Submitted by David Emmett on
Aleix Espargaro has ended the first day of testing for the MotoGP class at Qatar on top of the timesheets. The 2021 Aprilia RS-GP is capable of posting a fast lap, as Espargaro lapped under the race lap record.
Stefan Bradl ended the day as second, the Repsol Honda rider just a quarter of a second slower than the Aprilia. Reigning world champion Joan Mir finished in third, just a few hundredths behind Bradl, and just ahead of factory Ducati rider Jack Miller. Miguel Oliviera was fastest KTM rider in fifth, ahead of Johann Zarco on the Pramac Ducati, while Franco Morbidelli was the fastest Yamaha in seventh.
Alex Rins set the eight fastest time on the second Suzuki, half a second behind Aleix Espargaro, and just a bit ahead of Maverick Viñales. Alex Marquez was the fastest official Honda rider, the LCR rider ending the day in tenth.
Times at the end of day 1:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Diff | Prev |
| 1 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'54.687 | ||
| 2 | 6 | Stefan Bradl | Honda | 1'54.943 | 0.256 | 0.256 |
| 3 | 36 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 1'54.980 | 0.293 | 0.037 |
| 4 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'55.022 | 0.335 | 0.042 |
| 5 | 88 | Miguel Oliveira | KTM | 1'55.084 | 0.397 | 0.062 |
| 6 | 5 | Johann Zarco | Ducati | 1'55.110 | 0.423 | 0.026 |
| 7 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha | 1'55.174 | 0.487 | 0.064 |
| 8 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'55.198 | 0.511 | 0.024 |
| 9 | 12 | Maverick Viñales | Yamaha | 1'55.259 | 0.572 | 0.061 |
| 10 | 73 | Alex Marquez | Honda | 1'55.278 | 0.591 | 0.019 |
| 11 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | Honda | 1'55.467 | 0.780 | 0.189 |
| 12 | 33 | Brad Binder | KTM | 1'55.535 | 0.848 | 0.068 |
| 13 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'55.572 | 0.885 | 0.037 |
| 14 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 1'55.584 | 0.897 | 0.012 |
| 15 | 20 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | 1'55.707 | 1.020 | 0.123 |
| 16 | 82 | Yamaha Test2 | Yamaha | 1'55.807 | 1.120 | 0.100 |
| 17 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | Honda | 1'55.878 | 1.191 | 0.071 |
| 18 | 89 | Jorge Martin | Ducati | 1'56.147 | 1.460 | 0.269 |
| 19 | 32 | Lorenzo Savadori | Aprilia | 1'56.511 | 1.824 | 0.364 |
| 20 | 23 | Enea Bastianini | Ducati | 1'56.593 | 1.906 | 0.082 |
| 21 | 81 | Yamaha Test1 | Yamaha | 1'56.641 | 1.954 | 0.048 |
| 22 | 27 | Iker Lecuona | KTM | 1'56.920 | 2.233 | 0.279 |
| 23 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | KTM | 1'56.989 | 2.302 | 0.069 |
| 24 | 10 | Luca Marini | Ducati | 1'57.335 | 2.648 | 0.346 |
| 25 | 50 | Sylvain Guintoli | Suzuki | 1'57.460 | 2.773 | 0.125 |
| 26 | 26 | Dani Pedrosa | KTM | 1'57.617 | 2.930 | 0.157 |
| 27 | 83 | Yamaha Test3 | Yamaha | 1'58.696 | 4.009 | 1.079 |
| 28 | 51 | Michele Pirro | Ducati | 1'58.917 | 4.230 | 0.221 |
| 29 | 85 | Takuya Tsuda | Suzuki | 1'59.693 | 5.006 | 0.776 |
Comments
Close racing indeed
less than 0.03 sec quicker & Franco would have made 6 manufacturers in top 6 times.
0.5 sec covering top 7 riders on 6 diff makes ;))
Worth the wait
As ever, we have waited a long time for the season to start, which means we have the pleasure of reading your reports again David. Here's to an unpredictable and exciting season.