Championship leader Marc Marquez pipped Andrea Dovizioso by 0.025 seconds in a tight MotoGP FP1 at Le Mans, as Honda debuted its new aerodynamic package.
Honda tested various new aero fairings during tests at Jerez and Mugello last week, and brought its updated design to Le Mans for both Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa to evaluate.
Marquez set the early pace on his RC213V with a 1:36.487s, though was quickly deposed by Honda stablemate Cal Crutchlow on the LCR bike with a 1:35.313s.
Yamaha's Valentino Rossi took over from the Honda duo just moments later with a 1:34.684s, which he improved to a 1:34.237s on his following tour.
Rossi, Crutchlow and Marquez debated top spot over the next 20 minutes, before Suzuki's Andrea Iannone shot to the top of the timesheets with a 1:33.057s.
With 10 minutes remaining, the sister factory Yamaha of Maverick Vinales went on a run of successive session-best laps, which culminated in a 1:32.543s with just under two minutes of the session left.
A 1:32.501s from Dovizioso at the end, followed by a 1:32.476s from Marquez – who had switched to the new aerodpackage for his final run – to top the session shuffled Vinales back to third, with Crutchlow two tenths further back in fourth spot having spent the entire session on the same set of tyres.
Home hero Johann Zarco guided his Tech3 Yamaha to fifth at the end of FP1 to edge ahead of Rossi and Iannone, while Jorge Lorenzo headed the factory KTM pairing of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro.
Nursing a hip injury from his heavy fall last time out at Jerez, Pedrosa was only 15th at the end of FP1, the Spaniard just under a second off of the pace of his Honda teammate.
Marc VDS rider Tom Luthi [24th] was a late faller in the session at the Dunlop chicane, while Pramac's Jack Miller [12th] crashed with 25 minutes remaining at the same place. Both were unscathed in their incidents.
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