2024 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Full Qualifying Results
Full Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Qatar MotoGP at Lusail, round 1 (of 21) in the 2024 world championship.
| Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Full Qualifying Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | 1'50.789s | 2/6 | 347k |
| 2 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +0.083s | 5/6 | 343k |
| 3 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | +0.086s | 6/7 | 345k |
| 4 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.124s | 5/5 | 350k |
| 5 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | +0.139s | 5/7 | 344k |
| 6 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +0.172s | 5/6 | 346k |
| 7 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +0.230s | 2/7 | 346k |
| 8 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16)* | +0.341s | 6/7 | 352k |
| 9 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +0.477s | 5/6 | 343k |
| 10 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +0.517s | 5/6 | 344k |
| 11 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.551s | 2/6 | 348k |
| 12 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP23) | +0.732s | 2/4 | 346k |
| Qualifying 1: | ||||||
| 13 | Johann Zarco | FRA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | 1'51.537s | 5/6 | 344k |
| 14 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) | 1'51.565s | 5/6 | 345k |
| 15 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | 1'51.864s | 3/7 | 345k |
| 16 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1'51.918s | 6/6 | 348k |
| 17 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 1'52.026s | 2/5 | 345k |
| 18 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) | 1'52.204s | 6/6 | 347k |
| 19 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | 1'52.228s | 6/7 | 345k |
| 20 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | 1'52.327s | 2/4 | 345k |
| 21 | Luca Marini | ITA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 1'52.952s | 5/6 | 344k |
| 22 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | 1'52.98s | 2/6 | 344k |
*Rookie.
Fastest 2024 Qatar Test lap
Feb 20th: Francesco Bagnaia 1m 50.952s (Day 2/2)
Official Lusail MotoGP records
Best lap: Luca Marini 1m 51.762s (2023)
Fastest race lap: Enea Bastianini 1m 52.978s (2023)
Reigning title runner-up Jorge Martin romps to pole position for the 2024 Qatar MotoGP season opener with a new Lusail lap record.
But Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro and KTM's Brad Binder broke what had been Ducati dominance by snatching second and fourth places, either side of Enea Bastianini, who completes the front row.
Marc Marquez will start his first races for Gresini Ducati just behind reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, in sixth.
Fabio di Giannantonio, impressive rookie Pedro Acosta and practice leader Alex Marquez will form row three followed by Maverick Vinales, Jack Miller and Raul Fernandez. Fernandez and Brad Binder fell in the closing stages of Q2.
Fernandez and Miller progressed through Qualifying 1 at the expense of nearest rivals Johann Zarco, Miguel Oliveira and Marco Bezzecchi.
Joan Mir, 17th, fell in Q1 while Alex Rins, Luca Marini and Franco Morbidelli will fill the final grid places for this evening's Sprint and Sunday's Grand Prix race.
The 11-lap Sprint starts at 7pm local time tonight.
Franco Morbidelli is riding for the first time since Valencia last November. The new Pramac Ducati rider missed both pre-season tests as a precaution after being knocked unconscious in a January training accident.
Miguel Oliveira will have a long lap penalty to serve on Sunday, carried over from last November’s Qatar event, the Portuguese having missed the 2023 Valencia finale due to injury.
Revised tyre pressure rules for 2024 mean riders must now stay above a lower front minimum of 1.8 bar (instead of 1.88) for 60% (instead of 50%) of a Grand Prix distance, or 30% of a Sprint.
The penalty for failing to meet this minimum in a Grand Prix will be a 16-second post-race time penalty, or an 8-second penalty for a Sprint/short race.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
