Fabio Di Giannantonio stole the spotlight in Friday’s Practice by setting an unprecedented lap record in Qatar, edging out championship match-point holder Marc Marquez in P2 and MotoGP title rival Marco Bezzecchi in P3.
Under the Lusail floodlights, the MotoGP grid pushed for a direct spot in Q2, with only the top 10 securing automatic entry. Leading the charge was Fabio Di Giannantonio, who claimed the top spot with a record-breaking 1:50.406, beating Marc Marquez’s previous all-time lap record by 0.093s on the track that saw him claim his maiden victory in 2023.
The championship leader slotted into second, just 0.142s adrift, despite suffering a broken chain on his machine and having to switch to his second bike mid-session. However, the Spaniard is bound to face fierce opposition this weekend, with title rival Marco Bezzecchi finishing right on his tail in third, only 0.126s off his time.
Francesco Bagnaia backed up his strong morning pace by taking fourth, ahead of Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez in fifth, further confirming Aprilia’s speed at the Qatar venue.
Enea Bastianini finished as the lead KTM in sixth, directly ahead of Jorge Martin. While the title contender slashed two seconds off his FP1 time, he remained a step off the ultimate pace in seventh.
Johann Zarco secured a vital Q2 slot in eighth, with Ai Ogura and Brad Binder rounding out the top 10 to take the final direct spots.
Fermin Aldeguer narrowly missed out on Q2 by just 0.038s in 11th, closely followed by Franco Morbidelli in 12th.
Luca Marini ended the session P13, ahead of a frustrated Pedro Acosta in 14th; after a technical issue halted his FP1 running, the KTM rider failed to join teammate Binder and Bastianini in the top 10. Maverick Vinales completed the top 15 at the Qatar GP’s Practice.
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