the rider’s standings ahead of the rapidly-closing Enea Bastianini, while the sister Suzuki of Joan Mir rounded out the top ten.
Raul Fernandez continued to show KTM’s solid early pace with a run to 12th overall on his Tech 3-run machine, the Spaniard heading Franco Morbidelli and Bastianini’s Gresini-prepared Desmosedici.
Bagnaia ended up a lowly 17th as the session came to an end just behind the other Aprilia of Maverick Vinales, while LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez narrowly got the better of factory RC213-V pilot Pol Espargaro for 18th, the duo embarking on their last events campaigning the bike.
Darryn Binder was the only other man to suffer a spill in FP1, the RNF Yamaha ace crashing at Turn 2 en-route to 24th overall just behind the returning Takaaki Nakagami, who is riding for the first time since the Japanese GP having largely recovered from his injured hand.
