Marco Bezzecchi started his Saturday on the right foot, finishing fastest in the MotoGP Free Practice 2 session at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar. The Aprilia Racing rider clocked the first lap in the 1:51s for the day, with the three other Aprilia riders locking out the Top 4. For the complete breakdown of the MotoGP FP2 session, read on below to catch up on the action at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha.
Bagnaia and M.Márquez Fast From the Beginning
The 30-minute session was the final chance for riders and teams to get their setup right before qualifying. After the all-time lap record in the Practice session, Fabio Di Giannantonio quickly made it out of the pit lane shortly after the green lights. Bezzecchi got a little loose on the out lap, but managed to recover as time attacks began.
Francesco Bagnaia was the first to the top, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider looking comfortable on the machine for the first time in as many rounds. Citing grip as the key factor, the #63 held P1 until his teammate took the lead on the next lap.
Marc Márquez looked to replicate his Free Practice 1 results. Meanwhile, the Aprilia machines were making ground, with both Bezzecchi and Raúl Fernández moving up into second and third on the board.
Most riders returned to the garages a couple of minutes before the halfway point, with Jake Dixon, Ai Ogura, and Fernández remaining out.
Aprilia Lockout the Top 4 in the Final Minutes of the Session
The second half of the session began with a few more riders trickling in and out of the pit lane for final adjustments. M.Márquez appeared to communicate something to his team before briefly exiting the back of the garage, then returning. Pedro Acosta finally found pace after a less-than-stellar start to his weekend on Friday.
Di Giannantonio climbed back up to P2, but Diogo Moreira, with a fresh soft rear tyre, knocked the #49 rider down to P3. Several on the grid followed suit, including the group of riders who would be contending in the subsequent Q1 session.
With temperatures climbing, Bezzecchi, Fernández and Ogura pushed themselves into the Top 3. As Jorge Martín moved into P4, Aprilia completed a full lockout to finish MotoGP FP2 as the riders prepared for the rest of their Saturday.
Your Top 10 of the Session
P1: Marco Bezzecchi 1:51.571
P2: Raúl Fernández +0.113
P3: Ai Ogura +0.266
P4: Jorge Martín +0.412
P5: Marc Márquez +0.427
P6: Fermín Aldeguer +0.464
P7: Diogo Moreira +0.642
P8: Fabio Di Giannantonio +0.651
P9: Pedro Acosta +0.664
P10: Luca Marini +0.766