MotoGP 2024
Round One – Lusail, Qatar
Riders recap Sprint Race
Jorge Martin – P1
“It was a nice race, a nice Saturday for starting the season. I am pretty happy for sure we have a lot of work to do for tomorrow because I had some issues during the race that we need to sort for tomorrow, because tomorrow is a really longer race but yeah for today I’m pretty happy hopefully I improve for tomorrow. As soon as we get that problem I can be much faster but for the moment it is what it is so let’s try to take you know the maximum out of this situation.”
Brad Binder – P2
“Today was great. It is always awesome to finish on the podium, especially the first race back. I tried so hard today. The pace was really strong in the first laps and I’m super-impressed with the gains we have made on entry and braking with the RC16. The bike is on another level…but we still have some work to do. The lap-times were unreal out there. It’s awesome to see and I think we’ll be in for a cool race tomorrow.”
Aleix Espargaro – P3
“I am extremely satisfied. In the final laps, I was really fast and I had a lot of fun riding the bike. I lost too much time coming back from behind, but if there had been one more lap, I undoubtedly would have been able to get close to Binder and Martín. The bike is an absolute missile and we were fast in both qualifying and in the Sprint Race.”
Francesco Bagnaia – P4
“Overall, it was a positive Sprint, as a fourth place represents a good number of points secured. Surely the feeling is different compared to testing, maybe because of track conditions. It’s true that if I started from the front row, or even from pole, things would have been very different, but unfortunately, I got the last two corners wrong during my quick-lap attempt. We need to work on the bike behaviour at the rear end; I struggled at the end, I could make the most of cornering and had to change my style a bit. We now have a clearer picture on where to improve ahead of tomorrow.”
Marc Marquez – P5
“I had fun, no doubt. I managed to put together some overtaking manoeuvres, also on the straight, I was in the top positions and that’s when you start having fun and the weekends get shorter. I made a mistake when I knew I could, on lap one and then I lost some ground battling with Fabio (Diggia). We are where we want to be, in the top five, and that is the goal for tomorrow as today I was expecting Bastianini a bit further up and Binder not as competitive as he turned out to be.”
Enea Bastianini – P6
“It was a bit of an unusual race. I was expecting to do a little bit better, but I’m still quite happy. After four laps, I started experiencing a little bit of vibration and grip issues, especially in the faster parts of the track, which we’ll have to analyse and solve ahead of tomorrow when we’ll also need to manage the tyre wear as best as possible. The guys are working towards it and we’ll try to do better tomorrow.”
Alex Marquez – P7
“Too bad for the Q2, as we weren’t able to put together the perfect lap and we were coming from an excellent practice. Then in the sprint race we lost time at the beginning, especially because of Di Giannantonio: first the battle with Marc and then his crash ended up costing me too much ground. We will need a good start tomorrow and try to manage the tyres as best as we can.”
Pedro Acosta – P8
“Today was a super stressful day with Practice, qualifying and then the Sprint. There was a lot going on, a lot of emotions to handle, and I can say that we can be really happy about our day. Everything went super well, we did not make too many mistakes in the sprint and the gap to the front did not go down too much after eleven laps. We got our first points, so it was a really good day, and we are happy.”
Maverick Vinales – P9
“I’m a bit concerned because the feeling is much different than in the tests. I already wasn’t feeling comfortable yesterday and the situation did not improve much in the Sprint Race. We’ll analyse the data well now with my technicians to identify the problem. In the long race, managing the tyres could hold some surprises. I don’t think everyone is sorted in that respect.”
Jack Miller – P10
“Not a bad first day, not a great one. We gained some info. The start was good and the bike also but I knew it would be a bit tricky at the end with the soft front tire but I’m happy enough with the job. We have an issue to sort and understand why we were passed a few times. The track conditions were changing a lot today but with the medium tire things should be good for tomorrow.”
Marco Bezzecchi – P11
“It hasn’t been an easy weekend so far, I’ve made some steps forward, but in Q1 we were also affected by a mechanical problem and in these cases starting from behind doesn’t help. I couldn’t do better today, even though I started well. I struggle but the bike doesn’t turn. The bike doesn’t follow me, in the entering of the corner I feel better, but in the center of the corner and at the first touch of gas it’s complicated. In any case, I’m happy, I have a lot of support from the Team and Ducati. I know we have to work, we need time, but we can become competitive again.”
Fabio Quartararo – P12
“It was tough. The drop of the tyre was quite big, bigger than we expected. Because of this, the final 3–4 laps were more about tyre conservation. Tomorrow, we’ll have double the number of laps, so we are going to be working on that and try to understand why the tyre drop is so much bigger than last year. We have a lot of time tonight to find a solution.”
Miguel Oliveira – P13
“It was kind of a disappointing day, but with a competitive pace and with competitive lap times. I was very close to go through to Q2, especially very close in the Practice today. I got a bit disturbed on my fastest lap and then it was just not good enough to go through and I qualified 14th. The race was a bit like a yo-yo; I was faster than the guys in front but couldn’t find a way to get past them and then the race was finished and I ran out of time. Hopefully, tomorrow, I can make a slightly better start, gain a few places and try to reach a position inside the top 10.”
Raul Fernandez – P14
“I’m happy because I feel like I recovered the speed, especially this morning in the time attack. But, at the same time, we have to work more with the electronics. Now we have the material and the possibility to do something good. Aprilia gave us some really great tools – our bike is working well. We saw with the race of Aleix (Espargaro) that we can do very well, but we have to understand the electronic a little bit better. I think we have more potential and we need to understand what we need to do to improve. The speed is there, I recovered it, I recovered the feeling, when I want to be quick, I can, but in the race it’s quite difficult and different with the slipstream. We need to learn. But in general, I’m glad we have the speed, but I’m not happy with my Sprint race.”
Joan Mir – P15
“In the last part of the race we were able to run in the 53 lows and I was catching the second group, which was quite good. I was able to overtake, and I finished the race with a good feeling. Our position isn’t the best, but there are positives about the feeling. There was something in the first five laps that then disappeared that we need to check because after that I could do my pace. I think tomorrow will give us a chance to show what we can really do, fighting close to the top ten and being there.”
Johann Zarco – P16
“Despite the last two laps, in which I’ve lost some positions, the Sprint has been quite optimistic for us. I’ve managed to fight, be in the game with my rivals, and gather much information. At the end of the Sprint, I felt some chattering, which didn’t allow me to get to the points. Considering this has just been the first Sprint, we are working on the right way, and we are making progress session after session”.
Alex Rins – P17
“It was a bit hard. We did expect a hard Sprint, but it was a little bit harder than I expected because I couldn’t ride my own pace. We started quite well, then we overtook some riders. But when I was riding alone, Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira got away a little bit. I tried to ride at my own pace, and I made a small mistake on the last lap, and Mir overtook me. I was trying to manage the rear tyre as much as possible, but I was struggling a lot on the last 5 laps. So, for sure we will need to take more care with the rear tyre tomorrow. But I did some laps behind competitors and gathered information. So, let’s try to improve our bike a little bit for tomorrow, especially in the fast corners! Let’s see if we can do this and save the tyres a bit more.”
Augusto Fernandez – P18
“It has been a difficult day. We are making more steps but we are still far from where we want to be. It is important for us to finish the races, even if we know that tomorrow will be difficult. However, we will fight, try to survive through the race with points, and hopefully we can build from there for the upcoming races.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P19
“I had a good pace during the Sprint and felt quite good until the end when I started to suffer due to some chattering. In any case, we’ve seen some positives today, and overall, many riders have struggled today for the same reason. We’ve improved our base, which is important. Let’s see how Sunday’s race goes. Our goal is to get to the points.”
Luca Marini – P21
“A strange day speaking honestly because I was not expecting to be so far, nor were the team. All weekend, and in the test, I was more or less with the Honda riders but today we were very far. First, we need to understand why because the feeling was not what it has been. I was really strong in braking but we need to improve a lot in other areas. It’s the first race we have done so there is certainly more to come and I am confident we will get there.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio – DNF
“It’s a shame, it wasn’t the start of the season we were hoping for after all the job done in the pre-season, but I was very lucky, the crash was bad. I felt ready, I feel good with the bike, I have a good pace since the testing session here. Today we made some changes before the race, I was having fun in the battle, but suddenly I found myself on the tarmac in the middle of the track. A strange crash, we need to understand what happened, with the MotoGP a high side of this type is not usual. Finding yourself there with all the bikes so close to you isn’t a great feeling, but I’m fine and there are no consequences. Tomorrow we’ll try do to our best in the GP.”
Team Managers
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“A stressful but satisfying day. We’re really happy with Brad’s Sprint result and speed considering we only really had FP1 yesterday to get ready for the race for both riders. Both made Q2, Jack needed a few more laps to do it! Overall, Saturday went well and finished even better so a decent first day at school and let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Nicolas Goyon – GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager
“We knew that today would not be an easy day after we moved Practice to Saturday, because that meant that we spent most of our day in soft tyres chasing for the fast laps. However, it is fair to say that today is a day to remember for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 after our rookie Pedro Acosta shined under the floodlights of Qatar. It is the first time since 2019 that a rookie manages to qualify straight to Q2 on his first race. It is a huge achievement for all of us, and all we can say to Pedro is hats off! He also rode his first Tissot Sprint and scored his first points of the season, and we know for sure how difficult it is to score on Saturdays, even more for a rookie. He has achieved an amazing day, but he wants more, we all want more with him, so we will now focus on the main race which is the main target. On the other side, Augusto Fernandez is still going through some issues with his bike, and he is not feeling confident enough to fight at the level he was last season. It is key for us to try understanding what is going on, what is missing, but we will do the maximum and work as hard as we can to give him the bike that he deserves, and this includes tonight ahead of tomorrow’s race.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“After a difficult Friday, we already knew this Saturday would be a tough one. We didn’t get the qualifying positions we had hoped for, but Fabio and Álex still set out in the Sprint with the feeling that they would be able to make up some ground – and they did until the tyres dropped. The tyre degradation is much more severe this time – and also during the test – than it was when we were racing at the Lusail track last November. It will be crucial to understand why this is before tomorrow, as the riders will have to complete 22 laps in the Race. That is what we will be working on tonight, and we will test our solution during the warm-up.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Manager
“We qualified ourselves close to the top 10, so we hoped for a couple of points but, unfortunately, we didn’t make it. Saying that, never have we been slow. The start was not fantastic though; Raul had a big wheelie and he dropped from 12th to 19th. Miguel was able to keep his position someway somehow, but got passed by two guys, nearly hitting somebody in turn six. Overall, it was not a dream start to the season, but also no drama, I would say. We finished 13th and 14th, tomorrow is the main race and I hope and I’m quite sure we are able to do better than that. Of course, there are no slow riders in this championship at the moment. So far, I think we only have to look at ourselves and be able to be better than we were today.”
MotoGP Sprint Race Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | 20m41.287 |
| 2 | Brad BINDER | KTM | +0.548 |
| 3 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | +0.729 |
| 4 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | +1.625 |
| 5 | Marc MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +1.872 |
| 6 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | +2.322 |
| 7 | Alex MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +3.154 |
| 8 | Pedro ACOSTA | KTM | +4.431 |
| 9 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | +6.738 |
| 10 | Jack MILLER | KTM | +12.670 |
| 11 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | +12.835 |
| 12 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | +12.863 |
| 13 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | APRILIA | +13.095 |
| 14 | Raul FERNANDEZ | APRILIA | +13.795 |
| 15 | Joan MIR | HONDA | +14.096 |
| 16 | Johann ZARCO | HONDA | +14.840 |
| 17 | Alex RINS | YAMAHA | +15.629 |
| 18 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KTM | +17.711 |
| 19 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | +22.733 |
| 20 | Franco MORBIDELLI | DUCATI | +23.267 |
| 21 | Luca MARINI | HONDA | +25.553 |
MotoGP Sprint Race Report
Jorge Martin started 2024 with a statement ride – arguably a signature one – as the Prima Pramac rider shot out of the blocks to take the first Tissot Sprint win of the year. Harried all the way home by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Martin held firm under pressure for Sprint win number 10 of his career.
Binder had his own pressure right to the flag, too, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) battling past both Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) on his way to taking third, right on the KTM’s tail and making it three factories on the first rostrum of the season.
Binder had a storming start from fourth to tag onto the back of Martin immediately and the Spaniard was not able to shake the South African. Espargaro lost out initially from his P2 on the grid but then started to pull it back, taking fourth from Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and then third place back from Bagnaia.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez and Gresini team-mate Alex Marquez were in the thick of the battle with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Eventually, Marc Marquez was able to make it stick and headed off in pursuit of Bastianini on the rear of the front group. Not too long after that, Diggia was sadly out of the battle after a strange and initially dramatic crash.
At the front, Martin rolled on, but he wasn’t getting away. Binder was still very much in touch, and Bagnaia was on the move, too, as he dispatched Espargaro to move into third. Marc Marquez’s next move came when Bastianini went slightly wide and Marc needed no second invitation.
With five laps to go, the eight-time World Champion was attacking Espargaro and sneaked past him at the end of the straight.
Martin seemed to have the hammer down at the front. But there was still no breakaway as the chasers responded, with Binder holding firm ahead of Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and Espargaro. Bastianini, however, started to fade slightly from that group.
A moment for Marc Marquez, capitalised on by Espargaro as the Aprilia struck again, narrowed that gap to Bastianini, however. And that was key for the final lap battle, with Espargaro then able to home in on the leading trio. With two laps to go, it was a four-rider battle for the podium.
The penultimate lap saw the Aprilia take on Bagnaia, but the reigning Champion cut back as Espargaro sailed wide. But onto the main straight Aleix then made it stick and held onto that third place third into Turn 1, now with the next target locked on: Binder.
Binder was chasing Martin, but a new problem was carving up the gap to tuck right onto his tail. Espargaro ate through the metres almost enough to give himself striking distance by the final corner, but it was just that bit too far for a move.
Martin crossed the line for a statement tenth Sprint win to start the season ahead, with Binder taking that second and Espargaro forced for settle for that third.
Reigning Champion Bagnaia likewise had to settle, in his case for fourth, with Marc Marquez next up.
Bastianini crossed the line sixth, ahead of Alex Marquez in a lonelier seventh.
Alex Marquez had had some close company from rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) in the latter stages, but was able to pull the gap back out.
Acosta took an impressive eighth in his first MotoGP appearance – and he was the second RC16 home.
Ninth place went to Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the top ten in a close group ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and a near photo-finish with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).
Marc Marquez set the fastest lap of the race.
MotoGP Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Martin | 12 |
| 2 | Binder | 9 |
| 3 | Espargaro | 7 |
| 4 | Bagnaia | 6 |
| 5 | Marquez | 5 |
| 6 | Bastianini | 4 |
| 7 | Marquez | 3 |
| 8 | Acosta | 2 |
| 9 | Viñales | 1 |
| 10 | Miller | 0 |
| 11 | Bezzecchi | 0 |
| 12 | Quartararo | 0 |
| 13 | Oliveira | 0 |
| 14 | Fernandez | 0 |
| 15 | Mir | 0 |
| 16 | Zarco | 0 |
| 17 | Rins | 0 |
| 18 | Fernandez | 0 |
| 19 | Nakagami | 0 |
| 20 | Morbidelli | 0 |
| 21 | Marini | 0 |
MotoGP Event Top Speeds
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Speed |
| 1 | Jack MILLER | KTM | 360.0 |
| 2 | Marc MARQUEZ | DUCATI | 356.4 |
| 3 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | 355.2 |
| 4 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | 355.2 |
| 5 | Johann ZARCO | HONDA | 355.2 |
| 6 | Raul FERNANDEZ | APRILIA | 355.2 |
| 7 | Joan MIR | HONDA | 354.0 |
| 8 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | 354.0 |
| 9 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | APRILIA | 354.0 |
| 10 | Alex RINS | YAMAHA | 354.0 |
| 11 | Pedro ACOSTA | KTM | 354.0 |
| 12 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 352.9 |
| 13 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 351.7 |
| 14 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | 351.7 |
| 15 | Franco MORBIDELLI | DUCATI | 351.7 |
| 16 | Luca MARINI | HONDA | 351.7 |
| 17 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | DUCATI | 350.6 |
| 18 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | 349.5 |
| 19 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KTM | 349.5 |
| 20 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | 348.3 |
| 21 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | 348.3 |
| 22 | Alex MARQUEZ | DUCATI | 347.2 |
MotoGP Combined Qualifying Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | 1m50.789 | 347.2 |
| 2 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | +0.083 | 342.8 |
| 3 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | +0.086 | 345.0 |
| 4 | Brad BINDER | KTM | +0.124 | 349.5 |
| 5 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | +0.139 | 343.9 |
| 6 | Marc MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +0.172 | 346.1 |
| 7 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONI ITA | DUCATI | +0.230 | 346.1 |
| 8 | Pedro ACOSTA | KTM | +0.341 | 351.7 |
| 9 | Alex MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +0.477 | 342.8 |
| 10 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | +0.517 | 343.9 |
| 11 | Jack MILLER | KTM | +0.551 | 348.3 |
| 12 | Raul FERNANDEZ | APRILIA | +0.732 | 346.1 |
| Q1 | ||||
| 13 | Johann ZARCO | HONDA | (*) 0.101 | 343.9 |
| 14 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | APRILIA | (*) 0.129 | 345.0 |
| 15 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | (*) 0.428 | 345.0 |
| 16 | Fabio QUARTARARO | DUCATI | (*) 0.482 | 348.3 |
| 17 | Joan MIR | HONDA | (*) 0.590 | 345.0 |
| 18 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KTM | (*) 0.768 | 347.2 |
| 19 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | (*) 0.792 | 345.0 |
| 20 | Alex RINS | YAMAHA | (*) 0.891 | 345.0 |
| 21 | Luca MARINI | HONDA | (*) 1.516 | 343.9 |
| 22 | Franco MORBIDELLI | DUCATI | (*) 1.544 | 343.9 |
Moto2
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) took the opening pole position of the year, heading Alonso Lopez (Sync SpeedUp) on the front row as the top Boscoscuro machine. His teammate Fermin Aldeguer, a title favourite, qualified seventh but then got a three-place grid penalty for holding up another rider in Q2. That rider was actually Albert Arenas, and he ultimately completes the front row on the Triumph-powered QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 bike.
Arenas was at the top of the timesheets for the early stages of Q2. However, as the session progressed it was Canet and Lopez who struck to take over.
Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2) will start behind his teammate on the second row ahead of Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Barry Baltus (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP).
Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) was a further 0.034 behind Aldeguer on the timesheets but moves up to P7, and ahead of the sole CFMOTO Aspar Team rider Izan Guevara after it was announced that Jake Dixon has been declared unfit after a crash in P2. Zonta van der Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) now completes that row ahead of Aldeguer.
Senna Agius starts his first full season of Moto2 competition from 21st on the grid.
Senna Agius
“It wasn’t such a bad Saturday for us. I haven’t been here for six or seven years. So, it’s been a long time, and it’s no wonder we started far behind, but yesterday we took a step already. And today I made further steps. In qualifying I felt really good on the bike, but a few problems prevented me from improving further, which is a bit of a shame. But our pace is good, and I feel much better with the bike and the track now. The team is also great, everyone is working fantastically, so I feel even more comfortable than last year, which is very positive. So, I’m really looking forward to getting the first race on.”
Moto2 Combined Qualifying Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | Aron CANET | KALEX | 1m56.788 | 284.9 |
| 2 | Alonso LOPEZ | BOSCOSCURO | +0.102 | 290.3 |
| 3 | Albert ARENAS | KALEX | +0.237 | 288.0 |
| 4 | Manuel GONZALEZ | KALEX | +0.239 | 283.4 |
| 5 | Tony ARBOLINO | KALEX | +0.426 | 283.4 |
| 6 | Barry BALTUS | KALEX | +0.548 | 287.2 |
| 7 | Fermin ALDEGUER | BOSCOSCURO | +0.574 | 281.2 |
| 8 | Marcos RAMIREZ | KALEX | +0.608 | 284.2 |
| 9 | Izan GUEVARA | KALEX | +0.675 | 288.7 |
| 10 | Zonta VD GOORBERGH | KALEX | +0.791 | 284.2 |
| 11 | Darryn BINDER | KALEX | +0.796 | 290.3 |
| 12 | Jeremy ALCOBA | KALEX | +0.822 | 286.4 |
| 13 | Ai OGURA | BOSCOSCURO | +0.902 | 284.9 |
| 14 | Joe ROBERTS | KALEX | +0.932 | 281.2 |
| 15 | Somkiat CHANTRA | KALEX | +0.974 | 282.7 |
| 16 | Celestino VIETTI | KALEX | +0.989 | 285.7 |
| 17 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | KALEX | +1.007 | 283.4 |
| 18 | Sergio GARCIA | BOSCOSCURO | +1.830 | 285.7 |
| Q1 | ||||
| 19 | Filip SALAC | KALEX | (*) 0.331 | 286.4 |
| 20 | Deniz ÖNCÜ | KALEX | (*) 0.353 | 291.1 |
| 21 | Senna AGIUS | KALEX | (*) 0.694 | 286.4 |
| 22 | Jaume MASIA | KALEX | (*) 0.761 | 288.0 |
| 23 | Dennis FOGGIA | KALEX | (*) 0.813 | 291.8 |
| 24 | Alex ESCRIG | FORWARD | (*) 0.842 | 284.9 |
| 25 | Ayumu SASAKI | KALEX | (*) 1.003 | 288.7 |
| 26 | Diogo MOREIRA | KALEX | (*) 1.166 | 284.9 |
| 27 | Xavi CARDELUS | KALEX | (*) 1.510 | 287.2 |
| 28 | Mario AJI | KALEX | (*) 1.737 | 284.2 |
| 29 | Xavier ARTIGAS | FORWARD | (*) 3.677 | 283.4 |
Moto3
Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) is on pole position for the opening Grand Prix after setting a remarkable 2m02.276s to underline his pace this season. The Spaniard’s impressive lap time put him 0.265s clear of Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI), with only another 0.055s back to Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as it closed up.
Ortola set an incredible 2:02.541 on his second lap of Qualifying – breaking the all-time lap record by 0.924. However, on the second run, Holgado was able to carve his way through the field, setting a time another 0.265 quicker.
At the start of row two will be Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), ahead of fellow Honda Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team).
Joel Kelso (BOE Motorsports) rounds out the second row in sixth after a strong Qualifying for the Australian.
Riccardo Rossi heads row three ahead of Championship favourite David Alonso (CFMOTO Aspar Team), with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Vicente Perez will start in ninth, setting his personal best lap time of the weekend as he subs for Xabi Zurutuza due to age limits.
The fourth row will have Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) beginning the race in 10th place.
Aussie rookie Jacob Roulstone starts from the sixth row of the grid.
Jacob Roulstone – P17
“I am happy overall about our qualifying – we made it to Q2 directly for our first weekend in Moto3, as we are feeling good on both bike and track. We had a small issue during the final qualifying stage that prevented us from exiting the pit box when we wanted, but we are happy either way with today’s achievements. Looking forward to my first race tomorrow.”
Moto3 Combined Qualifying Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Gap | Speed |
| 1 | Daniel HOLGADO | GASGAS | 2m02.276 | 240.0 |
| 2 | Ivan ORTOLA | KTM | +0.265 | 239.4 |
| 3 | Jose Antonio RUEDA | KTM | +0.320 | 239.4 |
| 4 | Adrian FERNANDEZ | HONDA | +0.356 | 238.9 |
| 5 | Matteo BERTELLE | HONDA | +0.396 | 237.8 |
| 6 | Joel KELSO | KTM | +0.415 | 238.9 |
| 7 | Riccardo ROSSI | KTM | +0.744 | 237.8 |
| 8 | David ALONSO | CFMOTO | +0.783 | 234.7 |
| 9 | Vicente PEREZ | KTM | +0.890 | 238.9 |
| 10 | Collin VEIJER | HUSQVARNA | +0.973 | 231.7 |
| 11 | Filippo FARIOLI | HONDA | +1.051 | 239.4 |
| 12 | Angel PIQUERAS | HONDA | +1.094 | 240.0 |
| 13 | David MUÑOZ | KTM | +1.113 | 240.5 |
| 14 | Luca LUNETTA | HONDA | +1.114 | 241.6 |
| 15 | Ryusei YAMANAKA | KTM | +1.186 | 239.4 |
| 16 | Stefano NEPA | KTM | +1.275 | 235.8 |
| 17 | Jacob ROULSTONE | GASGAS | +1.484 | 240.5 |
| 18 | Taiyo FURUSATO | HONDA | +1.795 | 235.8 |
| Q1 | ||||
| 19 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | HUSQVARNA | (*) 0.927 | 236.8 |
| 20 | Scott OGDEN | HONDA | (*) 1.175 | 236.3 |
| 21 | Joshua WHATLEY | HONDA | (*) 1.317 | 235.2 |
| 22 | Nicola CARRARO | KTM | (*) 1.622 | 238.4 |
| 23 | Joel ESTEBAN | CFMOTO | (*) 1.814 | 237.8 |
| 24 | Tatchakorn BUASRI | HONDA | (*) 2.093 | 237.8 |
| 25 | Noah DETTWILER | KTM | (*) 2.197 | 237.3 |
Qatar Grand Prix Schedule
| Sunday | ||
| Time | Class | Event |
| 2340 | MotoGP | WUP |
| 0100 (Mon) | Moto3 | Race |
| 0215 (Mon) | Moto2 | Race |
| 0400 (Mon) | MotoGP | Race |
2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)
| Rnd | Date | Location |
| 1 | 10 Mar | Qatar Lusail International Circuit |
| 2 | 24 Mar | Portugal Autódromo Internacional do Algarve |
| 3 | 14 Apr | Americas Circuit of The Americas |
| 4 | 28 Apr | Spain Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto |
| 5 | 12 May | France Le Mans |
| 6 | 26 May | Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
| 7 | 02 Jun | Italy Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello |
| 8 | 16 Jun | Kazakhstan Sokol International Racetrack |
| 9 | 30 Jun | Netherlands TT Circuit Assen |
| 10 | 07 Jul | Germany Sachsenring |
| 11 | 04 Aug | Great Britain Silverstone Circuit |
| 12 | 18 Aug | Austria Red Bull Ring-Spielberg |
| 13 | 01 Sep | Aragon MotorLand Aragón |
| 14 | 08 Sep | San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Misano |
| 15 | 22 Sep | India Buddh International Circuit |
| 16 | 29 Sep | Indonesia Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit |
| 17 | 06 Oct | Japan Mobility Resort Motegi |
| 18 | 20 Oct | Australia Phillip Island |
| 19 | 27 Oct | Thailand Chang International Circuit |
| 20 | 03 Nov | Malaysia Sepang International Circuit |
| 21 | 17 Nov | Comunitat Valenciana Circuit Ricardo Tormo |
