Marc Marquez sets 'ridiculous' pace, 'angry' Fabio Quartararo and KTM comeback - Neil Hodgson's Grand Prix Aragon preview

TNT Sports expert Neil Hodgson discussed some of the major talking points heading into a huge weekend of racing at Grand Prix Aragon. Friday's practice session served up some intriguing storylines, from the struggles of "agitated" Fabio Quartararo to the unexpected speed of the KTMs and the "ridiculous" pace of MotoGP leader Marc Marquez. Watch and stream the action on TNT Sports and discovery+.

GP Aragon preview: ‘Ridiculous’ Marquez, KTM comeback and ‘angry’ Quartararo

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From the "ridiculous" pace of MotoGP Championship leader Marc Marquez to a KTM comeback and the return of an "angry" Fabio Quartararo, there is plenty to look forward to at Grand Prix Aragon.

That is according to TNT Sports expert Neil Hodgson, who discussed all the major talking points after Friday’s practice session gave the riders a final taste of the track before racing begins.

Round eight of the 2025 MotoGP season takes the riders to Spain, where they will battle it out in qualifying and the Sprint race on Saturday before Sunday’s Grand Prix.

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Marquez’s relentless momentum continued as the Ducati star finished ahead of brother Alex to top the timesheets in practice, but KTM Tech 3 rider Maverick Vinales caused a stir by finishing third.

Six-time Aragon winner Marquez will go into Sunday’s race as the undisputed favourite after a statement start to his weekend on home turf, finishing 0.204 seconds clear of Alex.

"I would say he has a bigger advantage than two tenths. This morning, he had nine tenths, almost a second on everybody, which is ridiculous," Hodgson said.

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"Today’s race pace, I would say about half a second, which is massive. He only put one new tyre in, as opposed to the rest of them putting two in. In the end it looks like it’s only two tenths, but it’s bigger."

For all Marquez’s dominance, his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia again struggled as he came ninth in practice.

The two-time world champion has had a poor start to the season, winning one race at the Grand Prix of the Americas and falling 72 points behind his team-mate and 48 points behind Alex Marquez in third place in the Riders’ Championship standings.

Hodgson said: "He was 0.8 of a second off his team-mate and he used two new tyres… 0.8 of a second behind your team-mate on the same bike!

"I feel for Bagnaia though, I know I’m always saying it, but I genuinely feel for him. There is nothing worse than seeing your team-mate so far ahead. Whatever they are looking for, they’ve not found it yet."

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KTM finally impress

The surprise of the day came from KTM, who had three riders qualify directly to Q2 with a top-10 finish in practice for the first time in over a year, since the Catalan GP in May 2024.

Vinales finished third, while KTM Factory pairing Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder came fifth and seventh respectively.

For Hodgson, it was a long overdue signal that the team is ready to compete again after a disappointing 2025 season so far.

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"How important is that? We know the issues, the financial issues, everything going on behind the scenes," Hodgson said of KTM’s charge.

"There has been a drought, there have been no results apart from Maverick in Qatar was impressive. Apart from that, it’s been dismal.

"Today looked different. It looks like they’ve found something, the KTM is working again finally. This is round eight, you would have hoped it would have started before this point, but there are still lots of races to go."

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‘A lot of work ahead’ for Quartararo

Yamaha rider Quartararo has been in astonishing form in qualifying recently, taking three consecutive pole positions coming into GP Aragon.

However, the Frenchman’s chances of making that four on the trot look slim after a practice session where he was left pounding his bike in frustration as he finished down in 18th.

The outburst may have been alarming for Quartararo’s team, but Hodgson believes it could actually be a good sign.

"It reminded me of when Fabio first came into MotoGP and was incredibly fast straight away," Hodgson said.

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"We saw him quite a lot of times getting agitated, getting angry. He’s lost that over the last 18 months. Well, that Fabio is back, and I’m going to say it’s a good sign.

"He was showing his frustration because the Yamaha was clearly not working at all. He had so many moments, so many slides, and it was obviously annoying him.

"They tried a few different things, but nothing seemed to work. They have got a lot of work ahead of them, I don’t think we’re going to see Quartararo get his fourth pole position in a row."

Stream every race of the 2025 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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Thoughts?