With rain on the forecast for Saturday, and searing temperatures expected for FP🐼2, setting a good time was paramount for riders. 

A♒fter welcoming new title sponsor Prima to the fore -  Prima Pramac Racing is now the official team name until the end of 2024 - Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco showcased their all-new ‘Purple haze’ livery during FP1. 

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• Purple haze: Pramac Ducati unveils new MotoGP 🐈livery at Mugello

In more off-track n⛦ews, an announcement concerning the future of RNF Racing was made just minutes into FP1. 

Competing with Yamaha ma🐟chinery in 2022, RNF Racing have confirmed a switch to Aprilia will take place for next season, meaning four RS-GP bikes will be on the grid for the first time in Aprilia’s history. 

On-track, Joan Mir had an early off as he ran through the gavel in sector three. Francesco Bagnaia was very close to making the same mistake at turn one, however, the Itali♔an got his Lenovo Ducati stopped just in time. 

While a๊ll this was happening, wildcard rider Michele Pirro was setting an impressive pace aboard his Aruba.it-inspired colours. 

The f🔜irst rider to move Pirro off top spo♕t was Alex Rins, however, the Suzuki rider was quickly replaced by Aleix Espargaro. 

Fresh off their new two-year deals at Aprilia, Espargaro and Maverick Vinales were showing very fastꦦ and consiste💎nt pace, as was three-time MotoGP race winner in 2022 Enea Bastianini. 

Dওown in 18th following꧑ his early off, Mir jumped up to 12th with just under half the session remaining. 

With Mir already strugglingꦏ to match the pace of his team-mate, Rins improved even further to go five tenths clear of his fellow Spaniard in second - +0.001s off Bagnaia’s top time. 

There was a big moment for Miguel Oliveira as the Portuguese ri🎉der had to run across the grass [approach to turܫn one] at over 200mph.

With A. Espargaro on his inside, Oliveira attempted to go around the outside heading towards turn one, but quickly found himsel🎉f off the circuit.

MotoGP 2022 keeps producing...

The incident had no effect on Espargaro as the Aprilia ri♋der then set༺ an identical time as that of Bagnaia. 

Espargaro’s time meant the top three was separated by just +0.001s, before Takaaki Nakagami mad꧒e his RC213V sing aro🗹und Mugello. 

The only Honda ri🌠der able to show serious pace, Nakagami set a time of 1:47.030s - 0.030s clear of Espargaro and Bagnaia. 

Continuing his impressive long-run pace, Bag🔯naia, who was still using 🙈the same medium as the beginning of FP1, was setting low 1m 47.0s lap times with just over ten minutes to go.

A relatively q❀uiet session by his standards, reigning world champion Fabio Quartarar𒉰o was outside of the top five for most of FP1. 

Struggles continues for Marc Marquez 

As Nakagami led the way, and team-mate P. Espargaro moving up to seventh,💃 the eight-time worldജ champion was finding it impossible to break into the top ten. 

Nakagami then set a stunning time of 1:46.662s - three tenths clear of anyone as the Japanese rider remained on-track with a use🐻d medium rear. Nakagami’s effort was 1.2 second𓆉s clear of Marquez. 

Marquez finished FP1 in 18th place. 

Also struggling were KTM as Brad Bind༒er and Miguel Oliveira were P16 and 17. It appears as though the Austrian manufacturꩲer’s upgrades have failed to deliver the expected results at this stage.