LIVE MotoGP Qatar 2 Q1: Mir in the lead, Oliveira follows, Rossi penultimate

The Doha Grand Prix in Qatar offers its first half of qualifying in MotoGP, whose squad brings together no less than ten world titles in the category. Indeed, with Valentino Rossi's nine coronations and Joan Mir's 2020 crown, that gives us ten championships for repechages which will also turn into a duel between KTM and Honda. Two brands, which, behind the scenes, are already looking at each other like dogs...

The final quarter of an hour will be intense and indecisive since, in the middle of all that, there will also be two rookies in MotoGP enterprising people, including one bastianini who only failed by 5 thousandths, a week ago, in the same exercise on the same circuit in his quest to move into Q2.

What will this have in store for us? Q1 which will only make two happy people who will then go Q2 ? Before answering this question, here is the table which summarizes the facts known so far.

Qatar MotoGP™	2019	2021-GP1	2021-GP2
FP1	1'55.048 Valentino Rossi (See here)	1'54.921 Franco Morbidelli (See here)	1'54.779 Aleix Espargaro (See here)
FP2	1'53.380 Marc Márquez (See here)	1'53.387 Jack Miller (See here)	1'53.145 Jack Miller (See here)
FP3	1'54.677 Marc Márquez (See here)	1'54.676 Franco Morbidelli (See here)	1'56.064 Fabio Quartararo (See here)
FP4	1'54.854 Danilo Petrucci (See here)	1'54.106 Maverick Viñales (See here)	1'54.543 Johann Zarco
Q1	1'54.270 Cal Crutchlow (See here)	1'53.577 Takaaki Nakagami (See here)	1'53.931 Joan Mir
Q2	1'53.546 Maverick Viñales (See here)	1'52.772 Francesco Bagnaia (See here)
Warm Up	1'54.807 Danilo Petrucci (See here)	1'55.147 Fabio Quartararo (See here)
Course	Dovizioso, Marquez, Crutchlow (See here)	Vinales, Zarco, Bagnaia
All time lap record	1'53.380 Marc Márquez 2019 (1'53.183 Jack Miller in the 2021 test)	1'52.772 Francesco Bagnaia (See here)

Joan mir needs this Q2 to take advantage of his race pace displayed during FP4…

23.9° in the air and 24.5° on the track with, always, a strong wind are the conditions proposed to the 12 pilots who will compete for fifteen minutes.

The tire standard for all drivers is two soft tires. The first reference is the prerogative of Brad Binder in 1'54.619 on his KTM. Joan Mir follows. Not for long since the reigning World Champion takes the lead with a 1'54.314.

Petrucci is currently the first to be eliminated, Red is sixth and bastianini as Pol I will espargaro have not set a time… There are six minutes remaining, the last attack against the time is launched.

Platoons form dangerously like in Moto3.

Petrucci attacks anyway and places himself second, two tenths behind Mir. But Marini invites himself to the party at 79 thousandths of Mir. Under the checkered flag, Mir pass with Olive tree which makes KTM happy. Marini is the first eliminated. Alex Marquez ahead Espargaro Pol at Honda. Red will set off before last, alone Savadori will be behind him...

MotoGP Qatar 2 Q1: times

Credit rankings: MotoGP.com