Marquez fastest on return after six-year Termas MotoGP absence

MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez was fastest on his return to Argentine track Termas de Rio Hondo after a six-year absence.

Key moments:

• Marquez up to pace quickly
• Three Ducatis in top four
• Impressive start for Honda

Only two rounds had taken place at Termas since Marquez won there in 2019, and he missed both of those - due to diplopia in 2022 and a hand injury in 2023.

But - with the track slightly damp to begin the day due to overnight rain and Termas not having much grip to offer at the best of times - Marquez was unsurprisingly right at the sharp end throughout opening practice.

He was the first rider into the 1m39s range and then eventually the first rider in the 1m38s range, too, ending up 0.026s faster than fellow low-grip specialist Johann Zarco on the LCR Honda.

Marquez's brother Alex, another low-grip specialist, was third, followed by past Termas standout Franco Morbidelli and Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi - himself a low-grip master but also a rider tipped to capitalise on a historically-favourable track for Aprilia.

Jack Miller was the lead Yamaha rider in seventh, albeit likely flattered running fresh tyres late on in the session, while Maverick Vinales in eighth was the top KTM.

Marquez's Ducati team-mate Pecco Bagnaia had his usual tentative start to a weekend, placing 16th.

The sole crash of the session involved Trackhouse Aprilia's Raul Fernandez, and it was a 'crash' only by the broadest of definitions - with Fernandez running off into the gravel at Turn 1 and laying his bike down once already almost at standstill, before picking it up again and resuming.