Championship leader Marc Marquez kick-started the Italian Grand Prix with a fastest time of 1:47.558 to end MotoGP FP1 at the summit, with Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci and Michele Pirro completing the top three on home soil.
It was glorious Tuscany weather for the premier class as they went out for FP1 at Mugello and it was the Honda of Marquez who set the pace throughout, eventually beating Petrucci by over a tenth as the factory Ducati man jumped to second on his final flying lap. It was a strong opening session for Ducati test rider Pirro who, while sporting a new rear wheel cover, managed to finish third fastest.
Top rookie Fabio Quartararo seemed to enjoy his first taste of Mugello on a MotoGP machine, the Frenchman putting in a couple of late flying laps to end FP1 in fourth as Pirro, Quartararo, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro – the Spaniard suffering a mechanical in FP1 – and Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller all set 1:47.8s as the quartet were split by a slender 0.010.
Takaaki Nakagami took the chequered flag in seventh to head Pol Espargaro and LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow, with Andrea Dovizioso having a steady session to finish tenth – 0.656 covering first to tenth. Home hero Valentino Rossi took P12 in the opening session of the weekend.
Full Standing:
| Pos. | Rider | Bike | Km/h | Time | Gap 1st/Prev. |
| 1 | Marc MARQUEZ | Honda | 343.1 | 1'47.558 | |
| 2 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 348.7 | 1'47.751 | 0.193 / 0.193 |
| 3 | Michele PIRRO | Ducati | 341 | 1'47.804 | 0.246 / 0.053 |
| 4 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 340.6 | 1'47.811 | 0.253 / 0.007 |
| 5 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Aprilia | 343.7 | 1'47.812 | 0.254 / 0.001 |
| 6 | Jack MILLER | Ducati | 346.4 | 1'47.814 | 0.256 / 0.002 |
| 7 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 338.6 | 1'47.925 | 0.367 / 0.111 |
| 8 | Pol ESPARGARO | KTM | 342.6 | 1'48.001 | 0.443 / 0.076 |
| 9 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | Honda | 342.9 | 1'48.109 | 0.551 / 0.108 |
| 10 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati | 346.1 | 1'48.214 | 0.656 / 0.105 |
| 11 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | 350 | 1'48.229 | 0.671 / 0.015 |
| 12 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 337.9 | 1'48.356 | 0.798 / 0.127 |
| 13 | Andrea IANNONE | Aprilia | 344.4 | 1'48.367 | 0.809 / 0.011 |
| 14 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 336.1 | 1'48.392 | 0.834 / 0.025 |
| 15 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | 330.3 | 1'48.421 | 0.863 / 0.029 |
| 16 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 342.6 | 1'48.427 | 0.869 / 0.006 |
| 17 | Francesco BAGNAIA | Ducati | 338.2 | 1'48.532 | 0.974 / 0.105 |
| 18 | Jorge LORENZO | Honda | 343.8 | 1'48.550 | 0.992 / 0.018 |
| 19 | Joan MIR | Suzuki | 341.3 | 1'48.897 | 1.339 / 0.347 |
| 20 | Johann ZARCO | KTM | 341.2 | 1'48.960 | 1.402 / 0.063 |
| 21 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 341.5 | 1'49.216 | 1.658 / 0.256 |
| 22 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | KTM | 334.4 | 1'49.857 | 2.299 / 0.641 |
| 23 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 338.7 | 1'49.870 | 2.312 / 0.013 |
