Ducati firmly on top on Mugello MotoGP Friday
Fabio Di Giannantonio maintained his superb recent form to top the second and final Friday practice session of the MotoGP weekend at Mugello.
The session, much like the grand prix race at Barcelona last time out, was interrupted by red flags, albeit for much less substantial incidents.
The first, at around halfway point, came as Fabio Quartararo crashed his Yamaha at Materassi and it slid back onto the track after hopping through the inside gravel trap at Borgo San Lorenzo.
The second was triggered by Brad Binder parking up to the side of the main straight after his KTM developed a fault, too late for him to duck into the pits.
Advanced to Q2: Di Giannantonio, Bagnaia, Bastianinbi, Morbidelli, Aldeguer, Marquez, Bezzecchi, Martin, Rins, Moreira
Will contest Q1: Ogura, Fernandez, Acosta, Vinales, Mir, Miller, Quartararo, Binder, Marini, Razgatlioglu, Pirro, Crutchlow
The session delivered a real show of strength from Ducati, with five of its bikes in the top six and only tester Michele Pirro - riding in relief of injured Gresini rider Alex Marquez - absent from that lead group.
Di Giannantonio headed Pecco Bagnaia by 0.091s, followed by Tech3 KTM's Enea Bastianini (who capitalised on a mild slipstream from Aprilia's points leader Marco Bezzecchi), as well as Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati), Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) and Marc Marquez (factory Ducati).
It was a smooth return to competitive one-lap pace for the elder Marquez, who was just 0.202s off the pacesetter.
But both of the points table-topping Aprilias made Q2, too, with Bezzecchi seventh and team-mate Jorge Martin in eighth. Martin succeeded on a last-ditch push to avoid Q1, relegating Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura to the first qualifying segment in the process.
The two remaining riders in Q2 were rookie Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) and factory Yamaha rider Alex Rins, both tucked in firmly behind Bagnaia as they set their fastest laps.
A top 13 completed by usual Q2 fixtures Raul Fernandez and Pedro Acosta was covered by only 0.486s - the latter ending up upright in the gravel trap at the second Arrabbiata after a mistake during a desperate final effort to make Q2.
The only other major incident in the session involved a San Donato crash for Jack Miller, though he rejoined practice afterwards.
Series returnee Cal Crutchlow, in his first appearance after a three-year absence, placed last - 3.3s off the pace and 1.2s off fellow stand-in Pirro.
