Marc Márquez topped the opening practice session ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, setting a fastest time of 1:52.278 to finish just over a tenth of a second ahead of Marco Bezzecchi. Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top three, while Pedro Acosta secured fourth despite appearing to encounter a technical problem towards the end of the session.
The Yamaha teams were notably absent from this weekend’s event, with the manufacturer electing not to send its riders and teams to Qatar due to ongoing instability in the Middle East region.
Márquez Arrives With Championship Hopes
Márquez arrived in Qatar leading the MotoGP World Championship standings and carrying strong momentum after winning last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Spaniard is also the most recent winner at Lusail, having claimed victory at the circuit last year.
Bezzecchi, meanwhile, was looking to improve his record at Qatar. The Italian has never finished on the MotoGP podium at Lusail, with his best result across all classes coming in 2021, when he finished fourth in both races.
Dixon Crashes Early as Binder Also Goes Down
The opening stages of the session proved challenging for several riders, with Jake Dixon suffering an early crash at Turn 15 after an eventful moment through Turn 11. Dixon initially spun up the rear tyre through the long left-hander, triggering a significant oscillation. Ai Ogura was forced to back off the throttle to avoid the Briton before Dixon subsequently lost the front while tipping into Turn 15.
Brad Binder then joined him on the list of early casualties, crashing at Turn 7 to become the second rider to go down. Conditions also proved challenging, with a considerable amount of sand on the circuit. The riders were kicking up large amounts of dust and debris along the main straight.
Honda Shows Encouraging Early Pace
Despite Dixon’s crash, Honda enjoyed a relatively encouraging start to the session, with Diogo Moreira running fourth and Luca Marini fifth after the opening 15 minutes.
However, both riders remained more than a second away from the leading pace. Bezzecchi and Márquez had established a clear advantage over the chasing group, with Francesco Bagnaia sitting third and Martín initially down in fourth, approximately nine-tenths behind the leading pace. Although he appeared to alternate between pushing laps and cooling-off laps, his pace remained considerably stronger than during the previous round.
Acosta and Di Giannantonio Challenge at the Front
As the session entered its final stages, the riders returned to the circuit for their last runs. Johann Zarco produced an improved lap to break into the top ten on his Honda, while Fermín Aldeguer also moved into the top ten as he continued his return from injury.
Bagnaia began improving his time through the first sector, while Acosta delivered an impressive lap to move into third ahead of Martín. Bezzecchi also looked competitive, setting the fastest time in the first sector. Meanwhile, Di Giannantonio continued to make progress, with Maverick Viñales sitting just outside the top ten in 11th.
Di Giannantonio subsequently produced another improvement to move into third, ahead of Acosta, as the battle for the leading positions intensified.
Márquez Secures Top Spot as Acosta Encounters Trouble
Márquez then found further time to establish a new benchmark of 1:52.278, moving to the top of the timing screens and edging ahead of Bezzecchi by just over a tenth of a second.
However, Acosta’s session ended on an uncertain note when his KTM appeared to stop during his final lap. The Spaniard came to a halt at the side of the circuit, with a possible fuel issue or technical problem suspected.
The chequered flag confirmed Márquez as the fastest rider of the session, ahead of Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio, who completed the top three. Acosta finished fourth despite his late stoppage, followed by Martín in fifth and Bagnaia in sixth.
Márquez therefore begins his Qatar weekend in the strongest possible fashion, with Bezzecchi and Martín also showing competitive pace as the championship battle continues at Lusail.