Qatar – Tests: R. Fernandez the fastest, the French fail in Q1

• The Aprilias are in great form at Losail, and Raul Fernandez confirms his excellent start to the weekend by dominating the Qatar Grand Prix Practice with a time of 1:52.843 which propels him into Q2. Fabio di Giannantonio is right on his heels and takes second place, 49 thousandths behind the Spaniard's time.
• Maverick Vinales (+0.093) and Aleix Espargaro (+0.190) also qualify their machines for the second qualifying session with the 3rd and 5th times, while Miguel Oliveira will be the only driver from the manufacturer to go through Q1 this Saturday, having signed the 19th time.
• As for the title contenders, Jorge Martín took the 7th time of the session, just ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (8th). They therefore both secure a quieter Saturday before competing against each other during the Sprint.
• If Marc Marquez's Friday was complicated, there is reason to rejoice at the conclusion of this day for the No. 93 which takes 10th place.
• Brad Binder (4th), Luca Marini (6th), and Augusto Fernandez (9th) will also be able to take a breather after Free Practice 2.
• The French did not shine during this driving session. After his excellent second place in the morning, Johann Zarco cannot do better than 16th, while Quarterly finished 21st, just ahead of Takaaki Nakagami who closed the rankings just like at the end of the first Free Practices.
• Marco Bezzecchi, Joan Mir and Enea Bastianini will also fight to secure one of the first two places in Q1.
• Meet this Saturday afternoon from 13:00 p.m. to follow Free Practice 2, followed by the qualifying sessions.

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Ranking MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix Testing

Qatar Grand Prix practice rankings

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