The first practice session of the 2019 World Touring Car Cup was headed by Aurélien Panis, the Comtoyou Team DHL Cupra Racing driver setting a time of 1m25.841.
Overnight rain left the Circuit Moulay El Hassan greasy but drying, and it took until the final third of the session before drivers set competitive lap times.
Leopard Racing’s Jean-Karl Vernay, and BRC Hyundai driver Nicky Catsburg were over a tenth off the fastest, in second and third, ahead of early pace-setter Yann Ehrlacher.
The Frenchman was the fastest of the four new Lynk&Co 03 cars.
Tiago Monteiro was fifth fastest, lapping 0.415s slower than Panis, but remained fastest Honda just ahead of Esteban Guerrieri 0.599s back.
Four-time WTCC champion Yvan Muller had brief appearances as fastest, ultimately finishing in seventh, over sixth tenths slower.
Daniel Haglöf was fastest of the rookies, the PWR Racing driver was only 0.012s slower than Yvan Muller. The TCR Scandinavia graduate completed 22 laps in an effort to become accustomed to the WTCR Cupra and the Marrakech circuit.
Frederic Vervisch was ninth, ahead of the BRC Hyundai Squadra Corse car of Norbert Michelisz who rounded out the top ten, 0.712s slower than Panis.
Andy Priaulx was 11th fastest in his first WTCR session, and reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini was 13th.
With many of the expected title contenders electing to limit their running in the first practice session, the pecking order is very much unestablished.
Second practice gets underway at 11:00 local time (11:00 BST, 12:00 CEST) followed by qualifying at 13:00 local time (13:00 BST, 14:00 CEST).
Session results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 21 | Aurélien PANIS |  |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 12 | 1:25.841 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 69 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 18 | 1:25.942 | 0.101 |
| 3 | 88 | Nicky CATSBURG |  |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 11 | 1:26.026 | 0.185 |
| 4 | 68 | Yann EHRLACHER | |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 17 | 1:26.198 | 0.357 |
| 5 | 18 | Tiago MONTEIRO |  |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 13 | 1:26.256 | 0.415 |
| 6 | 86 | Esteban GUERRIERI |  |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 7 | 1:26.440 | 0.599 |
| 7 | 100 | Yvan MULLER | |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 12 | 1:26.459 | 0.618 |
| 8 | 37 | Daniel HAGLÖF |  |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 22 | 1:26.471 | 0.630 |
| 9 | 22 | Frédéric VERVISCH |  |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 12 | 1:26.489 | 0.648 |
| 10 | 5 | Norbert MICHELISZ |  |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 12 | 1:26.553 | 0.712 |
| 11 | 111 | Andy PRIAULX |  |
Cyan Performance Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 20 | 1:26.573 | 0.732 |
| 12 | 12 | Rob HUFF | |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 1:26.620 | 0.779 |
| 13 | 1 | Gabriele TARQUINI |  |
BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 7 | 1:26.629 | 0.788 |
| 14 | 11 | Thed BJÖRK | |
Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 16 | 1:26.649 | 0.808 |
| 15 | 25 | Mehdi BENNANI |  |
SLR VW Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 14 | 1:26.767 | 0.926 |
| 16 | 14 | Johan KRISTOFFERSSON | |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 13 | 1:26.799 | 0.958 |
| 17 | 96 | Mikel AZCONA |  |
PWR Racing | CUPRA TCR | 20 | 1:26.826 | 0.985 |
| 18 | 8 | Augusto FARFUS |  |
BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 15 | 1:26.839 | 0.998 |
| 19 | 52 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 14 | 1:26.849 | 1.008 |
| 20 | 10 | Niels LANGEVELD | |
Comtoyou Team Audi Sport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 23 | 1:27.104 | 1.263 |
| 21 | 31 | Kevin CECCON | |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 21 | 1:27.115 | 1.274 |
| 22 | 50 | Tom CORONEL | |
Comtoyou DHL Team CUPRA Racing | CUPRA TCR | 6 | 1:27.140 | 1.299 |
| 23 | 29 | Néstor GIROLAMI | |
ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 6 | 1:27.508 | 1.667 |
| 24 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
KCMG | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 25 | 1:27.559 | 1.718 |
| 25 | 33 | Benjamin LEUCHTER |  |
SLR Volkswagen | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 17 | 1:28.016 | 2.175 |
| 26 | 55 | Ma QING HUA |  |
Team Mulsanne | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 18 | 1:29.689 | 3.848 |