MotoGP returned after the summer break, and this morning, Jorge Martín was the fastest in the first free practice session for the British GP at Silverstone. In this session, setting the fastest lap wasn’t the primary goal.
In the early stages of the session, Aprilia riders were performing well, with Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró taking the top two positions ahead of Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati). The Aprilia riders were the first to dip into the 2m00s, while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) moved past Martín to take third.
Eyes on the Aprilias this weekend! 👀
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 2, 2024
They've been incredibly strong here in recent years! 💪#BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/qiPRvP7S6m
Within the first 15 minutes, Espargaró improved to take the lead, breaking into the 1m59s, and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) also improved to second place. Viñales dropped to seventh after being overtaken by four more riders.
With 19 minutes left on the clock, Martín improved to second place, just 30 thousandths behind the leader… and took the top spot on the following lap, being 0.142s faster than Espargaró.
With less than five minutes remaining, Espargaró improved to just 59 thousandths behind Martín, and Enea Bastianini (Ducati) moved up to third. However, there were more changes before the end: Martín set a lap time of 1m59.633s, while Viñales was only 0.090s behind, pushing Espargaró to third.
Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati) completed the top five, with championship leader Bagnaia in eighth place. Two riders crashed during this practice, but with no major consequences: Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM), who finished tenth and eleventh, respectively.
Timesheets:
Kicking off the #MotoGP75 weekend in fine fashion! 🚦@88jorgemartin heads up the Aprilia duo and @jackmilleraus! 👏#BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/lvlbSF9Iij
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 2, 2024
