The MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix practice session ended with an unexpected outcome. During the night session, Raúl Fernández set the fastest time of the day, one of the few riders to clock in the 1m52s.
At the start, Raúl Fernández (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team/Aprilia) led ahead of Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini/MotoGP), with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) in third. While Raúl Fernández solidified his position, there were changes behind him: Pol Espargaró (GasGas Tech3/KTM) rose to second, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) to third.
Lap times continued to evolve, with shuffling positions at the top. Álex Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) secured second place, surpassing Pol Espargaró, and then it was Viñales’s turn. He took the lead 47 minutes before the end. A new leader emerged in the first half-hour: Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team/Aprilia) overtook Viñales. Di Giannantonio closed in a few moments later, trailing the Portuguese by just 14 thousandths.
With 27 minutes remaining, Viñales took the lead again, being the first to clock in the 1m53s. Raúl Fernández was the second, only 0.005s slower than his compatriot.
Di Giannantonio then seized the lead, setting a time in the 1m52s range. Other riders joined the fight for top positions in the following minutes, with Raúl Fernández back in the lead. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) took fourth, and Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) fifth.
Crashes from Pol Espargaró and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) in the final minutes led to canceled laps due to yellow flags, including one from Viñales, which would have been a new record.
Until the end, no one managed to beat Raúl Fernández, with di Giannantonio trailing by 0.049s. Viñales finished third, followed by Binder and Aleix Espargaró completing the top five. Martín and Bagnaia, title contenders, were seventh and eighth, respectively. Marc Márquez secured the last spot in the second qualifying session by finishing tenth, with a 14-millisecond advantage over Miller.
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