Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo topped the first day of the final pre-season MotoGP test in Qatar, whilst team-mate Valentino Rossi took a tumble, before eventually finishing third fastest.
The test took place under the Losail circuit floodlights – as will the season opener at the same circuit in late-March – with riders using the morning session to get to grips with the change of circuit, having previously tested at Phillip Island and Sepang before that.
It was Lorenzo who acclimatised quickest, topping the timing screens with a time of 1m55.452s, putting almost half a second clear of second-placed Maverick Vinales.
Third-placed Rossi was unhurt following his Turn 10 fall, but he quickly returned to the circuit, lapping within 0.014s of Vinales come the end of the session.
The Italian was one of six riders to fall alongside LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow, Avintia Ducati’s Loris Baz, Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat, Suzuki’s Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia’s Stefan Bradl.
Andrea Iannone was fourth quickest for Ducati ahead of Pramac’s Scott Redding and Hector Barbera.
| Pos | Rider | Team | Fastest lap | Gap | Laps | |
| 1 | LORENZO, Jorge | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | 1:55.452 | 23 / 36 | ||
| 2 | VIÑALES, Maverick | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1:55.880 | 0.428 | 28 / 44 | |
| 3 | ROSSI, Valentino | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | 1:55.894 | 0.442 | 31 / 33 | |
| 4 | IANNONE, Andrea | Ducati Team | 1:56.119 | 0.667 | 53 / 53 | |
| 5 | REDDING, Scott | Octo Pramac Yakhnich | 1:56.213 | 0.761 | 27 / 46 | |
| 6 | BARBERA, Hector | Avintia Racing | 1:56.320 | 0.868 | 27 / 27 | |
| 7 | DOVIZIOSO, Andrea | Ducati Team | 1:56.388 | 0.936 | 46 / 52 | |
| 8 | CRUTCHLOW, Cal | LCR Honda | 1:56.510 | 1.058 | 21 / 36 | |
| 9 | SMITH, Bradley | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 1:56.517 | 1.065 | 23 / 38 | |
| 10 | MARQUEZ, Marc | Repsol Honda Team | 1:56.523 | 1.071 | 29 / 45 | |
| 11 | ESPARGARO, Aleix | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1:56.552 | 1.100 | 25 / 35 | |
| 12 | ESPARGARO, Pol | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 1:56.747 | 1.295 | 34 / 43 | |
| 13 | PEDROSA, Dani | Repsol Honda Team | 1:56.910 | 1.458 | 26 / 27 | |
| 14 | HERNANDEZ, Yonny | Aspar MotoGP Team | 1:57.021 | 1.569 | 39 / 40 | |
| 15 | BAZ, Loris | Avintia Racing | 1:57.121 | 1.669 | 31 / 32 | |
| 16 | MILLER, Jack | EG 0.0 Marc VDS | 1:57.850 | 2.398 | 33 / 37 | |
| 17 | PIRRO, Michele | Octo Pramac Yakhnich | 1:57.891 | 2.439 | 48 / 50 | |
| 18 | RABAT, Tito | EG 0.0 Marc VDS | 1:58.016 | 2.564 | 36 / 38 | |
| 19 | BRADL, Stefan | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1:58.066 | 2.614 | 14 / 26 | |
| 20 | LAVERTY, Eugene | Aspar MotoGP Team | 1:58.269 | 2.817 | 32 / 34 | |
| 21 | AOYAMA, Hiroshi | HRC Test Team | 1:58.744 | 3.292 | 28 / 52 | |
| 22 | BAUTISTA, Alvaro | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1:58.753 | 3.301 | 16 / 16 | |
| 23 | TSUDA, Takuya | Suzuki Test Team | 2:00.578 | 5.126 | 35 / 45 |
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