Ducati Lenovo Team riders in first and third place in free practice at the French GP with Marc Márquez signing the track record. Good third position for Francesco Bagnaia

• Fermín Aldeguer and Alex Márquez fourth and fifth, respectively, with the Ducati machines of the Gresini Racing Team

The Ducati Lenovo Team starred on the opening day of action for the French Grand Prix. At Le Mans, Marc Márquez topped the Practice timesheets, with Francesco Bagnaia finishing close behind in third.

Márquez, who was also quickest in the morning’s Free Practice 1, set a 1’29.855 lap-time with nine minutes to go in the Practice session, establishing a new outright lap record for the French track. Bagnaia steadily improved throughout the afternoon, climbing up to second in the closing stages before ending the session third – only 0.184secs adrift of his teammate.

The Ducati Lenovo Team will resume proceedings tomorrow at 10:10 local time (GMT +2) with the second Free Practice session, followed by Q2 at 11:15 and the sixth Sprint Race of the season, which gets underway at 15:00 over 13 laps.

Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“We did a good job, but it’s only Friday, and there’s still something to work on. We made a few steps forward in the afternoon – I felt more comfortable especially in the second and third runs – so let’s see how things go tomorrow. I think the lap-times will be even closer, but I’m having fun and continuing to work to improve.”

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“I’m happy with today. We’re working to maximise my performance with this bike configuration and I’m satisfied, as the feeling kept improving throughout the day. I still can’t do exactly what I want with the front-end, so we need to keep focusing on that area. We did a good job, though there’s still a step to make. Right now, Marc has something extra, but we’re working to bridge the gap and fight for the top positions.”