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MotoGP

Nakagami tops Termas FP1 as shortened Argentina weekend starts

by Valentin Khorounzhiy
3 min read

until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League

LCR Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami set the pace in the opening practice of MotoGP’s Argentina Grand Prix weekend, which kicked off on Saturday at Termas de Rio Hondo.

Nakagami was set to miss the weekend entirely due to a positive COVID-19 test, but subsequently tested negative and arrived at the track in time for the delayed beginning of proceedings.

The revised schedule, which has come about as a result of a freight delay that had threatened the viability of the round, placed an extra onus on the opening session, which in Argentina is normally all about putting down grip at a venue that doesn’t offer it in abundance.

Yet having a pair each of Moto3 and Moto2 practices in the lead-up clearly helped, and reigning champion Fabio Quartararo managed to get below 1m40s during the first half hour of what was run as an extended hour-long FP1 (as opposed to the usual 45 minutes).

He was likewise quickest coming into the final minute of the session, only to be leapfrogged by Nakagami’s 1m39.028s effort.

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Pol Espargaro took third place for Honda, with team-mate Stefan Bradl – the Honda test rider, standing in for the absent Marc Marquez – having to settle for 22nd despite being just over a second off the pace.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) was just 0.001s slower than his brother in fourth, while standout rookie Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati), Alex Rins (Suzuki) and Miguel Oliveira (KTM) made it six different brands in the top seven.

Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia was quickest among the riders with 2022-spec Desmosedicis, placing 12th, just behind championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati).

The riders are due to qualify around just 20 minutes after the second practice session later on Saturday, which along with FP1 will determine which riders will get to bypass Q1.

Practice 1 Results

Pos Name Team Bike Gap Next Gap Leader Best Time
1 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 1m39.028s
2 Fabio Quartararo Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha +0.127s +0.127s 1m39.155s
3 Pol Espargaró Repsol Honda Team Honda +0.068s +0.195s 1m39.223s
4 Aleix Espargaró Aprilia Racing Aprilia +0.001s +0.196s 1m39.224s
5 Marco Bezzecchi Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati +0.006s +0.202s 1m39.23s
6 Alex Rins Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki +0.044s +0.246s 1m39.274s
7 Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.044s +0.29s 1m39.318s
8 Maverick Viñales Aprilia Racing Aprilia +0.078s +0.368s 1m39.396s
9 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.029s +0.397s 1m39.425s
10 Joan Mir Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki +0.002s +0.399s 1m39.427s
11 Enea Bastianini Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati +0.162s +0.561s 1m39.589s
12 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati +0.033s +0.594s 1m39.622s
13 Remy Gardner Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.082s +0.676s 1m39.704s
14 Alex Marquez LCR Honda Castrol Honda +0.052s +0.728s 1m39.756s
15 Johann Zarco Pramac Racing Ducati +0.046s +0.774s 1m39.802s
16 Luca Marini Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati +0.028s +0.802s 1m39.83s
17 Jack Miller Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati +0.069s +0.871s 1m39.899s
18 Franco Morbidelli Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha +0.061s +0.932s 1m39.96s
19 Fabio Di Giannantonio Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati +0.044s +0.976s 1m40.004s
20 Jorge Martin Pramac Racing Ducati +0.178s +1.154s 1m40.182s
21 Darryn Binder WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Yamaha +0.111s +1.265s 1m40.293s
22 Stefan Bradl Honda HRC Honda +0.053s +1.318s 1m40.346s
23 Raul Fernandez Tech3 KTM Factory Racing KTM +0.128s +1.446s 1m40.474s
24 Andrea Dovizioso WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Yamaha +0.247s +1.693s 1m40.721s
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