Ducati Lenovo’s Jack Miller was the man of the moment in FP2 as he concluded Friday at the head of the Valencia MotoGP times.
Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro sat second despite a late-session fall with Portimao winner Pecco Bagnaia completing the top three and just 0.068s covering the trio.
A dry line allowed the pack to roll out on slicks as FP2 action began on Friday afternoon. LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami heading the early standings on a 1’33.126 from Franky Morbidelli and Bagnaia with the second Monster Energy Yamaha of Fabio Quartararo and Miller rounding out the top five.
Morbidelli took charge with his fourth lap, as the pace improved to 1’42.5. His teammate and the new World Champion sliding out at turn two. Pol Espargaro was the next to reduce the times on the solitary Repsol Honda, LCR’s Alec Marquez taking third ahead of the Ducati trio of Bagnaia, Miller and Jorge Martin.
Andrea Dovizioso rose to seventh after 10 minutes on track as Bagnaia hit the top. LCR’s duo siting one either side of the Petronas Yamaha with Quartararo and Tech3 KTM’s Iker Lecuona completing the top 10.
Johann Zarco and Aleix Espargaro were on a charge with half an hour to go, the Frenchman finding fourth as the Aprilia slotted into sixth, the other side of Australian Miller.
Suzuki’s Joan Mir and Alex Rins appeared to struggle with the mixed conditions from 17th and 19th respectively, Danilo Petrucci feeling battered and bruised after his morning off in 18th, with Valentino Rossi and younger brother Luca Marini circulating at the back of the times.
Rins advanced to second at the halfway stage with his teammate doing likewise to fifth shortly after. Marquez claiming eighth with his 10th lap of the afternoon as Morbidelli returned to the top on a 1’31.832.
The LCR progress continued as Nakagami and Marquez found fifth and sixth respectively as the second half began, before the Japanese rider captured second. Ducati’s front running duo bickering for third and fourth before Espargaro demoted them down on the Honda.
Dovizioso was back in Q2 contention with his 12th attempt of FP2, the Italian circulating seven-tenths adrift of the leading M1, while Enea Bastianini became the next victim of turn two. Lecuona suffering his own fall at turn 11 on a personal best, seconds later.
Quartararo returned to the track with 16 minutes left to run, the Yamaha currently sitting 17th between Marini and Rossi before jumping to 12th next time around. Maverick Viñales and Brad Binder left floundering at the back.
Miller claimed P2 behind his Valencia 2020 nemesis at two-thirds distance as the majority of he pack headed back to the garage. Quartararo continuing his climb and into the top 10, as he refined his pace from ninth.
The closing six minutes saw the final runs fire up with Miller storming to the front on a 1’31.409. Dovizioso on the bubble of the promotion zone before Petrucci’s rise demoted him out. The Tech3 rider finding seventh on his 17th effort as Rins consolidated third.
Dovi was not to be outdone, however, as the Italian swept through to claim second, Bagnaia’s own improvement pushing him down to third as the Ducati’s locked out the standings before Rins and Marquez did likewise for third and fourth.
The Repsol Honda was on a charge as the penultimate minute began, briefly sitting atop the times before Bagnaia struck back. The top three times were a blur of red as the session concluded. Miller and Espargaro setting 1’30.9 pace just 0.012s adrift with Bagnaia matching them almost exactly.
Pol’s progress was prevented by a turn six crash in his final lap, Miller taking the flag in control with Bagnaia third. Rins, Martin, Nakagami and Mir completing the top seven with a late charging Binder, Dovizioso and Zarco rounding out the provisional Q2 positions.
Quartararo completed Friday in 11th ahead of Aleix Espargaro with Morbidelli dropped to 13th at the close having led the majority of the session. Marquez headed a KTM train of Petrucci, Lecuona and Oliveira with Viñales, Bastianini, Marini and Rossi completing the standings.
