Qatar MotoGP, Lusail – Warm-up Results

* Rookie.

Official Lusail MotoGP records
Best lap: Luca Marini 1m 51.762s (2023)
Fastest race lap: Jorge Martin 1m 53.355s (2022)

Maverick Vinales leads warm-up for the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail.

The Aprilia rider, sixth in the Sprint, benefitted from a double slipstream as he slingshotted to the top ahead of Frenchmen Johann Zarco and Fabio Quartararo on his final lap.

Title leader Francesco Bagnaia was ninth-quickest, with Jorge Martin just 16th (+1.1s). 

Bagnaia takes a reduced 7-point lead over Martin into this evening’s grand prix after the Pramac rider won the Saturday Sprint while factory star Bagnaia finished a frustrated fifth.

The Italian suspected tyre issues and was confident of making amends on Sunday.

But after Martin’s aggressive moves, which saw contact between them twice in the opening laps, Bagnaia also warned: “I think it’s great it was him to do it. So he is opening a situation that could be interesting for tomorrow [Sunday].”

Pole qualifier Luca Marini, who completed the Sprint podium, was just 20th as all riders used hard tyres front and rear to prepare for the 22-lap grand prix, starting at 8pm local time.

RNF’s Miguel Oliveira is absent due to a broken right shoulder blade, after triggering an opening lap incident involving Aleix Espargaro and Enea Bastianini on Saturday.

Espargaro sustained ‘a small fracture at the top of the left fibula’ but was cleared to ride in warm-up. The Aprilia star looked sore afterwards. If he starts the race it will be from 16th on the grid, rather than 10th, as part of a penalty for slapping Franco Morbidelli’s helmet in Saturday practice.

Following Sepang, both Bagnaia and Martin have used their Official Warning for low tyre pressure and – like Luca Marini, Maverick Vinales, Franco Morbidelli, Raul Fernandez, Iker Lecuona, Pol Espargaro, Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro – will receive a post-race time penalty for any further infringements.

However, Gresini riders Fabio di Giannantonio (a close runner-up to Martin in the Sprint) and Alex Marquez (fourth) are among those yet to use their warning ‘joker’ and can therefore afford to run low in tonight’s race, with the potential performance benefits that will bring in traffic, without risking a penalty.

di Giannantonio was 12th in warm-up with team-mate Marquez in 4th, ahead of the KTMs of Brad Binder and Jack Miller, then the Repsol Honda of Marc Marquez.

• Qatar Moto2: Latest Results
• Qatar Moto3: Latest Results

Facilities and infrastructure at the Lusail circuit have been radically revamped ahead of this year’s event, including a full resurfacing. With no prior track data for the new asphalt, Michelin is offering an extra front (4) and rear (3) tyre compound this weekend.

While Bagnaia and Martin can drop no lower than second in the standings, Marco Bezzecchi has now confirmed third over KTM’s Brad Binder.

Pramac Ducati will be crowned teams’ world champions, an exceptional effort for a non-factory squad if their advantage over Ducati Lenovo stands at 66 or more on Sunday.

Alex Rins is again replaced by Iker Lecuona at LCR Honda.