Jorge Martin crashes in Catalunya practice

Pedro Acosta put KTM on top of MotoGP practice at the Catalan Grand Prix on Friday, while Jorge Martin’s day turned after a late crash left him outside the top 10 and headed for Q1 on Saturday. Martin, who arrived in Barcelona one point behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi after his Le Mans double, finished 17th after the fall. (motogp.com) Alex Marquez ended the session second and Brad Binder was third as KTM placed both factory bikes in the top three. MotoGP’s official report said 0.269 seconds covered the top 10 on Friday at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. ### How did Martin’s Friday unravel in Barcelona? Jorge Martin went into the weekend with momentum after winning both the sprint and grand prix at Le Mans on May 10, trimming Bezzecchi’s lead in the standings to one point. (motogp.com) Friday in Barcelona began with another crash for the Aprilia rider, and MotoGP’s official coverage said he later fell again late in practice before ending the session 17th. MotoGP’s official practice report said Martin’s late crash left him in Q1 rather than the direct Q2 places reserved for the fastest 10 riders from Friday practice. That changed the shape of his weekend immediately, because he now must race through Saturday’s first qualifying session to have a chance of reaching pole shootout Q2. (motogp.com) ### Who set the pace, and how tight was the session? Pedro Acosta topped Friday practice for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, giving KTM the fastest lap of the day in Barcelona. MotoGP’s official report said Alex Marquez, last year’s Catalan Grand Prix winner, split the two factory KTMs in second, with Brad Binder third. (motogp.com) The top 10 were separated by 0.269 seconds, according to MotoGP’s official report, which described it as the second consecutive Friday with record-close margins at the front. The same report said all five manufacturers and eight different teams placed riders directly into Q2, underlining how mixed the order was across the field. (motogp.com) ### Where does this leave the championship picture? Marco Bezzecchi still led the MotoGP standings by one point over Martin entering the Catalan round, according to MotoGP’s official coverage published after Le Mans. Martin’s rider page on MotoGP’s website lists him on 127 points for the 2026 season after five rounds. (motogp.com) Le Mans had reset Martin’s campaign. MotoGP’s race report from France said the Aprilia rider secured his first grand prix victory since the 2024 Indonesian Grand Prix, while Bezzecchi finished second as Aprilia locked out the podium. Friday in Barcelona did not change the points, but it left Martin with more work to do before the sprint and Sunday race. (motogp.com) ### Which other big names were caught out on Friday? Francesco Bagnaia was also left outside the direct Q2 positions, with MotoGP’s official practice report listing Martin among the riders sent into Q1 after the late reshuffle. Other front-runners, including Acosta, Alex Marquez and Binder, secured safer starts to the weekend by locking in Q2 on Friday. (motogp.com) Marc Marquez was not part of the Barcelona field. MotoGP reported earlier in the week that the Ducati Lenovo Team rider would miss the Catalan Grand Prix after surgery following his crash in France. ### What happens next in Barcelona? Saturday’s schedule at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya lists MotoGP qualifying after the second free practice session, with Q1 deciding which two riders advance into Q2. (motogp.com) The sprint follows later on Saturday, before the grand prix closes the weekend on Sunday, May 17. Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia and the other riders who missed Friday’s top 10 now have one session to recover their weekend. Pedro Acosta, Alex Marquez and Brad Binder already hold direct places in Q2 after Friday’s practice order. (motogp.com 1) (motogp.com 2) (motogp.com 3)