Motogp Brazil: Zarco storms to Friday P1 as rain scrambles Goiania practice
motogp hit the Goiania circuit for the first time this weekend as Round 2 opened under shifting skies on Friday. Johann Zarco, the LCR Honda rider, seized the moment to go fastest as rain shaped the session and forced urgent early laps in the only sustained dry running. The mixed conditions also left Marco Bezzecchi stuck in 20th and heading into Q1 on Saturday, with Aprilia still trying to pinpoint what went wrong.
Zarco delivers P1 as Goiania’s first Friday turns frantic
Zarco’s standout Friday ended with top spot on the timesheets, a result he framed as a boost for everyone around him after finding that the Goiania layout suits his riding style. The session unfolded with a delay earlier in the day due to rain, then turned into a rush when the track offered only a limited window for meaningful dry laps before rain arrived again.
With riders aware they needed to make their play early to secure top-10 positions and a direct place in Q2, the opening phase was tense and hurried. Conditions held long enough for decisive laps to be set before rain arrived in earnest later in the run, closing the door on improvements for those who hadn’t already delivered a benchmark.
Motogp Q2 and Q1 lines drawn after rain-hit Brazil practice
The Friday classification set the immediate qualifying picture for Saturday. Riders advancing directly to Q2 were: Johann Zarco, Marc Marquez, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jorge Martin, Pedro Acosta, Alex Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Fermin Aldeguer, Francesco Bagnaia, and Ai Ogura.
Those heading to Q1 were: Luca Marini, Jack Miller, Alex Rins, Maverick Vinales, Diogo Moreira, Joan Mir, Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Marco Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez, and Enea Bastianini.
The margins mattered. The final Q2 position was decided by a 0. 021s gap between Ai Ogura and Luca Marini, with Ogura timing his effort to perfection to stay on the right side of the cut.
Immediate reactions: Bezzecchi and Aprilia search for answers after P20
Bezzecchi described a sharp swing in form across the day, saying his earlier running felt solid before the problems hit later on. “It was not bad in the morning, to be honest. I felt good and I was quite fast, ” Marco Bezzecchi said. “Then in the afternoon, especially in the first run, which was the most decent one with the weather, we clearly had some issues. We still have to understand what was wrong, but the engineers are working on that. ”
Aprilia race manager Paolo Bonora pointed to confidence and tire temperature as key factors in the conditions at Goiania. “We are trying to understand why he is not finding the confidence to push, ” Bonora said. “If you don’t push, you don’t create the temperature on the tyre, and if you don’t create the temperature on the tyre, the feeling doesn’t come. ” He added that the team remained confident it could learn enough overnight to improve on Saturday.
Quick context: a new circuit, changeable conditions, and a disrupted start
This weekend marks the premier class’ first time on track at Goiania, and Friday’s running was shaped by rain and delays that limited clean preparation. The combination of a new layout and shifting conditions has already been described by one championship-leading rider as a recipe for unpredictable and exciting qualifying.
What’s next: Saturday qualifying pressure after a chaotic Friday
Saturday now becomes a high-stakes reset: the Q1 group must fight through to join the front in Q2, while those already through will look to convert early advantage into strong grid positions. With rain already dictating the rhythm of the weekend and teams still learning Goiania in real time, motogp heads into qualifying day with momentum on Zarco’s side and urgent problem-solving underway in Bezzecchi’s camp.
