Alex Márquez leads MotoGP practice, Acosta crashes

Alex Márquez established the benchmark during the first free practice session for the British MotoGP Grand Prix at Silverstone, clocking the fastest lap. The session saw a competitive start, with riders pushing their limits on the iconic circuit.

Early in the session, Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi initially led, but Spanish rider Raúl Fernández soon broke the two-minute barrier. Pedro Acosta matched Fernández's time moments later, before Alex Márquez posted a 1:59.436 to take provisional control. Championship leader Jorge Martín was initially 15th, while Marc Márquez was sixth, though both improved their positions as the session progressed.

Márquez eventually set his best time of 1:58.692, which remained unbeaten. The session was not without incident, as Pedro Acosta crashed at turn fifteen. Fortunately, Acosta was unharmed, and his crash did not significantly impact his overall standing at that point, as he was in eighth position.

In the final minutes, riders attempted 'time attacks' to improve their times. Marco Bezzecchi climbed to second, and Acosta showed strong pace to finish third. However, none could surpass Alex Márquez's leading time. His teammates at Trackhouse, Ai Ogura and Raúl Fernández, came close but ultimately fell short in the final sectors.

Alex Márquez's fastest lap of 1:58.692 was faster than many expected, though still some way off the outright lap record of 1:57.233 set by Fabio Quartararo last year. Bezzecchi appeared to be in strong form, finishing second, followed by Acosta, Raúl Fernández, Fabio di Giannantonio, Marc Márquez, Ai Ogura, Jorge Martín, Franco Morbidelli, and Francesco Bagnaia rounding out the top ten.