Former Qatar MotoGP winner Fabio di Giannantonio outshines title leader Marc Marquez as the Ducati duo lead Friday practice at Lusail.

Marco Bezzecchi had put Aprilia on top in race trim and later time attack mode, but couldn’t match Diggia’s new lap record.

Marc Marquez then split the Italians, on a night when team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was back on form in fourth.

Bezzecchi’s injured team-mate and Marc Marquez’s main title contender, Jorge Martin, secured a top ten place for direct Qualifying 2 access. However, KTM’s Sepang Sprint winner Pedro Acosta will need to take part in Saturday’s Qualifying 1.

Marc Marquez broken chain

FP1 leader Marc Marquez – who can win the title if he outscores Martin by 30 points and Bezzecchi by 8 points this weekend – had to be pushed back to the pits in the middle stages when the chain broke on his Ducati.

However, Marquez responded in style, moving straight to the top after returning with new tyres, while team-mate Bagnaia slotted into second ahead of the final runs.

Race pace

Bezzecchi made a scorching start to the evening session, pulling 0.6s clear of the factory Ducatis of Bagnaia and Marquez on medium rubber.

The appearance of the soft rear – a possible choice for the Sprint – then shuffled the order, with di Giannantonio moving to the top ahead of the Aprilias of Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura, before Marquez and Bagnaia attacked.

Dixon progress

After his FP1 mishap, HRC replacement rider Jake Dixon improved his lap time by over two seconds this evening and was a close match for LCR’s Diogo Moreira.

The Englishman had sent sparks flying early in the hour when he cornered with his ride-height device still down.

^X Rider has improved X positions from FP1.
= Rider has the same position as FP1.
˅X Rider has dropped X positions from FP1.
* Rookie

Official Qatar MotoGP Records:

• Best lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 50.499s (2024)
• Fastest race lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 52.561s (2025)

Free Practice 1:

Marc Marquez begins his title chance weekend on top of the timesheets during opening practice for the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at a dusty Lusail.

The Ducati star edged out the Aprilia of Marco Bezzecchi with VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio and KTM’s Pedro Acosta (who suffered a late technical issue) the only other riders in the 1m 52s. 

Diggia used a new front tyre towards the end of the session, the other frontrunners remained on older rubber. Marquez and Acosta kept the same set throughout, while Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin switched from a soft to medium front tyre.

Injured title contender Martin – who abandoned a return last weekend at Sepang – looked much more comfortable in FP1, briefly featured in third, before being bumped to fifth place.

Jake Dixon crash

Jake Dixon, making his HRC debut in place of Joan Mir, suffered an eventful MotoGP return.

The former Moto2 title contender, riding in his first MotoGP session since a pair of Petronas Yamaha appearances in 2021, suffered a big tank slapper in the opening minutes, regained control, then fell a few corners later.

The Englishman, who now races for HRC in WorldSBK, returned to finish the session 18th and last on the depleted timesheets. KTM’s Brad Binder was the other FP1 faller.

Tyres

Most riders used the medium rear tyre, as used by the frontrunners in both of last year’s races, combined with the medium front expected for the grand prix.

This evening’s Practice, to be held under floodlights, starts at 7pm local time (4pm UK).

* Rookie

Official Qatar MotoGP Records:

• Best lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 50.499s (2024)
• Fastest race lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 52.561s (2025)

Marc Marquez title chance

Marc Marquez has his first chance to wrap-up the 2026 MotoGP title this weekend in Qatar

The factory Ducati star needs to outscore Jorge Martin by 30 points and Marco Bezzecchi by eight points (seven points if he wins the grand prix) to claim a tenth world crown before the season-ending rounds in Portimao and Valencia.

Yamaha out

Yamaha will not be participating in this weekend’s Qatar MotoGP due to ‘existing company-wide travel restrictions’.

The decision means Fabio Quartararo and factory Monster team-mate Alex Rins, plus Pramac riders Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez (replacing the injured Toprak Razgatlioglu) will all be missing from round 20 of the season.

A statement issued last Sunday evening at Sepang said that the decision ‘reflects Yamaha’s assessment of the information currently available and is independent of the measures implemented by MotoGP Group and the event organizer.’

Yamaha added that it ‘remains fully committed to MotoGP and looks forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix’.

Jake Dixon gets Honda MotoGP debut

The four Yamaha riders are not the only competitors who will miss the Qatar Grand Prix.

Gresini’s Alex Marquez is absent due to recent surgery, while HRC’s Joan Mir is again sidelined by fatigue-related vision issues. Marquez is replaced by Iker Lecuona and Mir by Honda WorldSBK rider Jake Dixon.

Dixon previously made a pair of MotoGP starts for Petronas Yamaha SRT in 2021, during his Moto2 career.

Back in action

Aprilia riders Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez, who withdrew from Sepang due to injuries, plus Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer, who broke his hand at Mandalika, are back on track for MotoGP’s only night race.