2026 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Warm-up Results
Warm-up results from the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at Lusail, round 20 of 22.
Fabio di Giannantonio leads warm-up for the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at Lusail.
After title leader Marc Marquez won the Sprint on the soft rear tyre, most riders ran the medium rear for warm-up, the expected choice for this evening’s 22-lap grand prix.
However, warm-up was led by Sprint runner-up di Giannantonio on the soft rear with Bezzecchi, dominant on the medium tyre earlier in the weekend, half a second behind.
As at Sepang last weekend, Marquez made a late start to warm-up, with title rival Jorge Martin also skipping the opening minutes of the session.
Marquez finished fifth on a medium rear - behind the KTM's of Enea Bastianini and Pedro Acosta on the soft - with the injured Martin in tenth, the Aprilia rider saving a scare in the final minute.
Jake Dixon failed to set a lap time after a technical issue, with fellow Honda rider Diogo Moreira pulling off with smoke billowing from his RC213V.
Marc Marquez title chance
Marc Marquez has his first chance to wrap up the 2026 MotoGP title in Qatar this evening.
However, the factory Ducati star must win the Grand Prix and his nearest rival, Jorge Martin, must fail to score a point.
A Marquez victory would also end Marco Bezzecchi's fading title hopes.
The Italian, who fell after clashing with Marquez in the Sprint, needs to beat the Ducati rider by five points to stay in mathematical contention, with Portimao and Valencia still to go.
Tonight's Qatar Grand Prix starts at 7pm local time (4pm UK)...
2026 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Warm-up Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP26) | 1'52.281s | 5/6 | 345k |
| 2 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.505s | 4/6 | 356k |
| 3 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.523s | 3/6 | 353k |
| 4 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.578s | 5/6 | 348k |
| 5 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.614s | 3/4 | 347k |
| 6 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP25) | +0.696s | 4/6 | 345k |
| 7 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.753s | 4/5 | 346k |
| 8 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.781s | 5/6 | 353k |
| 9 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +0.799s | 5/6 | 352k |
| 10 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.935s | 3/4 | 347k |
| 11 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.030s | 4/6 | 355k |
| 12 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +1.073s | 3/5 | 348k |
| 13 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +1.305s | 4/5 | 344k |
| 14 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Pro Honda LCR (RC213V)* | +1.398s | 3/4 | 347k |
| 15 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +1.543s | 4/5 | 345k |
| 16 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +1.733s | 5/5 | 345k |
| 17 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | No Time | 0/0 | 0k |
* Rookie
Official Qatar MotoGP Records:
- Best lap: Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia, 1m 50.028s (2026)
- Fastest race lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 52.561s (2025)
Yamaha out, Bagnaia injured
Yamaha are 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) are all missing from round 20 of the season.
Sunday's grid line-up will be reduced to just 17 riders after Francesco Bagnaia suffered foot fractures when taken out by Fermin Aldeguer on the opening lap of the Sprint race.
Jake Dixon gets Honda MotoGP debut
Gresini’s Alex Marquez is also 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.
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.
