DI GIANNANTONIO TOPS QATAR MOTOGP WARM-UP

Fabio Di Giannantonio topped the 10-minute warm-up at Lusail, setting a best lap of 1:52.281 on a soft rear tyre. Most of the field chose the medium, expected to be the preferred option for the evening’s 22-lap Qatar Grand Prix. Marco Bezzecchi, who had been strong on the medium earlier in the weekend, finished second, 0.505 seconds back, with Enea Bastianini third and Pedro Acosta fourth. Marc Marquez took fifth, 0.614 seconds off the pace, while title rival Jorge Martin was tenth.

Di Giannantonio moved to the front in the closing stages and improved again on his final lap. Bezzecchi had briefly led, before Bastianini set the benchmark; the VR46 Ducati rider then edged ahead and held on. Marquez and Martin both delayed their starts by about three minutes, leaving them less time to prepare. Martin had a late scare at Turn 5, catching a slide and avoiding a fall.

The session was interrupted by technical trouble for both Honda riders. Jake Dixon, making his first start of the weekend as a replacement for Joan Mir, failed to record a time after an issue with his RC213V. Diogo Moreira also had to pull off the circuit when smoke came from his bike; he was classified 14th. The warm-up took place with 17 riders, following a series of absences and injuries.

The most significant casualty was Francesco Bagnaia, who was taken out by Fermin Aldeguer on the opening lap of Saturday’s Sprint. Bagnaia suffered two fractures in his right foot as well as bruising across his body, and was heading back to Italy for surgery. Yamaha’s four riders were also missing from the Qatar round because of company-wide travel restrictions. Alex Marquez and Mir were absent through injury and health issues, with Iker Lecuona and Dixon stepping in for them.

Marquez arrived at the Grand Prix with a chance to clinch the 2026 title, but the outcome required a win and Martin to score no points. A victory would also end Bezzecchi’s remaining mathematical hopes: after falling in a Sprint clash with Marquez, the Aprilia rider needed to outscore him by five points to stay in contention, with Portimao and Valencia still to come. The Qatar Grand Prix was scheduled to start at 7pm local time.