Quartararo Frustrated by Le Mans Fallout: “If They’d Helped Properly, I Could’ve Restarted”
After a dramatic crash and penalty at his home race in Le Mans, Fabio Quartararo criticises marshal handling and seeks consistency ahead of Silverstone.
The 2025 MotoGP weekend roared into life with Free Practice 1, and it didn’t take long for Marc Marquez to set the tone.
The Ducati Lenovo rider fired in a 1:58.702 on his ninth lap – the first and only rider to dip into the 1:58s – to comfortably top the session.
It was a commanding run from Marquez, who seemed in control from the outset.
After taking top spot early on, he chipped away at his own benchmark before pulling out nearly four tenths over the field – a margin that held to the chequered flag.
Behind him, Franco Morbidelli delivered a quietly impressive performance for VR46. After initially creeping into the top seven, he launched himself up to second late in the session, just 0.365s off Marquez’s time.
Alex Marquez wasn’t far behind either, putting the Gresini Ducati into third on a 1:59.123. That made it a Marquez 1-3, with the younger brother consistently among the frontrunners.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi slotted into fourth, having briefly held the top spot earlier. Jack Miller made a surprise appearance in the top five, finding speed despite a fairly low-key buildup.
Three Yamahas ended up in the top nine, with Fabio Quartararo in seventh and Alex Rins in ninth.
Quartararo had been forced to sit out the opening 10 minutes due to a penalty carried over from Le Mans, but made quick work of the time he did have, improving to fourth at one stage before settling into P7.
Yamaha also rolled out a new front fairing developed specifically for Quartararo, while a new swingarm appeared on one of his bikes.
Maverick Viñales brought his KTM into sixth, continuing to close the gap to the Ducati group after a solid morning.
Meanwhile, reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia spent much of the session outside the top 10.
He eventually climbed to eighth, but questions remain over his front-end confidence with the latest GP24.5. Whether it’s just another slow Friday start or a deeper issue remains to be seen.
Elsewhere, Aleix Espargaro made his return as a Honda wildcard, his second such appearance for the struggling Japanese outfit.
A very fast one for @AiOgura79 at Turn 2 💥😱#BritishGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/IqLdUjqwqn
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 23, 2025
And in a reminder of the sport’s ever-present risk, Ai Ogura became the first faller of the weekend with a fast off at Turn 2. Fortunately, the rider appeared unharmed.
Tech updates also featured prominently. Yamaha engineers were spotted running airflow and pressure measurements on Miller’s bike. Pedro Acosta rounded out the top 10 for KTM.
