Alex Marquez was fastest in Spanish MotoGP practice on Friday in Jerez on his Gresini with a sizeable 0.333s advantage over second-quickest Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Championship leader Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi was third fastest ahead of Ducati's Marc Marquez in the south-west of Spain.
Alex Marquez, defending world champion Marc's younger brother, secured his first MotoGP victory in Jerez last year and impressed again in Andalucia despite a tough start to the season.
His time of 1min 35.704s was less than a tenth of a second behind the all-time record at Jerez.
The love for Jerez is strong for @alexmarquez73 who tops #MotoGP Practice in front of @FabioDiggia49 and Marco Bezzecchi 🙌#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/xPyWCJYDUO
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 24, 2026
Despite crashes Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin secured top 10 finishes to go straight to the second qualifying session on Saturday.
Double MotoGP world champion Bagnaia slid off his factory Ducati at turn one on his first lap, while Martin, second overall, had a fall on the final corner halfway through the afternoon session.
Pedro Acosta, third overall, must go through Q1 for the first time this season, down in 15th on his KTM, along with his teammate Brad Binder one position behind.