The FP1 was the first chance for the MotoGP field to test the revised Turn 10 layout that revamped the Barcelona circuit earlier this year.
Generally a grippy track, lap times dropped in the first 10 minutes of the session and the top position changed hands several times.
Aleix Espargaro set the first pace on his Aprilia with 1: 42.318 minutes before his Honda-mounted brother Pol Espargaro took the lead with 1: 41.724 minutes.
In the following minutes, Suzuki’s Joan Mir, Morbidelli on the SRT Yamaha, championship leader Fabio Quartararo on the factory Yamaha and Honda’s Marc Marquez took turns at the front.
Pol Espargaro prevailed with 1: 40.837 minutes after just over 10 minutes ahead of his teammate Marquez before Morbidelli returned to the top of the pile with 1: 40.402 minutes.
That time was the benchmark until the very end, although most of the field opted for a late attack against adding fresh gum.
Aprilias Espargaro adapted a bunch of fresh media to his RS-GP and produced a 1: 40.378s to finish the session fastest from Morbidelli.
Hondas Pol Espargaro completed the top 3 in front of the leading works team Yamaha from Maverick Vinales.
Vinales comes to the Catalonia GP after parting ways with crew boss Esteban Garcia – allegedly a decision by Yamaha – after a difficult run of form since winning the Qatar GP and is now working with former Valentino Rossi man Silvano Galbusera .
Johann Zarco was the best Ducati in fifth place on his Pramac GP21. The Frenchman came to Barcelona with his future in 2022 with a secured Pramac.
Quartararo finished sixth ahead of KTM rider Miguel Oliveira, Mir finished eighth on the only Suzuki this weekend after teammate Alex Rins broke his right arm in a training accident on Thursday.
Ducati factory couple Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia completed the top 10, relegating LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami to 11th place.
Jorge Martin returns multiple fractures this weekend for the first time since his violent training accident in Portugal.
The Pramac rider finished in an impressive 12th place ahead of Honda rider Marc Marquez, Danilo Petrucci from Tech 3 and the other SRT Yamaha from Rossi.
Although no real-time attacks were carried out in FP1, the field of 21 drivers was still only covered by 1.3 seconds.