Silverstone MotoGP: Zarco leads Bagnaia in FP1 despite crash

MotoGP’s return to Silverstone comes several weeks earlier than its traditional August bank holiday weekend slot, with sunny-but-windy conditions greeting the field.

Pramac Ducati rider Zarco set the early pace in the first MotoGP track action for five weeks following the summer break, the Frenchman going top with a 2m03.905s.

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo soon deposed his countryman with a 2m03.631s as he comes into this weekend’s British GP carrying a long lap penalty following his collision with chief title rival Aleix Espargaro last time out at Assen.

Fuming at the penalty, Quartararo practiced the long lap lane situated at the Loop left-hander moments after he’d gone top of the timesheets.

But his session was interrupted 10 minutes in when his Yamaha cut out as he exited the Loop onto the Brooklands straight.

Quartararo was helped back into pitlane by Ducati’s Jack Miller, while the sister factory Ducati of an under-fired Francesco Bagnaia crashed going through the fast Maggotts section at Turn 4.

Bagnaia comes to Silverstone off the back of a drink/driving incident in Ibiza at the start of July, which he said on Thursday has not hindered his preparations for the second half of the season.

Quartararo returned to the track on the same bike that stopped, albeit with a new fuel tank fitted.

With just over 30 minutes to go, 2019 Silverstone winner Alex Rins went top on his Suzuki with a 2m00.961s, before 2016 British GP winner Maverick Vinales took over on his Aprilia with a 2m00.827s.

Rins made further improvements with 20 minutes to go as he fired in a 2m00.728s, before he went even quicker with a 2m00.527s.

While Rins did this, Zarco suffered a fast crash into Stowe corner as he lost the front on entry, but managed to walk away unscathed.

He was able to return to the session on his second bike and went fastest of all right at the end with a 1m59.893s – beating Bagnaia by 0.027 seconds, with the pair the only riders breaking out of the two-minute barrier in FP1.

Rins trailed the Ducati duo with a 2m00.220s ahead of Quartararo and LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami.

Aleix Espargaro was sixth on his Aprilia ahead of his teammate Maverick Vinales, while Joan Mir was seventh on the sister Suzuki.

Jorge Martin on the second of the Pramac Ducatis and KTM’s Brad Binder rounded out the top 10, with Pol Espargaro 0.046s outside of the top 10 in 11th on the factory team Honda.

Miller headed VR46 Ducati man Marco Bezzecchi and KTM’s Miguel Oliveira, with Gresini-bound Alex Marquez 15th ahead of the rider he will replace in 2023 Enea Bastianini.

On Thursday, Yamaha announced that Andrea Dovizioso will be retiring from MotoGP at the end of the San Marino GP in September. The RNF Racing rider was 20th at the end of FP1 ahead of factory Yamaha counterpart Franco Morbidelli.

FP2 for the 2022 MotoGP British GP gets under way at 2:10pm local time.

Silverstone MotoGP - FP1 results:

Cla	#	Rider		Bike	Time	Gap
1	5	Johann Zarco		Ducati	1'59.893
2	63	Francesco Bagnaia		Ducati	1'59.920	0.027
3	42	Alex Rins		Suzuki	2'00.220	0.327
4	20	Fabio Quartararo		Yamaha	2'00.438	0.545
5	30	Takaaki Nakagami		Honda	2'00.448	0.555
6	41	Aleix Espargaro		Aprilia	2'00.630	0.737
7	12	Maverick Viñales		Aprilia	2'00.799	0.906
8	36	Joan Mir		Suzuki	2'00.843	0.950
9	89	Jorge Martin		Ducati	2'00.948	1.055
10	33	Brad Binder		KTM	2'00.994	1.101
11	44	Pol Espargaro		Honda	2'01.040	1.147
12	43	Jack Miller		Ducati	2'01.055	1.162
13	72	Marco Bezzecchi		Ducati	2'01.112	1.219
14	88	Miguel Oliveira		KTM	2'01.120	1.227
15	73	Alex Marquez		Honda	2'01.174	1.281
16	23	Enea Bastianini		Ducati	2'01.219	1.326
17	87	Remy Gardner		KTM	2'01.539	1.646
18	25	Raúl Fernández		KTM	2'01.578	1.685
19	10	Luca Marini		Ducati	2'01.607	1.714
20	4	Andrea Dovizioso		Yamaha	2'01.748	1.855
21	21	Franco Morbidelli		Yamaha	2'01.775	1.882
22	6	Stefan Bradl		Honda	2'02.062	2.169
23	49	Fabio Di Giannantonio		Ducati	2'02.179	2.286
24	40	Darryn Binder		Yamaha	2'02.565	2.672
View full results