MotoGP Aragon FP1: Marquez vs Aprilia right away, surprises and crashes

The Ducati-Aprilia duel ignites immediately at Aragon, with the MotoGP champion currently on top. Here’s how FP1 went.

Marc Marquez gets off on the right foot: for now his 1:45.704 record is still a ways off, but there’s time to reach it and possibly beat it. Watch out for the Aprilias though, which popped up right behind the reigning champion! Pedro Acosta and Di Giannantonio crash, while it’s surprising to see Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin well outside the top 10, even if this isn’t the decisive session and there’s time to climb back later. That’s how the MotoGP Grand Prix at Aragon begins, where Aprilia will try to challenge Ducati’s dominance on this track, though for now it’s the Desmosedici that have started best. Below are the session report and standings.

The return of Johann Zarco for the first time since the terrifying crash in Catalunya is emotional, and let’s remember he has a penalty to serve. Fermin Aldeguer is also back (fresh off the VR46 Ducati announcement), while Maverick Vinales is still out due to his shoulder, with test rider Pol Espargaro in his place. Lorenzo Savadori has also been called up at Trackhouse to replace the injured Ai Ogura, who underwent surgery just yesterday.

On the market front, it’s been particularly lively days, even if the news has been known for months... We’ve already mentioned one: Enea Bastianini will race with Trackhouse Aprilia and bids farewell to KTM Tech3, where Luca Marini will arrive (with Senna Agius stepping up from Moto2, still to be made official). Moving up to MotoGP in place of Jack Miller is Spaniard Izan Guevara, the first rider to benefit from Pramac Yamaha’s dual program between Moto2 and the premier class. A few pieces are still missing, but the final confirmations will come shortly.

Remember that Ducati has been winning on this track for years: after the very first edition in 2010 with Casey Stoner came a long break, before picking up again with Pecco Bagnaia from 2021, followed by Enea Bastianini and then Marc Marquez reigning over the past two years. Aprilia can’t wait to plant its flag on this Red stronghold as well—will they manage it? In the meantime, above we’ve included the image of the curious update on Marco Bezzecchi’s Aprilia RS-GP.

Note that from this GP the KTM RC16 engines are back to full power and no longer detuned: after the green light from the various manufacturers, the Austrian brand has been able to work on the engines to replace the faulty components that caused all the issues in the first half of the 2026 season. Will we see some flashes from Honda and Yamaha? On the record in this session: a slide for Fabio Di Giannantonio and, in the final minutes, a crash for Pedro Acosta as well, with no consequences for the riders.

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