Qatar, Marquez ahead of Bezzecchi. Martin returns and finishes 5th in free practice

Friday at the Qatar GP gets under way with Marc Marquez out in front of everyone. In the morning free practice, the Ducati rider laps in 1'52"278 and beats Marco Bezzecchi by 110 thousandths, in a start that immediately lines up the two benchmarks in the Ducati and Aprilia battle at Lusail. Behind them Fabio Di Giannantonio finishes third, while Pedro Acosta is fourth before running into a technical problem at the end of the session.

The most anticipated news is Jorge Martin’s return to the track, back after the broken radius he sustained in Australia. The Aprilia rider gets the doctors’ green light, completes 16 laps and finishes in fifth place, behind Acosta and ahead of Pecco Bagnaia. For him the morning session gives encouraging signs, even if work over the distance remains the point to be checked for the rest of the weekend.

Pre-qualifying

In the afternoon the standings change. Di Giannantonio sets the fastest time of pre-qualifying in 1'50"406 and leaves Marquez 142 thousandths behind, with Bezzecchi third at 260 and Bagnaia fourth. For Marquez, however, there is no shortage of a difficult moment: 25 minutes from the end the chain on his Ducati breaks and the World Championship leader has to return to the pits for repairs.

Martin confirms the pace from the morning and finishes seventh, securing a place in Q2. Just ahead of him are Raul Fernandez and Enea Bastianini, while the top 10 is completed by Zarco, Ogura and Binder. Franco Morbidelli is 12th, Luca Marini 13th and they will have to go through Q1, the same route taken by Pedro Acosta after the technical problems suffered on the KTM.

The day's picture

Lusail’s first day therefore tells of an immediately heated balance between Ducati and Aprilia. Marquez opens Friday with the benchmark in free practice, Bezzecchi stays in his wake and Martin returns to the track after the doctors’ green light, immediately finding fifth place in the morning and direct qualification to Q2 in the evening session. Di Giannantonio, however, is the name that ends pre-qualifying on top and takes the day’s fastest time.