Crashes and surprises in Valencia: Poncharal on Tech3's last dance: 'Hard to enjoy the GP

The most important Friday session in Valencia ends with Pedro Acosta topping the timesheets. The KTM standard-bearer fends off an excellent Marco Bezzecchi by just 53 thousandths, with the latter recovering after a crash in the first part of the session. Completing the top 3 is Franco Morbidelli ahead of Alex Marquez, and Ai Ogura is also up there after his crash. Notably, Fabio Quartararo makes it straight into Q2 despite a technical issue. Bad news instead for Pecco Bagnaia, who goes no further than 14th, while Nicolò Bulega finishes at the back today, two positions behind Jorge Martin. Here’s how it went.

UPDATING

“It feels like yesterday that we started the season in Buriram.” Hervé Poncharal, asked to comment on Practice by the microphones of motogp.com, begins like this to describe what is, in every respect, his last World Championship at the head of Tech3 Racing. From 2026, as we know, the team will pass into the hands of former F1’s Gunther Steiner. “A lot has happened since March, and I certainly didn’t expect to sell the team,” he said, recalling the whole journey that led to this major change. Last night there was a small party organized by Dorna. “It’s hard to enjoy the weekend in Valencia, there are so many emotions in my head and in my heart.” There’s no lack of pride and thanks for everyone who has worked with him in the team, from riders to technicians, and thanks also go to the people in the paddock. In Portimao there was a moving farewell for Miguel Oliveira, the home hero, and an important part of Tech3’s history in MotoGP.

The session doesn’t start well for Augusto Fernandez, a wild card with the Yamaha V4, who isn’t feeling great after a tumble just minutes in... We then also record Bezzecchi’s crash, which came right after he had moved to the top of the times with a string of fast laps. The Aprilia Trackhouse isn’t faring much better after a pile-up in the gravel, the result of Ogura’s slide about halfway through the session. There’s little to smile about for Yamaha this time, with a technical problem also stopping Quartararo. Only temporarily, as the Yamaha spearhead then gets going again and manages to secure the last direct spot for Q2. Ogura makes it too, and Bezzecchi does his job well, while we have to look further back to find Pecco Bagnaia, who can’t break into the top 10.