Miguel Oliveira took the lead in the second free practice session of the Catalunya MotoGP. This morning in Barcelona, Aprilia once again demonstrated their strength, with three out of four RS-GP bikes ending up in the top four.
The session began with Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) leading ahead of Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati), once again showcasing the strong competitiveness of the Aprilia RS-GP. The Spaniard solidified his position on his second attempt and was pursued by his teammate, Maverick Viñales.
Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) later climbed to second place but was overtaken by his teammate Johann Zarco. The Frenchman then took the lead by being 0.023s faster than Aleix Espargaró.
The front of the time sheet stabilized as some riders returned to the pits midway through the session. Meanwhile, rain became a looming threat at the Barcelona circuit. Three minutes before the end, the rain warning was shown.
It was during this stage that a new leader emerged when Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team/Aprilia) outpaced Zarco by 0.176s. No one else improved from that point onward, with Aleix Espargaró, Viñales, and Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) completing the top five. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), the championship leader, finished 11th.
Timesheets: