Miller tops Valencia FP2 from Espargaro and Bagnaia, Quartararo only P11

Jack Miller ends day-one of the Valencia MotoGP quickest from Pol Espargaro and winner five days ago in Portimao Francesco Bagnaia. 

Unlike this morning’s FP1 session, Petronas Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi was quick to get out on-track as conditions significantly improved. 

With dry tyres fitted throughout the field, Pol Espargaro was the first to significantly improve as he went fastest overall - five seconds quicker than Iker Lecuona’s top time from FP1.

Fellow Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami was next to take over at the top of the leaderboard with Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia second and third. 

While Morbidelli then went top by seven tenths of a second over Espargaro, team-mate and 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo suffered a crash at turn two. 

The Yamaha rider went down immediately after applying the brakes, suggesting a cold tyre issue for the Frenchman. 

Lap times continued to get quicker and quicker as Espargaro went back to the top, while Alex Marquez - claimed his best result of the year last time out, went third quickest. 

Three-time race winner so far in 2021, Francesco Bagnaia was next to eclipse Espargaro’s time with a 1:32.379s.

The Italian, who has never finished on the podium at Valencia in any class, then lowered the benchmark time to 1:32.248s. 

With just under half the session to go, Morbidelli set the first sub 1m 32s lap of the weekend to go four tenths clear of Bagnaia. Nakagami then split the two VR46 academy riders to go P2 after gaining two tenths in the final sector alone. 

As FP2 headed towards the final 15 minutes, MotoGP rookie Enea Bastianini and Lecuona suffered crashes within the space of half a minute at turns 2 and 11 respectively.  

Morbidelli, who was fastest for most of the session, was unable to hold on as Jack Miller set a blistering 1:31.409s late on to go four tenths clear of the Monster Energy Yamaha man. 

The Australian’s lap started a series of time-attack laps from several riders including team-mate Bagnaia who went fastest. 

Bagnaia was ultimately bettered by Miller who ended up fastest, while Espargaro crashed at turn six after going P2. 

Rins was the top Suzuki in fourth, while Jorge Martin and Nakagami were fifth and sixth overall. Rounding out the top ten was Mir in seventeen, Brad Binder eighth, and impressive Andrea Dovizioso in ninth and Johann Zarco tenth. Fellow Frenchman Quartararo was only 11th.