Departing Lecuona tops opening Valencia MotoGP practice

Tech3 KTM rider Iker Lecuona led the opening MotoGP practice session for the Valencia season finale, which is set to be his final race in the category for the foreseeable future.

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Key moments:

> Ducatis fast but crashing in the rain

> Unpleasant fall for Petrucci

> No representative time for Rossi

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Lecuona lost his seat at Tech3 KTM for next season and will instead head to the factory Honda team in World Superbikes.

Amid the expectation of a dry session, the paddock was by and large surprised by the onset of rain, which began to drizzle in the immediate lead-up to FP1 and picked up in the early minutes of running.

Bagnaia, on a streak of five consecutive poles, led for much of the session as a result of his 1m41.244s laptime despite crashing at Turn 2 immediately after recording it.

Grip is at a premium out there! 😲@PeccoBagnaia proves the point, but #MotoGP's form rider is unhurt! 💢#ValenciaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/iRNxVPC1sV

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 12, 2021

With six minutes to go, Bagnaia was deposed by team-mate Miller – but a lap later Miller all but emulated Bagnaia, running out wide into the Turn 1 run-off and falling right away as he rode onto the red-painted area.

Bruising morning for @ducaticorse! 😲

Current leader @jackmilleraus is also down! 💢#ValenciaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/osqRMX25E1

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 12, 2021

It meant he was unable to respond when Lecuona fired in a 1m40.569s a couple of minutes later, the local rider securing the top spot by 0.155s.

Lecuona’s fellow KTM rider Miguel Oliveira was seemingly on course to overtake him for first place after the chequered flag, but lost dropped away in the final sector, instead finishing 0.006s behind Miller.

Johann Zarco completed the top four, his Pramac Ducati team boss Francesco Guidotti describing the session as “useless” due to the expectation that the rest of the weekend will be dry.

Joan Mir led Suzuki’s efforts in fifth, with Bagnaia improving to sixth place with his final attempt, while VR46 rider Luca Marini made it four Ducatis in the top seven – despite himself falling at the sweeping Turn 6 left-hander late on.

Franco Morbidelli was the lead Yamaha in eighth, while Pol Espargaro led Honda’s efforts in ninth.

Morbidelli’s team-mate, newly-crowned champion Fabio Quartararo, finished the session in 15th, 1.5 seconds off the pace.

Danilo Petrucci, who like team-mate Lecuona is departing MotoGP this weekend, joined what would end up a heavily-Italian list of crashers with an early, painful-looking highside at Turn 4 – the first right-hander after a series of left-handers.

Not what we wanted to see in his last Grand Prix 😞

Thankfully @Petrux9 is up on his feet! 💢#ValenciaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/QsxZ1JuwRB

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 12, 2021

It took Petrucci a while to get on his feet after the crash, and he never rejoined the session afterwards.

Something parting company with Maverick Viñales' Aprilia! 🔍#ValenciaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/RdcjMBkrvJ

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 12, 2021

The two riders behind him in the classification were Maverick Vinales, whose Aprilia seemed to shed a rear wheel rain protector on the main straight at one point, and Valentino Rossi, the retiring seven-time MotoGP champion not setting a competitive time.

Practice 1 Results