Pedro Acosta topped Friday practice at the Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona, setting a 1:38.710 aboard his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 and taking a direct spot in Q2. He shaded Álex Márquez by 0.018 seconds to lead a tightly packed top order, with the top five split by 0.079 seconds and the top ten within 0.269 seconds, a parity many teams attributed in part to the spec Michelin tires used by the grid.

Francesco Bagnaia finished 12th, 0.350 seconds behind Acosta, saying he “couldn’t even think of getting into Q2,” and complaining of a lack of grip and setup issues. Team manager Davide Tardozzi reported Bagnaia had suffered unusual vibration and “no grip at all” on corner exit. Jorge Martín crashed twice on Friday, was assessed as slightly concussed and finished 17th, which will force him into Q1 on Saturday.

Brad Binder recovered from a small crash to sit third, with Raúl Fernández fourth and Johann Zarco fifth. Fabio di Giannantonio was the leading Ducati in sixth, and Marco Bezzecchi and Joan Mir also secured direct Q2 spots. Each manufacturer placed multiple riders into Q2 and eight teams booked at least one place. Acosta said the chassis was working well and his team would analyze data overnight, adding he planned to work more with a medium rear tire after running a soft rear last year. Binder said the Le Mans setup translated well to the low-grip Barcelona surface, “the bike felt more planted at the front and allowed more corner speed at the rear.” Friday’s times set the stage for an intense qualifying day, with Q1 offering the two remaining slots to Q2 and small improvements or mistakes able to reshuffle the front rows for Sunday’s race.