Photo: Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
Alex Marquez Leads MotoGP Post-Season Test in Barcelona
Eliška Ryšánková
News.GP journalist who’s all about the thrilling worlds of MotoGP and Formula 1.
Alex Marquez topped the timesheets at the post-season MotoGP test in Barcelona, setting a blistering pace aboard his Gresini machine. The session also marked Marc Marquez’s much-anticipated debut with Ducati’s factory team, where he showcased strong form by finishing fourth. Highlights included competitive runs from Fabio Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia, and rookie sensations gearing up for 2025.
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Alex Marquez topped Tuesday’s post-season test in Barcelona, while his older brother Marc Marquez made his debut with the factory Ducati team.
Alex Marquez dominated the seven-hour session, taking the top spot early with a flying lap of 1:40.006.
Pedro Acosta managed to lead the session briefly before Francesco Bagnaia took over with a time of 1:39.398 in the third hour. Fabio Quartararo then replaced Bagnaia at the top before Alex regained the lead in the fourth hour with a blistering 1:38.803 lap.
Despite crashing his GP24 bike at Turn 7, Alex’s time remained unchallenged. Quartararo secured second place with a time of 1:39.199, ahead of Bagnaia, who tested three Desmosedici configurations: the GP24, the GP25, and a hybrid version. Bagnaia used his old racing number, 63, after relinquishing the number one to 2024 champion Jorge Martin.
Marc Marquez’s much-anticipated test as Bagnaia’s teammate was another highlight. Marc completed 49 laps and finished fourth with a time of 1:39.454. He tested the GP25, which he will race next season, in a plain red livery with minimal sponsorship branding.
Raul Fernandez led Aprilia’s riders, finishing fifth, while Brad Binder secured sixth place. Franco Morbidelli made his VR46 debut with a seventh-place finish, narrowly edging out Alex Rins by just 0.003 seconds. Acosta ended the session in ninth, with Johann Zarco rounding out the top ten.
Jorge Martin made his debut with Aprilia, testing the 2024 RS-GP before switching to the 2025 prototype. Despite a minor crash at Turn 5, Martin completed 77 laps and finished 11th.
Maverick Viñales placed 12th, while his new teammate Enea Bastianini recovered from a crash to finish 16th. Retired rider Aleix Espargaro made his debut as a Honda test rider, placing 14th ahead of Joan Mir.
Rookie Fermín Aldeguer finished 20th, ahead of Ai Ogura and Somkiat Chantra. All three rookies suffered early crashes but recovered to gain valuable mileage in preparation for the upcoming season.
Absent from the test was Fabio Di Giannantonio, who is recovering from surgery. Test rider Michele Pirro stepped in for him, trialing Dorna’s new two-way radio communication system.
