2026 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Saturday Practice Results
Saturday practice results from the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at Lusail, round 20 of 22.
Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia returned to the top of the timesheets during final practice for the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at Lusail.
The session saw a split in tyre choice, with the leading Ducati, KTM and Honda riders starting on the soft rear, while the Aprilias began on the medium.
Ducati title leader Marc Marquez was fastest for much of the session on the soft, before switching to a medium.
Aprilia moved in the other direction, Marco Bezzecchi slipping to sixth on the medium before fitting a soft rear and blasting to the top.
Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura then slotted into second and third, with Marquez's closest title rival Jorge Martin completing a perfect RS-GP top four sweep on the soft.
Tyres:
The top nine riders used medium tyres front and rear in both of last year’s races. However, Michelin are confident the soft rear is also a viable choice for this afternoon’s Sprint.
Qualifying 1:
Qualifying 1, for those outside the top ten on Friday, including KTM’s 2026 Sprint and Grand Prix winner Pedro Acosta, will now begin.
2026 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Saturday Free Practice Results | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff |
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | 1'51.571s |
| 2 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.113s |
| 3 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.321s |
| 4 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.412s |
| 5 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.427s |
| 6 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) | +0.464s |
| 7 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Pro Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +0.642s |
| 8 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) | +0.651s |
| 9 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.664s |
| 10 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.766s |
| 11 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.915s |
| 12 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.939s |
| 13 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.009s |
| 14 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +1.299s |
| 15 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.404s |
| 16 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.797s |
| 17 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +1.825s |
| 18 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +2.264s |
* Rookie
Official Qatar MotoGP Records:
- Best lap: Fabio di Giannantonio, Ducati, 1m 50.406s (2026)
- Fastest race lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 52.561s (2025)
Marc Marquez title chance
Marc Marquez has his first chance to wrap-up the 2026 MotoGP title this weekend in Qatar
The factory Ducati star needs to outscore Jorge Martin by 30 points and Marco Bezzecchi by eight points (seven points if he wins the grand prix) to claim a tenth world crown before the season-ending rounds in Portimao and Valencia.
With 25 points for a grand prix win, Marquez needs to outscore Martin by at least five points in today's Sprint to set up a Sunday title chance. Otherwise, the championship battle will roll on to Portimao.
Yamaha out
Yamaha will not be participating in this weekend’s Qatar MotoGP due to ‘existing company-wide travel restrictions’.
The decision means Fabio Quartararo and factory Monster team-mate Alex Rins, plus Pramac riders Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez (replacing the injured Toprak Razgatlioglu) will all be missing from round 20 of the season.
A statement issued last Sunday evening at Sepang said that the decision ‘reflects Yamaha’s assessment of the information currently available and is independent of the measures implemented by MotoGP Group and the event organizer.’
Yamaha added that it ‘remains fully committed to MotoGP and looks forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix’.
Jake Dixon gets Honda MotoGP debut
The four Yamaha riders are not the only competitors who will miss the Qatar Grand Prix.
Gresini’s Alex Marquez is absent due to recent surgery, while HRC’s Joan Mir is again sidelined by fatigue-related vision issues. Marquez is replaced by Iker Lecuona and Mir by Honda WorldSBK rider Jake Dixon.
Dixon previously made a pair of MotoGP starts for Petronas Yamaha SRT in 2021, during his Moto2 career.
Back in action
Aprilia riders Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez, who withdrew from Sepang due to injuries, plus Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer, who broke his hand at Mandalika, are back on track for MotoGP’s only night race.
Tags:
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.
