Bagnaia and Martin lead the way after MotoGP Qatar Test Day One

MotoGP Qatar Test Day One

Following the Sepang Test, held less than two weeks ago, the MotoGP paddock have travelled to the Lusail International Circuit for the two-day Qatar MotoGP Official Test.

After Day 1 of action in the desert, it’s a familiar name on top: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). But the reigning Champion was closely trailed by his key 2023 rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), just 0.220s adrift, and they had some closer company in Qatar.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro kept pace with the GP24s once again for P3, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder close on the chase in fourth.

The day started a little dusty and windy, but once the sun began to set, we saw a flurry of time attacks come in. Bagnaia led the charge, though he still has a ways to go if he wants to reach the all-time lap record 1:51:762 set by Luca Marini during the 2023 Qatar GP.

Ducati’s momentum from Sepang seems unabated, with a focused testing regime centered on refining the new engine and evaluating different fairings and exhaust setups. Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) both left it late until they went out on the full-spec 2024 machine, and found immediate improvements in their one lap pace.

Fabio Di Giannantonio’s (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) hugely encouraging pre-season continues as he took P5 to help back up his Sepang performance, while Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) finds himself outside the top 10 on Day 1.

Fabio Di Giannantonio

“I am very happy with this first day, it was crucial to start from the same sensations as in Malaysia and we succeeded. I was fast all day, even with used tyres and with what we think will be the compound that we will actually use during the race weekend. Tomorrow we will focus on some details, but we are in good shape and I am satisfied. We also compared last year’s data and I made a good step in terms of engine braking. The feeling with the front isn’t perfect yet, we need to find a balance between riding style and the bike’s limit.”

Marco Bezzecchi

“I’m happy, even if it doesn’t seem like it from the standings, it was a very positive day. Compared to Malaysia, I have a good feeling and the pace is also similar to that of the fastest guys. I have to work on the time attack, but I don’t want to say too much, I crashed twice in Sepang. I made a good step forward in braking, the style of this bike is very different in this aspect compared to the GP22. I made some changes, I still need some time, but I’m satisfied.”

At Gresini Racing, Alex Marquez claimed seventh on the timesheets with Marc Marquez in P16. However, the eight-time World Champion recorded 58 laps on Monday, meaning he has now clocked over 280 laps aboard the Desmosedici without crashing.

Sporting their sleek 2024 livery, Aprilia can certainly be encouraged by their performances on Day 1. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) spent a large portion of the day in P1 before slipping to sixth, while Aleix Espargaro surged up to that P3.

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At one stage, three RS-GPs occupied the top three places on the timesheets, with Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) putting in a brilliant effort to join his factory counterparts at the business end of proceedings before ending the day 12th. Teammate Miguel Oliveira, meanwhile, was further down the order as the Noale factory continue working towards 2024.

There’s plenty of encouragement on the timesheets for the RC16s once again, with Brad Binder taking fourth, just thousandths off Espargaro ahead. Meanwhile, the good reading continued as Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) both in the 1:52s, while the latter spun the most laps of anyone with 73.

From a testing perspective, the Austrian manufacturer was quite busy with two new specs of engine, plus a range of different aero set ups on the programme.

Pedro Acosta

“We finished 0.8 seconds from the fastest today after what was our first day on a MotoGP bike in Qatar, so it is really good for us. Our pace was good, we are working better all together because I have the experience from Sepang, so I understand everything better, and I feel like I am starting to know what I am talking about. Positive day for us, really happy, looking forward to day 2!”

Augusto Fernandez’ (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) pre-season frustrations continued on Day 1 though, with the 2022 Moto2 World Champion placing P20 while also suffering a crash in addition to some technical issues earlier in the day.

Augusto Fernandez

“I am happy with day 1 even though we crashed towards the end and we could not go for the time attacks, so the timesheets don’t do justice to our work today. I recovered a lot of feeling that I was missing in Sepang, I understood the new bike better, so I am happy overall, and I look forward to continuing tomorrow.“

There are plenty of reasons to smile if you’re a Honda fan, as it seems that progress seen in Sepang has kept rolling at Lusail. Johann Zarco (Castrol LCR Honda) was the top Honda rider in P9, and he did his time attack on the new aero they brought to Qatar.

Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) was next Honda, a couple of tenths in further arrears, before Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR) and then Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team), the latter of whom was feeling under the weather on Day 1. It seems the Japanese brand have settled on their new engine though, while all four riders used the new swingarm seen in Sepang.

Joan Mir

“Overall, it was a good first day of the test, and we were able to confirm a lot of things already from Sepang. We tried a few more things on the aero side and found another step, which makes me happy. I was able to ride comfortably, and we spent almost all of today on a used tyre. With a used medium we could do some good times and I was able to be in the mid 53s, steadily improving even on the used tyres. It’s a positive point and we are already faster than we were here last year. After changing the aerodynamics, we focused some more on electronics and I think this is where we still have some margin.”

On the other side of the Repsol Honda Team garage, Luca Marini continued his adaptation to the Honda RC213V and was able to make consistent gains over the course of the evening. Like Mir, Marini spent much of Monday evening working to confirm what he and the team had found in Sepang. Battling some illness, Marini was still able to complete 51 laps and gather important information. He ended Monday in 18th, 0.6s back from his teammate.

Luca Marini

“Today unfortunately I am not feeling 100% fit, which is a shame but still we were able to do what we needed today. The first day today was much better than the first day in Sepang, so this shows that we have started well in Sepang and carrying it here. It’s clear there’s still work to do but me and the team have some ideas and we are looking to make progress tomorrow, then at the race and the next race. Honda is bringing things for us to try and we are working well together already, this is important with where we are in the journey.”

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins got a solid number of laps in on the first day of the two-day Qatar MotoGP Official Test, with the track conditions improving throughout the seven-hour session, they ended the opening day in 10th and 19th place respectively.

Quartararo was fully focused on crossing items off his testing to-do list. The Frenchman ran a total of 58 laps. His 1‘52.637s fastest time, set on lap 56, earned him tenth place in the Qatar Test Day-1 timesheets, 0.597s from first.

Fabio Quartararo

“We’re focusing on the same areas as we did during the Sepang Test. The bike seems fast, which is positive, but we are quite far off in terms of one-lap performance. We made some massive changes since the Sepang Test, and we can notice the difference: there are some positives and some negatives. The way we are working now is really good – I really love it. This is why I’m really motivated, because I feel we are heading in the right way. But we still need time to find our full potential. Our main goal is to improve grip. The pace is not too bad, but we need to improve our starting positions.”

Rins had been looking forward to trying the M1 at another track to gain further experience on the Yamaha. He rode 51 laps over the course of Day 1, and he set a best time of 1‘53.642s on lap 50, taking 19th place, 1.602s from the top.

Alex Rins

“Today was a good day. We started with a bit of chaos because I didn’t ride here last year. There were new buildings around the track, so the references were a bit different. Overall, we worked a lot on the bike, testing new things. Some new items, and we confirmed items we tested in Sepang. So, we made many changes on the bike, and we also spent a lot of time working inside the box. I hope that tomorrow I can work more on my set-up for the upcoming race.”

Tuesday sees MotoGP back on track in Qatar.    The Lusail International Circuit will also be hosting the opening GP of the season in a little over two weeks’ time.

Qatar MotoGP Test
Day One Times

MotoGP Qatar Day One Top Speeds

Provisional 2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)

Reserve Event: Hungary – Balaton Park Circuit.
Portugal & India remain subject to contract.
Kazakhstan is subject to contract and homologation.