2022 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Free Practice (1) Results

Free Practice (1) results from the Qatar MotoGP at Lusail, the opening round of the 2022 world championship.
Brad Binder, Qatar MotoGP, 4 March 2022
Brad Binder, Qatar MotoGP, 4 March 2022
© Gold and Goose

A frantic end to opening practice for the 2022 MotoGP season-opener in Qatar finished with Brad Binder and KTM a surprise fastest.

Aleix Espargaro kept Aprilia on top of the timesheets ahead of Marc Marquez's Honda for much of the session, before Joan Mir took control.

Team-mate Alex Rins then became he only rider to put in new soft tyres to lead the session on a 1m 55.277s, but LCR Honda's Takaaki Nakagami and Binder (hard front, medium rear) soon vaulted ahead of the Spaniard. Pol Espargaro, also on a new rear tyre, snatched a late fourth to make it three Hondas in the top six.

Title runner-up Francesco Bagnaia, who like team-mate Jack Miller has chosen a 'hybrid' version of the GP22 engine featuring GP21 parts, fell at Turn 6 in the closing minutes.

Almost all riders began the session on hard tyres due to the afternoon heat, before the final push.

The lower bodywork on Darryn Binder's RNF Yamaha came lose at the start of the session, forcing him to be called back to the pits.

Fellow rookie Fabio di Giannantonio was the first faller of the season, with 15mins to go. The Gresini rider walked away unharmed.

As expected, all four Yamaha riders suffered in terms of top speed. The top 15 were covered by less than one-second.

Unlike in previous years, there has been no pre-season testing held at the circuit, meaning teams and riders go into the event without any track data since last year's Doha double.

The race start time has also been moved forwards, to 18:00, shortly after sunset. The opening MotoGP sessions of each day (FP1, FP3 and Warm-up), plus all of the Moto3 and Moto2 track action will thus take place in daylight.

This evening's FP2, in darkness, is thus expected to be the fastest of the three free practice sessions and decide the top ten riders for direct Qualifying 2 access on Saturday.

Yamaha took victory in both of last year's races courtesy of a win each for Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo.

Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Free Practice (1) Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)1'54.851s15/16347k
2Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+0.056s16/17351k
3Alex RinsSPASuzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)+0.127s16/17355k
4Pol EspargaroSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.275s17/17351k
5Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+0.286s17/18353k
6Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.443s17/18345k
7Joan MirSPASuzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)+0.520s13/16353k
8Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP)+0.527s5/16348k
9Alex MarquezSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+0.534s17/17350k
10Miguel OliveiraPORRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.619s16/17347k
11Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.749s17/18345k
12Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP22)+0.837s13/17353k
13Jack MillerAUSDucati Lenovo (GP22)+0.894s13/18353k
14Enea BastianiniITAGresini Ducati (GP21)+0.917s14/14353k
15Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP)+0.964s16/16348k
16Andrea DoviziosoITAWithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)+1.044s16/17344k
17Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP22)+1.109s4/12353k
18Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP22)+1.261s14/14348k
19Remy GardnerAUSKTM Tech3 (RC16)*+1.411s16/16347k
20Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+1.689s10/13348k
21Raul FernandezSPAKTM Tech3 (RC16)*+1.809s11/16352k
22Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP21)*+1.902s8/14351k
23Darryn BinderRSAWithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)*+2.496s13/16344k
24Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP21)*+2.579s14/14348k

Official Qatar MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 52.772s (2021)
Fastest race lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 54.491s (2021)

By Peter McLaren

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