11:36
Jake Dixon faces his first MotoGP qualifying session since 2021, and his first on a Honda.
Marc Marquez looks to set up title shot in Qatar sprint
© Gold and Goose
LIVE
Qatar MotoGP LIVE: Qualifying and sprint updates from Lusail
Live updates from qualifying and the sprint at the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Qualifying is underway
- Acosta and Aldeguer topped Q1
- Yamaha is not taking part due to security concerns
The 2026 MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix continues on Saturday 7 November with qualifying and sprint action, as Marc Marquez nears his first chance to win the title.
The factory Ducati rider will set up his match point in the 2026 title battle for Sunday in today's sprint, depending on where he finishes relative to Aprilia duo Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi.
To win the title this year, Marquez has to outscore Martin by 30 points and Bezzecchi by eight points.
And that won't be easy, as both Aprilia riders looked quick after Friday practice, while Marquez isn't the only Ducati up at the sharp end in the Lusail desert.
Fabio Di Giannantonio brushed aside a 30hp deficit on his VR46 Ducati to lead the Friday times with a new lap record over Marquez, while Pecco Bagnaia eased into Q2 in fourth.
Based on race running in Practice, Marquez is predicting a tough battle, with the Ducati rider admitting that winning the title this weekend is "still far".
Martin's physical condition has vastly improved two weeks on from fracturing his wrist in a crash at Phillip Island. He was seventh on the times on Friday, but is expected to take a step forward, while he reckons he's not far from the podium.
The big scalp on Friday afternoon was KTM's Pedro Acosta, who failed to make it into the top 10 and will go through Q1 in qualifying today.
2026 Qatar MotoGP Saturday schedule
FP2 - 11am GMT
Qualifying - 11:40am GMT
Sprint - 4pm GMT
07 Nov 2026
11:35
As always, the top two from this Q1 session will advance to Q2.
11:35
If this is the first time you've joined us this weekend, you may be wondering why there are only eight riders in Q1.
Yamaha withdrew both of its teams from the Qatar GP due to safety concerns about travelling to the region. Therefore, Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu's replacement, Augusto Fernandez, are absent.
11:33
Qatar MotoGP qualifying - Q1 group
Here are the riders going through Q1 in a few minutes' time.
| 11 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) |
| 12 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) |
| 13 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) |
| 14 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) |
| 15 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) |
| 16 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) |
| 17 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Pro Honda LCR (RC213V)* |
| 18 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) |
11:32
FP2 chequered flag
The chequered flag is out to bring FP2 to an end.
Bezzecchi is fastest on a 1m51.571s. The top 10 were:
- Bezzeccchi
- Fernandez
- Ogura
- Martin
- Marquez
- Aldeguer
- Moreira
- Di Giannantonio
- Acosta
- Marini
11:28
Marquez is on a fresh medium rear and goes third with a 1m51.998s. That's pretty encouraging given the riders ahead are on the soft.
11:27
A few riders have chucked in a fresh soft rear tyre for the final few minutes. Bezzecchi has used one to go fastest on a 1m51.571s.
11:22
Just under 10 minutes to go in FP2. Marquez still leads, but Pedro Acosta has jumped up to second.
That's encouraging, given his struggles yesterday.
11:21
Toto Wolff takes swipe at MotoGP riders ‘who know nothing’ over Qatar standoff
Toto Wolff was critical of how some MotoGP riders have handled the Qatar GP situation.
Toto Wolff takes swipe at MotoGP riders ‘who know nothing’ over Qatar standoff
Toto Wolff, Mercedes F1 team
© XPB Images
11:16
Just under 15 minutes to go in FP2. Marquez still leads with a 1m52.034s, while Bezzecchi is now 0.273s adrift in second.
11:10
Bezzecchi noted last night that he was keen to improve his race pace. However, on both tyres, the Aprilia rider looked incredibly strong.
11:10
After 10 minutes of running in FP2, Marquez leads Bezzecchi by 0.454s.
But they are differing on tyre strategy just now: Marquez is on the soft rear, Bezzecchi is on the medium.
11:08
This weekend is shaping up to be a battle between Bezzecchi and Marquez. TNT has done some interesting analysis on how they are riding in Qatar.
11:05
Ahead of qualifying and the sprint, catch up with everything we learned yesterday in practice ⬇️
MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix: What we learned after Friday practice
Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, Fabio Di'Giannantonio, Qatar MotoGP, 6 November…
© Gold and Goose
11:03
Pedro Acosta looks to be in a better mood today after struggling in Practice on Friday and missing the Q2 cut.
11:02
Conditions are pretty scorching for the upcoming qualifying.
Air temp is up at 35C currently. Though, that will cool off come the sprint when we race under the floodlights.
11:01
This FP2 session is the final opportunity for some meaningful set-up work before the real action begins.
The times in this session have no bearing on the qualifying groups, which were set last night after Practice.
11:00
MotoGP Qatar GP - Qualifying build-up
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix!
Qualifying is coming up in 40 minutes.
Pitlane has just opened for the start of the 30-minute FP2.