Surprise at the MotoGP Solidarity GP of Barcelona! Takaaki Nakagami topped the timesheets in the first free practice session, held in chilly and overcast conditions.
Early on, only seven riders had set times when Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) led ahead of Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati). However, a heavy crash involving Red Bull GasGas Tech3 riders Augusto Fernández and Pedro Acosta brought out the red flags just six minutes into the session.
Although Fernández and Acosta escaped without serious injuries, barrier repairs at Turn 6 caused a lengthy delay.
When the session resumed, Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) moved to the top of the timesheets, with Mir in second. The 2020 champion didn’t hold his position for long. Martín was soon overtaken by Álex Márquez, who was then bested by Acosta, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) sitting fourth.
In the final ten minutes, positions at the front shifted. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) climbed to third, while Nakagami (LCR Honda) rose to fourth, pushing Martín to fifth. Shockingly, Nakagami snatched the top spot with just two minutes remaining.
The Japanese rider held onto his lead, starting his final GP with an FP1 victory. Acosta was second, 0.411s behind, followed by Álex Márquez in third, Binder in fourth, and Martín rounding out the top five. Bagnaia set the seventh-fastest time.
