Qatar MotoGP, Lusail International Circuit - Warm-up Results
Debut front row qualifier Enea Bastianini underlined his potential for this evening's 2022 MotoGP season-opener in Qatar by leading warm-up at Lusail.
The Gresini GP21 rider, starting second behind Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin (GP22), used a soft front and medium rear to lap 0.0.96s clear of Martin's team-mate Johann Zarco.
Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, KTM's Miguel Oliveira, Yamaha's reigning champion Fabio Quartararo - who has qualified just eleventh - and Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia completed the top six covered by 0.363s.
Marc Marquez and Bagnaia spent several laps together, each following the other as they sized up their relative strengths.
But Marquez, who will start from third, then lost the front of his Repsol Honda and fell at turn 10 (his first fall of the weekend) while chasing the Ducati rider.
Marquez's team-mate Pol Espargaro then produced a big save when he lost the front at turn six, while Raul Fernandez also lost the front of his Tech3 KTM and fell at turn 4 while chasing a group of riders ahead. Fellow rookie Fabio di Giannantonio dropped his Gresini Ducati at turn one.
Many riders face a difficult choice between soft or medium tyres for this evening's night race, but this afternoon's warm-up took place in much hotter conditions, prompting some to use hard front tyres in combination with a soft or medium rear.
Unlike in previous years, there has been no pre-season testing at the circuit, meaning teams and riders came into the event without any track data since last year's Doha double.
The race start time has also been moved forwards, to 18:00, shortly after sunset.
Yamaha took victory in both of last year's races courtesy of a win each for Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo.
| Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Warm-up Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max (km/h) |
| 1 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP21) | 1'54.519s | 4/10 | 351k |
| 2 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP22) | +0.096s | 10/11 | 353k |
| 3 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) | +0.236s | 8/10 | 353k |
| 4 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.247s | 4/10 | 345k |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.262s | 3/10 | 343k |
| 6 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP22) | +0.363s | 7/10 | 348k |
| 7 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP22) | +0.378s | 3/9 | 351k |
| 8 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.409s | 6/10 | 343k |
| 9 | Alex Rins | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.421s | 6/10 | 350k |
| 10 | Joan Mir | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +0.473s | 4/11 | 353k |
| 11 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.549s | 6/10 | 346k |
| 12 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.688s | 8/10 | 350k |
| 13 | Alex Marquez | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.785s | 5/11 | 350k |
| 14 | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Lenovo (GP22) | +0.794s | 7/10 | 348k |
| 15 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) | +0.847s | 4/9 | 351k |
| 16 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +0.860s | 6/9 | 346k |
| 17 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | KTM Tech3 (RC16)* | +0.889s | 5/6 | 344k |
| 18 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP21)* | +0.902s | 2/10 | 353k |
| 19 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP21)* | +0.949s | 9/9 | 348k |
| 20 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.995s | 9/10 | 345k |
| 21 | Luca Marini | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +1.060s | 8/10 | 346k |
| 22 | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1) | +1.143s | 10/10 | 344k |
| 23 | Remy Gardner | AUS | KTM Tech3 (RC16)* | +1.361s | 8/9 | 346k |
| 24 | Darryn Binder | RSA | WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)* | +2.192s | 6/10 | 346k |
* Rookie
Pole position time:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 1m 53.011s
Official Qatar MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 52.772s (2021)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 54.491s (2021)
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.
