A storm on Friday morning meant parts of the Barcelona circuit - which now has a reconfigured final chicane - remained damp when running started, with riders venturing out on wets.

However the circuit was essentially too dry for wet tyres so the majority stayed in their garages, with only six riders recording times in the first 15 minutes.

Jorge Lorenzo became the seventh, moving to the top with a 1m55.452s to displace Tech 3 Yamaha’s Jonas Folger before improving to a 1m54.940s nearing the halfway mark.

Folger’s teammate Johann Zarco became the first rider to try slicks with 20 minutes remaining, making a pair of mistakes on his maiden flying lap and running nearly 1.7 seconds up on his next before pitting.

Instead it was Marc VDS Honda’s Jack Miller logging the opening time on slicks, a 1m53.498s with a mistake to use the 2016-spec Formula 1 chicane to go fastest.

Folger and Miller then made significant inroads, the German getting down to a 1m50.277s, but Miller’s times were wiped for his ongoing use of the wrong chicane.

Miller continued to circulate quickly - despite Marc VDS trying to get him to pit - and the Australian was eventually black-flagged, before realising his error.

Folger, Pramac Ducati’s Scott Redding and Zarco traded fastest laps as times dropped below the 1m48s barrier with four minutes remaining, and then 1m47s with Crutchlow and Marquez shortly afterwards.

Marquez then turned a 1m45.875s entering the final 60 seconds, a lap that was not bettered as the reigning world champion started his home grand prix fastest.

Crutchlow finished second, the LCR Honda rider 0.326s slower than Marquez, while Mugello winner Andrea Dovizioso led a host of riders who improved after the chequered flag to finish third on his Ducati.

Marquez’s Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa was fourth, ahead of Folger, with championship leader Maverick Vinales finishing sixth and within one second of the pace.

Yamaha was the only leading team not to test at Barcelona and sample the new layout following the French Grand Prix last month, and Vinales’ teammate Valentino Rossi wound up 17th.

Sam Lowes was seventh for Aprilia, with Aspar Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista, Redding and Pramac teammate Danilo Petrucci completing the top 10.

Miller rejoined the session and set a time good enough for 12th, just ahead of Lorenzo, 2.236s off the pace set by Marquez.

Only 19 riders set representative laptimes, with Aleix Espargaro circulating 18 seconds off the pace and Tito Rabat, Loris Baz and Hector Barbera not posting times.

Practice results:

Pos.	#	Driver	Bike	Laps	Time	Gap
1	93	Marc Marquez	Honda	5	1'45.875
2	35	Cal Crutchlow	Honda	5	1'46.201	0.326
3	4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	8	1'46.505	0.630
4	26	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	4	1'46.621	0.746
5	94	Jonas Folger	Yamaha	14	1'46.722	0.847
6	25	Maverick Viñales	Yamaha	6	1'46.824	0.949
7	22	Sam Lowes	Aprilia	5	1'47.054	1.179
8	19	Alvaro Bautista	Ducati	9	1'47.102	1.227
9	45	Scott Redding	Ducati	9	1'47.127	1.252
10	9	Danilo Petrucci	Ducati	6	1'47.252	1.377
11	5	Johann Zarco	Yamaha	16	1'47.460	1.585
12	43	Jack Miller	Honda	9	1'47.992	2.117
13	99	Jorge Lorenzo	Ducati	12	1'48.111	2.236
14	29	Andrea Iannone	Suzuki	7	1'48.114	2.239
15	44	Pol Espargaro	KTM	7	1'48.228	2.353
16	17	Karel Abraham	Ducati	6	1'48.625	2.750
17	46	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	15	1'48.863	2.988
18	50	Sylvain Guintoli	Suzuki	13	1'49.781	3.906
19	38	Bradley Smith	KTM	6	1'49.831	3.956
20	41	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia	5	2'04.186	18.311