2026 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Friday Practice Results
Friday practice results from the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at Lusail, round 20 of 22.
Marc Marquez begins his title chance weekend on top of the timesheets during opening practice for the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at a dusty Lusail.
The Ducati star edged out the Aprilia of Marco Bezzecchi with VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio and KTM’s Pedro Acosta (who suffered a late technical issue) the only other riders in the 1m 52s.
Diggia used a new front tyre towards the end of the session, the other frontrunners remained on older rubber. Marquez and Acosta kept the same set throughout, while Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin switched from a soft to medium front tyre.
Injured title contender Martin - who abandoned a return last weekend at Sepang - looked much more comfortable in FP1, briefly featured in third, before being bumped to fifth place.
Jake Dixon crash
Jake Dixon, making his HRC debut in place of Joan Mir, suffered an eventful MotoGP return.
The former Moto2 title contender, riding in his first MotoGP session since a pair of Petronas Yamaha appearances in 2021, suffered a big tank slapper in the opening minutes, regained control, then fell a few corners later.
The Englishman, who now races for HRC in WorldSBK, returned to finish the session 18th and last on the depleted timesheets. KTM's Brad Binder was the other FP1 faller.
Tyres
Most riders used the medium rear tyre, as used by the frontrunners in both of last year’s races, combined with the medium front expected for the grand prix.
This evening’s Practice, to be held under floodlights, starts at 7pm local time (4pm UK).
2026 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Free Practice (1) Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | 1'52.278s | 15/16 | 354k |
| 2 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.110s | 16/16 | 353k |
| 3 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) | +0.413s | 16/16 | 352k |
| 4 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.677s | 14/15 | 351k |
| 5 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.734s | 15/15 | 350k |
| 6 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.793s | 8/15 | 352k |
| 7 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.911s | 14/14 | 348k |
| 8 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.952s | 15/16 | 355k |
| 9 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +1.028s | 15/15 | 347k |
| 10 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +1.084s | 15/15 | 350k |
| 11 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +1.263s | 15/15 | 346k |
| 12 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) | +1.339s | 13/14 | 348k |
| 13 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.353s | 14/14 | 352k |
| 14 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +1.432s | 15/16 | 350k |
| 15 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.447s | 17/17 | 346k |
| 16 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Pro Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +1.791s | 6/15 | 351k |
| 17 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.965s | 6/14 | 350k |
| 18 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +3.148s | 13/13 | 345k |
* Rookie
Official Qatar MotoGP Records:
- Best lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 50.499s (2024)
- 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.
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.
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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.
