MotoGP News: Raul Fernandez tops Friday practice in Qatar
Floodlights were all switched back on as the MotoGP World Championship returned to Lusail, starting the penultimate weekend of the year.
As is often the case at the Qatar GP, the first part of the ‘day’ saw riders go steadily faster as the condition of the track improved with more running. Yellow flags at the end of the night would see last-minute changes to the overall top ten.
Raul Fernandez enjoyed a dream Friday Practice session as he not only bagged himself a spot in Q2 but was the fastest of the bunch as his 1:52.892 saw him snatch top honors by just 0.049s. It was a day for the youngsters as Fabio Di Giannantonio was the closest contender to the Spaniard. The Italian looked strong from the off and took P2 ahead of Maverick Viñales who despite setting the fastest lap of the session, was denied the top spot after his lap was cancelled following a yellow flag.
With the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar serving as the penultimate round of the season, it’s game on in the Championship fight as just 14 points split Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. It’s even closer out on the circuit as the duo were locked together with just 0.007s between Martin in 7th and Bagnaia in 8th.
Friday Practice Results
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FERNANDEZ Raul | 25 | SPA | RNF MotoGP Team | Aprilia | 1’52.843 |
| 2 | DI GIANNANTONIO Fabio | 49 | ITA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.049 |
| 3 | VINALES Maverick | 12 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.093 |
| 4 | BINDER Brad | 33 | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.112 |
| 5 | ESPARGARO Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.190 |
| 6 | MARINI Luca | 10 | ITA | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.251 |
| 7 | MARTIN Jorge | 89 | SPA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 0.352 |
| 8 | BAGNAIA Francesco | 1 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.359 |
| 9 | FERNANDEZ Augusto | 37 | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing | KTM | 0.446 |
| 10 | MARQUEZ Marc | 93 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 0.480 |
| 11 | MILLER Jack | 43 | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.494 |
| 12 | MARQUEZ Alex | 73 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.718 |
| 13 | MORBIDELLI Franco | 21 | ITA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.721 |
| 14 | ESPARGARO Pol | 44 | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing | KTM | 0.853 |
| 15 | BEZZECCHI Marco | 72 | ITA | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.861 |
| 16 | ZARCO Johann | 5 | FRA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 0.935 |
| 17 | MIR Joan | 36 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1.078 |
| 18 | BASTIANINI Enea | 23 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 1.094 |
| 19 | OLIVEIRA Miguel | 88 | POR | RNF MotoGP Team | Aprilia | 1.162 |
| 20 | LECUONA Iker | 27 | SPA | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.411 |
| 21 | QUARTARARO Fabio | 20 | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1.417 |
| 22 | NAKAGAMI Takaaki | 30 | JPN | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.598 |