Marquez topped the 45-minute session with a time of 1m46.121s, which put him 0.087s aheadof Quartararo and 0.104s clear of KTM’s Brad Binder, as three different manufacturers finished inside the top three.
It was Ducati wildcard Michele Pirro that headed the timesheets in FP1, lapping the circuit in 1m47.905s in the first five minutes of the session before improving to a 1m46.917s to set a new benchmark for the remainder of the field.
Marquez then lowered Pirro’s benchmark to a 46.852s, with Pramac’s Jorge Martin moving up to third behind Pirro to establish a 1-2-3 for Ducati at the head of the pack.
The status quo was maintained until the final 12 minutes of the session, when Pirro moved back to the top with a 1m46.824s.
A slew of riders then enjoyed stints at the front, including Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales, LCR Honda’s Alex Rins and Quartararo as lap times tumbled in the final part of the session, before the younger of the Marquez brothers asserted his authority with a 1m46.121s with just under two minutes left on the clock.
That time would remain unbeaten till the end of practice, with Quartararo also able to hold on to second in an impressive session for the Yamaha rider.
Third place went to Binder, who leapt to third late on with a time of 1m46.225s, with French GP winner Marco Bezzecchi another 0.076s adrift on the VR46 Ducati.
Source: Autosport