The Ducati Lenovo Team opened the Qatar MotoGP weekend with both riders through to Q2. Marc Márquez finished second in Practice and Francesco Bagnaia fourth at Lusail, where Fabio Di Giannantonio topped the timesheets on the VR46 Racing Team Ducati and set a new outright lap record at the circuit.

Márquez had already led FP1 and became the first rider to break the 1'51 barrier in Practice. He ended the session 0.142 seconds behind the fastest time of the day. Bagnaia arrived from sixth in Free Practice and moved up to fourth in the afternoon, maintaining strong pace on the Desmosedici GP and staying among the leading riders throughout the session.

The schedule at Lusail

The next day of track action begins with Free Practice 2 at 14:00 local time (GMT+3). Q2 is scheduled for 15:05, followed by the 11-lap Qatar Sprint at 19:00. With both Ducati Lenovo riders already safely into Q2, the team can turn its attention to maximising the qualifying result and carrying that position into the Sprint.

Márquez said the team had achieved its aim of running near the front and added that qualifying would offer a clearer indication of his Sprint prospects. Bagnaia was especially encouraged by the work done with used tyres. He also said Lusail’s layout and grip reminded him of Brno, giving him better rear support and helping his performance improve consistently through the session.