2024 Official Qatar MotoGP Test results - Day 2

2024 MotoGP pre-season testing concluded with reigning double champion Francesco Bagnaia fastest, courtesy of a new unofficial lap record at the Qatar test.

The Italian, who also topped the previous Sepang outing, led a factory Ducati one-two with team-mate Enea Bastianini 0.120s behind.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro was best of the rest, despite a fall in the final hour.

Marc Marquez was the top satellite rider in fourth place, having briefly topped this evening’s timesheet.

The new Gresini Ducati rider was also reported as crashing at Turn 4 in the closing stages, meaning it was his first fall from a Desmosedici after almost six full days on the bike.

Despite nursing fractures from his Sepang highside, Raul Fernandez bounced back strongly with fifth on the 2023-spec Trackhouse RS-GP.

Espargaro’s team-mate Maverick Vinales made it three Aprilias in the top six, followed by the Ducatis of Jorge Martin (Pramac) and last November's race winner Fabio di Giannantonio (VR46).

KTM's Brad Binder made a late rise to ninth, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, with team-mate Jack Miller in eleventh. Miguel Oliveira appeared to make progress on his turning issues with the 2024 RS-GP for 12th.

Alex Marquez was the final rider within one second of Bagnaia, followed by the lead Yamaha of Fabio Quartararo in 14th. The Frenchman warned after day one that Yamaha is still a long way from solving its rear grip issues during a time attack.

A late lap from Johann Zarco saw the LCR rider again finish as the top Honda, albeit only 17th, with team-mate Takaaki Nakagami also leapfrogging ahead of the Repsol machines of Joan Mir and Luca Marini. Zarco and Mir both fell in the final minutes while trying to improve.

Bagnaia was also one of the fastest over a longer run on Tuesday - only Aleix Espargaro was quicker - although they both only did 7 laps. Binder was the quickest over a full 22-lap Grand Prix distance, with Vinales a close match for the KTM over a slightly shorter 17 laps.

Rookie Acosta was around half-a-second per lap slower than Binder over a full distance, once his slow laps (losing several seconds, presumably due to a mistake) were discounted.

Average lap time during longer runs, Qatar Test - Day 2

• Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 1m 52.106s (7 laps)
• Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 1m 52.430s (7 laps)
• Fabio di Giannantonio (Ducati) 1m 52.533s (11 laps)
• Enea Bastianini (Ducati) 1m 52.541s (10 laps)
• Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati) 1m 52.951s (9 laps)
• Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) 1m 53.042s (10 laps)
• Brad Binder (KTM) 1m 53.224s (22 laps)
• Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) 1m 53.322s (17 laps)
• Takaaki Nakagami (Honda) 1m 53.544s (14 laps)
• Jack Miller (KTM) 1m 53.614s (8 laps)
• Alex Marquez (Ducati) 1m 53.693s (18 laps)
• Pedro Acosta (KTM) 1m 53.710s (18 laps*)
• Luca Marini (Honda) 1m 53.840s (14 laps)
• Johann Zarco (Honda) 1m 53.876s (10 laps)
• Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia) 1m 54.005s (10 laps)
• Augusto Fernandez (KTM) 1m 54.076 (13 laps*)

*Slow laps removed

di Giannantonio’s race-winning average lap time at Qatar 2023: 1m 53.667s

Bagnaia topped the speed chart at 351.7km/h and had the highest (top 5) average of 346.7km/h.

However, the Yamahas were again impressive with Alex Rins setting the next best one-off speed of 348.3km/h and team-mate Quartararo the next best average of 346.3km/h.

Testing took place from 2-9pm but only got 'serious' once dusk arrived at around 6pm. The season-opening March 9 Sprint race will start at 7pm and the MotoGP race at 8pm the following day.

New Pramac Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli remained sidelined by last month’s Superbike training accident, but was present in the pits.

Fastest Day 1 Time:

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) 1m 52.040s

Official Qatar MotoGP records

Best lap: Luca Marini (VR46 Ducati) 1m 51.762s (2023)

Fastest race lap: Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo) 1m 52.978s (2023)