Six-time world champion Marc Marquez was fastest in practice for the Argentina MotoGP on Friday, continuing the blistering form which saw him win the season-opener in Thailand. The Spanish star, a three-time winner in Argentina, clocked a new lap record of 1min 37.295sec on his factory Ducati on a drying track at Termas de Rio Hondo, the small spa town situated 1,100 km north-west of Buenos Aires. Just as they had done in Thailand, Ducati again dominated with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marquez’s younger brother Alex filling out the top three.

Alex Marquez, who was second in the season-opener two weeks ago, took pole in Argentina when the track last hosted a MotoGP in 2023. He went on to finish third that weekend in another Ducati podium sweep.

Marc Marquez said, "I immediately felt comfortable. We obviously put more work on the bike compared to Thailand, as it was a long time since I last rode at this track, and it was also my first time here on a Ducati. It’s true that there are some rivals who are very close, so we’ll see if we can improve some more. The goal for tomorrow morning is to qualify on the front row."

Double world champion Francesco Bagnaia, on the second factory Ducati, just squeezed into the top 10—securing a direct spot in the second qualifying session on Saturday—despite crashing in the closing minutes on Friday.

Bagnaia said, "Unfortunately, I crashed at the beginning of my second time attack, and it’s a shame because I wanted to ride strong. I felt I could have been three and a half tenths faster. We’re still in the top 10, and that’s good, all things considered."

The Argentina MotoGP, the second round of the 22-race season, will be without world champion Jorge Martin. The Spanish Aprilia rider has not yet recovered from the injuries that sidelined him in Thailand. Martin stated on Thursday that he will also miss the third round in Texas at the end of March and may not be ready for the Qatar MotoGP in mid-April.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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