Barcelona MotoGP: Zarco beats Morbidelli by 0.021s in FP2
Pramac’s Johann Zarco pipped Franco Morbidelli to top spot in second practice for the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix, the pair split by 0.021 seconds in the end.

With the Barcelona circuit having rubbered in some more since this morning’s FP1 session, the opening stages of FP2 were fairly frenetic as several riders took to the top of the times.
Tech 3 rider Iker Lecuona – whose MotoGP future beyond 2021 looks in doubt - set the initial pace on his KTM with a 1m40.860s, which world champion Joan Mir on the Suzuki immediately bettered to a 1m40.342s.
Having ended FP1 third fastest, Pol Espargaro picked up where he left off at the start of FP2 and edged ahead of Mir with a 1m40.146s on the factory Honda.
Teammate Marc Marquez took a brief trip to the top of the standings with a 1m30.120s, before world championship leader Fabio Quartararo took over with a 1m40.006s 10 minutes into the session.
Moments later his Yamaha counterpart Morbidelli – working with the hard rear tyre – went sub 1m40s for the first time on Friday with a 1m39.909s on his Petronas SRT-run ‘A-spec’ M1.
Morbidelli’s time went unchallenged until the closing stages as a period of race preparation halted any major timesheet changes.
The SRT rider’s lap was finally toppled with just over a minute remaining when Brad Binder – who has secured his KTM future through to the end of 2024 – moved clear with a 1m39.662s.
Binder was soon pipped by Zarco with a 1m39.446s, before Morbidelli re-established himself at the head of the pack with a 1m39.256s.
But it wouldn’t be enough to end the session fastest, as Zarco found 0.021s on his final lap to top with a 1m39.235s.
Trailing Zarco and Morbidelli was Quartararo on the works team Yamaha, with Binder fourth at the chequered flag ahead of Ducati factory team rider Francesco Bagnaia.
Maverick Vinales completed the top six on his factory Yamaha ahead of the works Ducati of Jack Miller and an impressive Avintia rookie Enea Bastianini on a two-year-old Desmosedici.
FP1 pacesetter Aleix Espargaro was ninth on the Aprilia ahead of the leading Honda of Pol Espargaro in 10th.
Marc Marquez slid down to 15th in the order behind KTM’s Miguel Oliveira, who ran as high as third in the closing stages.
Mir flew under the radar on the sole Suzuki this weekend in 16th, while Valentino Rossi’s struggles continued on his SRT Yamaha as he ended up 1.6s off the pace in 19th ahead of only Aprilia rookie Lorenzo Savadori and the returning Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati.
While several riders ran off track at the revamped Turn 10 left-hander, Luca Marini on the Avintia Ducati was the only faller in the session at Turn 4.
FP2 results:
Cla | # | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'39.235 | |
2 | 21 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'39.256 | 0.021 |
3 | 20 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'39.401 | 0.166 |
4 | 33 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'39.662 | 0.427 |
5 | 63 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'39.760 | 0.525 |
6 | 12 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'39.821 | 0.586 |
7 | 43 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'39.914 | 0.679 |
8 | 23 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'39.977 | 0.742 |
9 | 41 | | ![]() | Aprilia | 1'39.983 | 0.748 |
10 | 44 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'39.983 | 0.748 |
11 | 30 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'40.032 | 0.797 |
12 | 9 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'40.060 | 0.825 |
13 | 10 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'40.094 | 0.859 |
14 | 88 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'40.096 | 0.861 |
15 | 93 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'40.120 | 0.885 |
16 | 36 | | ![]() | Suzuki | 1'40.150 | 0.915 |
17 | 27 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'40.251 | 1.016 |
18 | 73 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'40.690 | 1.455 |
19 | 46 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'40.836 | 1.601 |
20 | 32 | | ![]() | Aprilia | 1'40.981 | 1.746 |
21 | 89 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'41.243 | 2.008 |
View full results |
Related video

Barcelona MotoGP: Espargaro tops FP1 for Aprilia
Rins’ Barcelona MotoGP absence “hurts” - Mir

Latest news
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.