MotoGP Results – Round 15 of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship

* Rookie

Key:
^X The runner is X positions higher than FP2.
= The runner occupies the same position as FP2.
X The runner is X positions lower than FP2.

Official Aragon MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 46.322s (2020)
Fastest lap in the race:
Franco Morbidelli ITA Yamaha 1m 48.089s (2020)

Jack Miller climbed to the top of an all-Ducati top five in action-packed Free Practice 3 for MotoGP of Aragon, while title contender Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia teammate Maverick Vinales both missed out the top ten.

The duo will thus take part in Qualifying 1, where they will be joined by Marc Marquez, who made a huge stop and then suffered a crash (pictured) on the second day of his comeback weekend, while the Red Bull KTMs have jumped. order.

With most of the session devoted to racing settings, Jorge Martin’s 1m 47.402s record on Friday was only threatened with the appearance of a new soft compound just over 10 minutes from the end.

Miller, Brad Binder and Fabio Quartararo quickly moved to the end of the timesheets, while Miller’s factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia had his front tire smoking as he made a big stop on the curbs .

Miller’s 1m 46s lap kept the fastest Australian to the flag, Bagnaia closing to just 0.030s, followed by VR46 rookie Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini de Gresini and Martin de Pramac.

Brad Binder fell at Turn 2 but his excellent earlier effort kept him sixth and best of the non-Ducatis, with Miguel Oliveira supporting his performance in seventh. World championship leader Quartararo, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR) and Alex Rins (Suzuki) complete the top ten, with Rins despite crashing late in the session.

He did the trick! What a save from Marc Mrquez #MotoGP #AragonGP pic.twitter.com/NygUeEI4SN

— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) September 17, 2022

If there was any doubt about Marc Marquez’s growing confidence since bone realignment surgery on his right arm in June, the Spaniard made a huge frontal save in the fast Turn 17 early in this morning’s session .

But there was no way to save a much more aggressive low, under braking at Turn 7, halfway through the session. As his bike overturned in the gravel, the eight-time world champion immediately got up and found a scooter to return to the paddock.

After a brief comeback, Marquez slipped through the order awaiting set-up changes in the Repsol Honda pits, before returning to hang on behind Quartararo. But the eight-time world champion appeared to be held back behind the Frenchman, coming close to cutting the Yamaha as he looked for a way through.

Eighth on his return to the MotoGP race weekend on Friday, Marquez could only finish twelfth and will join riders such as factory Aprilias and Johann Zarco in Qualifying 1.

Suzuki’s 2020 world champion Joan Mir, struggling on Friday in his return from ankle injuries, was planning to make a decision on whether to finish the weekend or rest for Motegi after FP3.

Maverick Vinales, confident of fighting for the win after Friday, was the only driver not to progress this morning.

Francesco Bagnaia is aiming for a 5th consecutive victory this weekend, as he returns to the scene of his first MotoGP victory in Aragon last season.

But the big news is that Marc Marquez, the runner whom Bagnaia narrowly beat a year ago, will return to racing for the first time since Mugello in May, after which he underwent a fourth operation to improve his mobility and reduce pain in his beleaguered right. arms.

Defending champion and title leader Fabio Quartararo faces what has proven to be one of his most difficult circuits – a best fifth in 2019 and only eighth last year – with a reduced lead of 30 points over Bagnaia .

Aleix Espargaro – now boosted to third place in the standings by the rise of Bagnaia – could be another to watch, with Aragon traditionally one of his best events of the season on the Aprilia.

His team-mate Maverick Vinales is also in fine form, with RS-GP podiums in three of the last four rounds.

After missing Misano with ankle injuries from Austria, Joan Mir joins Alex Rins at Suzuki.

As Andrea Dovizioso hangs up his leathers after Misano, three-time MotoGP race winner and current Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow takes the RNF seat for the final six rounds of this season.

MotoGP Aragon weekend schedule (UK time)

friday september 16

8 a.m. – Moto3 FP1

8:55 am – MotoGP FP1

9:55 am – Moto2 EL1

12:15 – Moto3 FP2

1:10 p.m. – MotoGP FP2

2:10 p.m. – Moto2 EL2

Saturday September 17

8 a.m. – Moto3 FP3

8:55 am – MotoGP FP3

9:55 am – Moto2 FP3

11:35 am – Moto3 Q1

12 p.m. – Moto3 Q2

12:30 p.m. – MotoGP FP4

1:10 p.m. – MotoGP Q1

1:35 p.m. – MotoGP Q2

2:10 p.m. – Moto2 Q1

2:35 p.m. – Moto2 Q2

Sunday September 18

8 a.m. – Moto3 warm-up

8:20 a.m. – Moto2 warm-up

8:40 a.m. – MotoGP warm-up

10 a.m. – Moto3 race

11:20 a.m. – Moto2 race

1pm – MotoGP race