Friday MotoGP
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) topped Friday evening’s MotoGP Practice session at Lusail International Circuit, setting a new lap record of 1:50.406 to lead the field into Saturday’s Sprint. The Italian finished 0.142 seconds clear of Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) third.
Di Giannantonio steadily worked his way up the order before delivering his record-setting lap in the closing stages. Marquez had earlier taken over at the top with a 1:50.925, recovering from a chain failure that forced him to return to pit lane with just under 30 minutes remaining. The issue briefly interrupted his session, but the reigning World Champion was back on track with 18 minutes to go and ultimately secured second.
Bezzecchi led a strong showing for Aprilia, while teammate Jorge Martin made an encouraging return after missing much of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Martin finished seventh and secured direct entry into Q2. Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura also made the top 10, finishing fifth and ninth, respectively.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was fourth, ahead of Fernandez and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) completed the top eight, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounding out the top 10.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was among the notable riders facing Q1, finishing 14th. He was joined outside the top 10 by Fermin Aldeguer in 11th and Franco Morbidelli in 12th. Maverick Viñales suffered a technical problem and ended the session 15th.
With less than two seconds covering the entire field, Saturday’s qualifying promises a close contest at Lusail.
2026 Qatar MotoGP Results—Friday MotoGP
| 1 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) | 1’50.406s |
| 2 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.142s |
| 3 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.260s |
| 4 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.386s |
| 5 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.608s |
| 6 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.618s |
| 7 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.635s |
| 8 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.895s |
| 9 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.912s |
| 10 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.003s |
Friday Moto3
Moto3 World Champion Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) ended Friday on top at Lusail International Circuit, leading both practice sessions to secure the fastest time under the lights with a 2:03.172. The Spaniard’s day was not without drama, however, as he suffered a heavy highside late in the afternoon’s opening session before returning to take control in the evening.
Quiles held a 0.2-second advantage over David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), with Almansa’s teammate David Muñoz just 0.071 seconds further back in third. Muñoz also crashed during FP1 but recovered to finish among the leading group.
Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) continued the form he showed at his home Malaysian Grand Prix, finishing fourth, ahead of Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia). Pratama, however, faces a six-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race after failing to respect yellow flags during FP1, his second such offence of the 2026 season
Ryusei Yamanaka (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI), the 2025 Lusail pole-sitter, finished 14th to claim the final direct Q2 position.
Among those facing Q1 are Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in 15th and teammate Brian Uriarte in 21st. Adrian Cruces, Ruche Moodley and Guido Pini will also need to progress through Saturday’s opening qualifying session.
2026 Qatar MotoGP Results—Friday Moto3
| 1 | Maximo Quiles | SPA | CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team (KTM) | 2′ 03.172s |
| 2 | David Almansa | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.200s |
| 3 | David Munoz | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.271s |
| 4 | Hakim Danish | MAL | AEON Credit- MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.328s |
| 5 | Veda Pratama | INA | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +0.389s |
| 6 | Rico Salmela | FIN | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +0.440s |
| 7 | Joel Kelso | AUS | GRYD Racing (Honda) | +0.577s |
| 8 | Adrian Fernandez | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +0.753s |
| 9 | Eddie O’Shea | GBR | GRYD – Racing (Honda) | +0.858s |
| 10 | Joel Esteban | SPA | LEVEL UP – MTA (KTM) | +0.874s |
