• Franco Morbidelli clocks the quickest lap time of the afternoon session aboard VR46 Racing Team’s Ducati machine, with his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio in fourth position. Alex Márquez completes an all-Ducati top five in fifth place with the Desmosedici GP machine of the Gresini Racing Team
The standard-bearers of the Ducati Lenovo Team, Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez, were second and third, respectively, at the end of the opening day of action at Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit, the venue hosting the third Grand Prix of the season.
Bagnaia made it to the top of the timesheets with 12 minutes left, becoming the first rider to break the 1’51” barrier, but was eventually leapfrogged by Morbidelli in the final seconds. Márquez, who was the quickest rider in the opening session, was only 0.022 seconds slower than his teammate and around one and a half tenths adrift of first position.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow at 15:00 local time (GMT +3) for Free Practice 2, which will be followed by Q2 (16:05) and by the 11-lap fourth Sprint Race of the season, which gets underway at 20:00.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd
“It was the best Friday of the year so far, as well as the best day overall regarding the feeling with the bike. I’m happy: we worked really well and made a further step forward between the two sessions. I must say that this track suits my style well, which obviously helps; today I was able to do what I wanted without overdoing it, and that’s something that happens when everything is under control. In any case, it’s too soon to see where we’re really at.”
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“Today was super. I’m very happy, considering the track. I was expecting a bigger gap from Pecco and Alex (Márquez), as they’re usually very quick here. We started off well and I felt comfortable, even more so with used tyres rather than fresh ones. At the moment, I’m lapping on my own and trying to tweak my riding here and there, as this track doesn’t necessarily suit my style. We had a good start, so let’s wait and see what the next two days will bring.”
