Monday’s eight-hour session at Jerez is one of two scheduled in-season tests in 2023, with factories rolling out a number of notable updates to try.
The early part of the test saw three riders – Fabio Quartararo, Aleix Espargaro and Jonas Folger – try a radio system where race direction warnings were fed to them.
The idea is for this to be used as an extra warning system for riders in case of an incident, with Quartararo noting that the system has potential to be useful but needs some refinement.
The Yamaha rider topped the opening hour of the session with a 1m37.304s as he tested a new double-headed exhaust and a new aerodynamic package.
He was replaced at the top of the standings by Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin at the end of hour two, who found a 1m37.089s, before Quartararo reinstalled himself at the head of the pack with a 1m36.725s at the halfway point.
This stood as the benchmark until the final hour, when Bezzecchi on his year-old Ducati produced a 1m36.574s that would keep his fastest of all when the chequered flag fell at 6pm local time.
He headed VR46 team-mate Luca Marini by 0.104 seconds, with Quartararo rounding out the top three.
Source: Autosport