Pedro Acosta Tops Barcelona MotoGP Practice as Jorge Martin Crashes Into Q1

Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain, May 15, 2026: Pedro Acosta delivered a sensational late charge to put Red Bull KTM Factory Racing on top during Friday’s MotoGP Practice session at the Barcelona Grand Prix, edging out Alex Marquez and teammate Brad Binder in a dramatic battle for direct Q2 spots.

The young Spanish star clocked the fastest lap of the day with a stunning KTM performance, as all five manufacturers and eight different teams successfully secured representation in Q2 ahead of qualifying. Acosta finished ahead of Alex Marquez of BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP, while Brad Binder completed the top three for KTM.

Aprilia Starts Strong Before Late Drama

The opening phase of the session saw Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura lead the charge for Aprilia Racing and Trackhouse MotoGP Team respectively. Ogura continued his strong form after his maiden MotoGP podium in the previous round but suffered a minor crash at Turn 2, forcing him onto his spare bike for the remainder of the session.

As track conditions improved, KTM riders began to dominate the timing screens. Binder became the first rider of the weekend to break into the 1:38 bracket before Acosta pushed even further to seize provisional P1. Enea Bastianini also impressed for Red Bull KTM Tech 3 by briefly entering the top three.

Jorge Martin Crash Sends Aprilia Star Into Q1

The final minutes produced a frantic battle for automatic Q2 qualification. Fabio Di Giannantonio, Joan Mir and Raul Fernandez all improved their times, while reigning double world champion Francesco Bagnaia and defending champion Jorge Martin faced late pressure.

Martin’s hopes of a direct Q2 berth ended dramatically after the Aprilia Racing rider crashed at Turn 2 in the closing stages — his second fall of the day. The Spaniard finished only 17th and will now have to battle through Q1 for the first time this season.

Bagnaia briefly appeared safe inside the top 10, but late improvements from Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo pushed the Ducati Lenovo Team rider out of the automatic qualification places.