MotoGP LIVE Qatar FP1: KTM springs a surprise at the last minute…

A year ago at this time, the 2021 season began with 4 Ducati leading the start of the Qatar Grand Prix and concluded eight months later with a hat-trick from Borgo Panigale to Valencia. However, in the meantime, it was Fabio Quartararo who managed to do well and was titled world champion…

Since then, to further reinforce the uncertainty regarding 2022, the final winter tests in Mandalika showed us the progress of all the MotoGPs finally freed from their technical freeze, resulting in a top 15 in less than 6 tenths, and the two fastest, Pol Espargaro et fabio quartararo, separated by only 14 thousandths of a second!
The all-new Hondas, in great revival, just like their spearhead Marc Márquez, the Ducatis who look like scarecrows, the Aprilias in full progress, the well-optimized Suzukis and the KTMs on a new approach will be keen to undermine the Yamahas who seem to have evolved very little during the off-season. Faced with all this, the reigning world champion fabio quartararo, who won the last race on the Losail circuit ahead of Johann zarco, will therefore have a lot to do, starting by qualifying well, the only option to be able to try to take the lead and make the most of the qualities of your M1.

In the middle of a period exacerbated by the signing of the 2023/2024 contracts for most pilots, this real return to school will therefore finally allow us to gradually discover a new hierarchy, very concrete this one and not dependent on everyone's program during winter testing, which will begin this morning and will be refined throughout the 21 Grands Prix scheduled for this year.

Meteorologically, the situation does not show any concern, unlike the 2009 and 2018 editions: the rains currently crossing Saudi Arabia are passing to the north and should spare Qatar where temperatures are 19° at night and close to 30 ° at the hottest. Currently, while Saturday is forecast to be even cloudier, the sky is quite hazy above the circuit heated to 30° in the air and 42° on the asphalt.

As the 24 drivers prepare for this 1-minute FP45, let's enjoy these first live images broadcast by the official website MotoGP.com.

Let's remember again that the Grand Prix will take place over 22 laps on Sunday from 16 p.m. French time, and let's keep in mind the references of the last Grand Prix on the Losail circuit before giving way to live:

Qatar MotoGP™	2021	2022
FP1	1'54.779 Aleix Espargaró (See here)	1'54.851 Brad Binder (See here)
FP2	1'53.145 Jack Miller (See here)
FP3	1'56.064 Fabio Quartararo (See here)
FP4	1'54.543 Johann Zarco (See here)
Q1	1'53.931 Joan Mir (See here)
Q2	1'53.106 Jorge Martín (See here)
Warm up	1'54.482 Johann Zarco (See here)
Course	Quartararo, Zarco, Martin (See here)
All time lap record	1'52.772 Francesco Bagnaia 2021 (See here)

When the red lights go out... Franco Morbidelli et Joan mir set off first to clean the track.

Most drivers use hard tires so as not to spoil the others in these expectedly difficult track conditions...

While Darryn Binder suffers from a loose lower fairing, the first reference is entered by Aleix Espargaro before fabio quartararo at the end of the first flying lap, in 1'56.975. The Aprilia rider improved to 1'56.225 on the next pass, then to 1'55.815 and 1'55.378 straight away: a great start to the session for the Noale representative!

After a quarter of an hour, the first drivers return to the box, which allows us to observe the first very provisional hierarchy made up of Aleix I will espargaro before Marc Márquez, Franco Morbidelli, Alex Rins, Johann Zarco, Enea Bastianini, Jack Miller, Fabio Quartararo, Pol Espargaró, Jorge Martín, Maverick Viñales, Takaaki Nakagami, Francesco Bagnaia, Álex Márquez, Miguel Oliveira, Andrea Dovizioso, Raúl Fernández, Joan Mir , Fabio Di Giannantonio, Remy Gardner, Marco Bezzecchi, Luca Marini, Darryn Binder and Brad Binder.

Upon resumption, Joan mir places his GSX-RR in fifth position, just behind that of his teammate. For the moment, the Suzukis have the best top speeds…

Everyone always works on a hard rear tire, except for the two official Hondas, the Ducatis of Jorge Martin and the one at Fabio DiGiannantonio who prefer the medium. The latter makes a minor mistake in turn #3 when Alex Rins takes third position, Miguel Oliveira of the sixth.

The paddock rustles with the rumor of a refusal of the Ducati 2022 engine by Francis Bagnaia which would have forced Borgo Panigale to quickly approve three types of different engines...

Eight minutes from the checkered flag, Joan mir improves the reference to 1'55.371, with a maximum speed of 350,6 km/h.

Five minutes from the end of the session, Alex Rins is the first to come out tender, at the moment when Francis Bagnaia by a minor fault at turn #6.

Alex Rins logically takes command of the session, in 1'55.278 before improving by a thousandth on the next pass.

No one else is using the soft tires but that doesn't stop Franco Morbidelli to climb into second position, then Takaaki Nakagami to take provisional pole position in 1′ 54.907.

We think we'll stop there but, surprise, Brad Binder beats everyone to the post in 1'54.851 on the medium rear tire!

See you at 16 p.m. for FP2 live!

Ranking of FP1 of the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix on the Losail/Lusail circuit: 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com