FP1 Catalan GP: Aleix Espargaro takes his Aprilia to the top

It was in the very last minutes that the Spanish n°41 dislodged from "his" first place Franco Morbidelli, decidedly very comfortable in Barcelona. For the record, the number 21 of the Yamaha SRT team had signed the first pole position of his career last September on the same Catalan circuit (1' 38.798)...

Attention, the Montmelo track is no longer exactly the same, which explains the reset of the reference times on the sheets published by the FIM! This winter, in fact, turn 10 - a left whose heavy braking often generated good overtaking, sometimes nasty "strikes" - was modified, then tested and validated by nine riders on production motorcycles.

At the handlebars respectively and logically of an R1 and a Panigale V4, Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo in particular had been able to familiarize themselves with the new "Caixa", halfway according to them between the too slow hairpin of the Formula 1 track and the bend formerly used by motorcycles but which lacked clearance.

This morning, under a cloudy sky but on a perfectly dry, clean and warm tarmac, all the drivers of the Intercontinental Circus were able to discover this new version of the Barcelona circuit... All, except Alex Rins, ironically injured yesterday when recognizing the cycle route.

Yesterday evening, the Suzuki team precisely specified that the n°42 must pass today (Friday) on the operating table so that its fractured right radius receives two screws... and recovers faster than with the installation of a simple cast (4 to 6 weeks of immobilization). The return of No. 42 could thus take place from the German GP, in two weeks!

First event of the 2021 season to welcome the public - a little, but that's already it -, the Spanish GP got off to a good start for the Spaniards. Even the Espargaros, since behind Aleix on his Aprilia and Franco Morbidelli on his Yamaha, Pol took an encouraging third place at the controls of his Honda.

In almost the same tenth of a second as the HRC n°44, Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo confirm the speed of the M1 at Montmelo: seven months ago, Morbidelli, Quartararo and Rossi (!) had monopolized the first rank of the starting grid!

Between the two official Yamaha riders, Johann Zarco once again shines as the first Ducati rider. The first KTM driven by Miguel Oliveira and the only Suzuki of Joan Mir followed immediately, a full half-second behind the leader.