Moto2 Qatar 1 FP2: Sam Lowes shows his muscles

Moto2 opened its 2021 season in Qatar by presenting in the first two places in the ranking the two names designated as the favorites for this new title race. Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing) are already neck and neck, thus confirming their off-season form displayed on the same Losail track…

The two men will only be decided by an unfortunate 16 thousandths separating them. Which suggests an intense duel. Fabio DiGiannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) inherited the third fastest time, just ahead of the astonishing Will Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and Remy gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Jake dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) ranked sixth.

In his wake, we found two rookies, in the person ofAlbert Arenas (India Aspar Team) and Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Augusto Fernández (ELF Marc VDS Racing) and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), the first driver of the day to be trapped, completed the Top 10.

What will this FP2 have in store for us? Before answering this question, here is the table which summarizes the facts known so far.

Qatar 1 Moto2	2020	2021
FP1	1'59.168 Tom Lüthi	2'00.305 Marco Bezzecchi
FP2	1'58.421 Joe Roberts	1'58.959 Sam Lowes
FP3	1'59.019 Aron Canet
Q1	1'58.422 Marcel Schrötter
Q2	1'58.136 Joe Roberts
Warm Up	1'59.565 Tetsuta Nagashima
Course	Nagashima, Baldassarri, Bastanini
All time lap record	1'58.136 Joe Roberts 2020

25°5 in the air is the temperature that welcomes the Moto2 riders for the 40 minutes of exercise. As the times will a priori be faster during this evening at losail, the session already promises to be decisive for a direct destination towards Q2 on Saturday.

Sam Lowes didn't wait and signed the first reference in 1'59.330. Bezzecchi follows at 256 thousandths. But Jake dixon forgot his convalescing left wrist to insert himself between the two favorites after ten minutes of play. Not without effort!

Raul fernandez climbs third and therefore pushes back Bezzecchi in fourth place. Remy Gardner closes the provisional top 5. He is behind his young teammate and rookie in the category Fernandez. Chantra fall at turn 5. A Fernandez which even settles second to three tenths of a Sam Lowes which brought its mark to 1'59.140.

The Englishman is on cloud nine as here he is in 1'58.959 mid-session. Raul fernandez is pushed back to half a second. Bezzecchi is six tenths away and yet he does what he can...

Sam Lowes therefore attack in the lead the last quarter of an hour...

Joe Roberts remembers everyone fondly. The new Italtrans driver took second place in 1'59.401. It will be recalled that last year, he finished fourth in the race in Qatar after starting from pole position. But Bezzecchi puts in a strong effort in 1'59.114. We're entering the last five minutes...

Will Bendsneyder et Virgin are tumbling into the top 5, but there is only one minute left and everyone is giving their all. Under the checkered flag, Lowes maintains its advantage. Bezzecchi, Roberts, Virgo et Gardner are in the top 5. Bendsneyder leads the rest of the pack.

Dixon is ninth. Canet is 14th and therefore last in the car bound for Q2. Baldassarri is the first disappointed while By Giannantonio also seems promised for Q1…

Moto2 Qatar 1 FP2: times

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com