MotoGP: Marc Marquez leads Jerez tests

After the Spanish Grand Prix, the World Motorcycle Championship riders remained at the Jerez de La Frontera Circuit for the traditional in-season tests, which take place on the Mondays following the stages of some championships. These training sessions are essential for teams to evaluate updates, adjust the performance of their bikes and refine their strategies throughout the season. In the test on Monday (28), Marc Márquez stood out, recording the best lap of the day with a time of 1min35s876.

Maverick Viñales took second place, continuing to impress for Tech 3 in Jerez. Yamaha also performed well, with Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins finishing third and fourth respectively. Pedro Acosta completed the top five. Marco Bezzecchi secured sixth place, followed by Fermín Aldeguer, Raúl Fernández and Johann Zarco. Spanish GP winner Álex Márquez had a more subdued performance, finishing only tenth in a time of 1m36.833s. Ducati’s two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia finished 17th, 1.585s behind his team-mate, who was the fastest in the session.

Miguel Oliveira, still recovering from an injury to his left shoulder, was left out of the tests and was replaced by Augusto Fernández. Jorge Martín, the current world champion, is recovering from a crash at the Qatar GP that resulted in multiple fractures and was also absent, being replaced by Lorenzo Savadori. Franco Morbidelli also did not participate due to a cervical trauma suffered in Jerez, being spared by the VR46 team.

Positive results for Aprilia

Aprilia excelled in testing, with the team evaluating the possibility of a second aerodynamic homologation. The manufacturer continued to use the new rear wing package, which had already been seen on Marco Bezzecchi's bike the previous weekend. Bezzecchi also tested a new swingarm.

Trackhouse Aprilia rider Ai Ogura mentioned that his main focus was to work on improving his riding, but he also had the opportunity to test the new rear wing. Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori focused on improving the braking performance and stability of the bike.

The Noale-based team achieved excellent results in terms of mileage. Marco Bezzecchi completed 48 laps in the morning, the driver with the most laps in that period, closely followed by Ogura, who recorded 46 laps. In the afternoon, the Rimini driver was the only one to surpass the 50-lap mark, closing the day with 50 laps in total, which highlighted the team’s consistency and performance in the test.