News Summary
- Marc Márquez led Qatar Grand Prix FP1 with a 1:52.278, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
- Jorge Martín finished fifth on his return from a fractured right wrist, behind Pedro Acosta.
- Eighteen riders took part with both Yamaha teams absent. Friday evening’s Practice session determines the 10 riders who go directly into Q2.
Marc Márquez went fastest in the opening practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday, November 6, beating Marco Bezzecchi with a late 1:52.278 at Lusail. Fabio Di Giannantonio was third for VR46 Ducati, followed by KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Aprilia’s Jorge Martín, who was back on track after a medical review earlier in the day.
Márquez set the first benchmark of the session with a 1:52.768, before Bezzecchi went ahead with a 1:52.655. The Aprilia rider was still on top when the field returned to the track for the second half of the 45-minute session. Márquez reclaimed first with a 1:52.379 and Bezzecchi got to within 0.014 seconds at that stage. Márquez then took another 0.101 seconds off his own time in the closing minutes to finish on top.
Di Giannantonio and Acosta moved into third and fourth in the final runs, leaving Martín fifth after he had spent part of the session in the top three. Diogo Moreira ran inside the top 10 earlier in FP1 and finished 16th on a 1:54.069 for LCR Honda.
Martín back on track as Yamaha sits out Lusail
Martín received medical clearance for FP1 after fracturing the lower end of his right radius at Phillip Island. He had attempted to return at Sepang last weekend but withdrew before qualifying when he found he lacked the strength to continue. His participation beyond the opening session in Qatar remained subject to reassessment.
The field was down to 18 riders after Yamaha withdrew its factory and Pramac teams under the manufacturer’s travel restrictions. Fabio Quartararo, Álex Rins, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernández are all absent. Gresini has Iker Lecuona in place of Álex Márquez, while Jake Dixon is replacing Joan Mir at Honda. Dixon fell at Turn 15 early in FP1 and returned to the track on his second bike. Brad Binder also fell, at Turn 7.
Qatar MotoGP 2026 — FP1 results
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M MÁRQUEZ | Ducati | 1:52.278 | — |
| 2 | M BEZZECCHI | Aprilia | 1:52.388 | +0.110 |
| 3 | F DI GIANNANTONIO | VR46 Ducati | 1:52.691 | +0.413 |
| 4 | P ACOSTA | KTM | 1:52.955 | +0.677 |
| 5 | J MARTÍN | Aprilia | 1:53.012 | +0.734 |
| 6 | F BAGNAIA | Ducati | 1:53.071 | +0.793 |
| 7 | R FERNÁNDEZ | Trackhouse Aprilia | 1:53.189 | +0.911 |
| 8 | L MARINI | Honda | 1:53.230 | +0.952 |
| 9 | F MORBIDELLI | VR46 Ducati | 1:53.306 | +1.028 |
| 10 | J ZARCO | LCR Honda | 1:53.362 | +1.084 |
| 11 | A OGURA | Trackhouse Aprilia | 1:53.541 | +1.263 |
| 12 | F ALDEGUER | Gresini Ducati | 1:53.617 | +1.339 |
| 13 | B BINDER | KTM | 1:53.631 | +1.353 |
| 14 | I LECUONA | Gresini Ducati | 1:53.710 | +1.432 |
| 15 | M VIÑALES | Tech3 KTM | 1:53.725 | +1.447 |
| 16 | D MOREIRA | LCR Honda | 1:54.069 | +1.791 |
| 17 | E BASTIANINI | Tech3 KTM | 1:54.243 | +1.965 |
| 18 | J DIXON | Honda | 1:55.426 | +3.148 |
Friday evening Practice sets the Q2 field
Márquez arrived at Lusail 44 points ahead of Martín and 67 clear of Bezzecchi. Sunday is his first opportunity to clinch an eighth premier-class title. He needs to outscore Martín by at least 30 points across the sprint and Grand Prix and gain enough on Bezzecchi to end both Aprilia riders’ title chances.
The next session is Friday evening’s timed Practice, which starts at 19:00 in Qatar, 16:00 GMT, 11:00 Eastern and 21:30 IST. The 10 fastest riders in that session go straight to Saturday’s Q2.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Qatar Grand Prix in MotoGP.
