Johann Zarco, British MotoGP 4 August 2023 // Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202308040243 // Usage for editorial use only //
Johann Zarco led the way in the opening MotoGP practice session at the Red Bull Ring thanks to a late flyer that shaded Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo by just under four-tenths-of-a-second.
Times came down quickly in the early stages of the test as the riders got to grips with the Austrian venue, Maverick Vinales managing to post the best time of the early goings – a 1:30.270s – before the field settled down to focus setting up their machines for the weekend ahead.
Honda looked to be the busiest as they ran a selection of different aerodynamic set-ups across its bikes, Takaaki Nakagami running wider and more aggressive sidepods while factory aces Marc Marquez and Joan Mir tested updated front wing assemblies.
Quartararo meanwhile managed to move to the head of the times as he looks to repeat his rostrum result of last year, the Frenchman posting a 1:39.237s.
This looked set to secure Quartararo the FP1 scratch time as the clock ticked down, only for Zarco to head out and bang in a 1:29.838s with just a couple minutes remaining – an effort that put him a commanding 0.399s clear of the rest.
With no other improvements made in the closing seconds, opening practice honours thus went to Zarco ahead of countryman Quartararo, with Vinales’ early gambit enough to keep him in third overall.
Alex Marquez was fourth despite a nasty brake issue in the early part of the test, the Gresini rider seemingly suffering a severe brake rub that produced large amounts of smoke before he eventually returned to the pits to have the problem rectified.
Marco Bezzecchi ended FP1 fifth just ahead of the other Gresini of Fabio Di Gianantonio, while Nakagami did well to claim seventh on his LCR-run Honda.
Francesco Bagnaia was eighth just ahead of British Grand Prix-victor Aleix Espargaro, while Jorge Martin completed a top ten covered by just 0.591s.
So close was the session that the top 17 riders were coated by just a second, with Honda’s Marc Marquez the first outside of this margin – the Spaniard one of only two riders to crash as he followed up an earlier run through the gravel at Turn 4 with a spill as again ran off the circuit and dropped his RC213-V.
The hard downhill braking of Turn 4 proved to be a tricky place across the outing as the likes of Espargaro, RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira as well as KTM’s Jack Miller also running wide at points, while Augusto Fernandez crashed his GasGas on entry to the first chicane mid-way through the session.
Keyword: Zarco heads ultra-close Austrian FP1 ahead of Quartararo