Francesco Bagnaia, Qatar MotoGP test, 20 February
Francesco Bagnaia, Qatar MotoGP test, 20 February

2024 Qatar MotoGP - Friday Practice - LIVE UPDATES!

The 2024 MotoGP season gets underway with Friday Practice in Qatar.

Because of wet weather, it was confirmed: "Practice 2 has become FP2 and times will not co꧂unt towards Q2, instead that session will now be 🐬Saturday morning. This evenings session is also reduced from an hour down to 45 minutes."

Jorge Mܫart🦩in went fastest in the first session on Friday.

Taking place on day-one of the Qatar round is the official Ducati debut 🔥for Marc Marquez, while Pedro Acosta also gets his premier class career off and running with KTM.

The Ducati GP24 trio of Francesco Bagnaia,𝔍 Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin are widely tipped to be at the front this weekend.

Who will challenge them? A🙈prilia and KTM are the factories determined to fight the dominant Ducatis.

For Yamaha and Honda, the Qatar MotoGP is ✅the first step in th💟eir recovery.

17:55
Marc Marquez top in FP2

That's a wrap in FP2 at the Qatar MotoGP as Marc Marquez leads the way ahead of A.♈ Fernandez, Acosta, Miller and Brad Binder.

17:52

Acosta is off circuit and in the gravel at turn oneও after getting caught out under braking. It was not a crash for the rookie. ๊;

17:42

It's raining again! This is incredible stuff as a 🌌dry weekend was forecast. 

17:41
Marc Marquez is proving tough to beat as FP2 enters the final 15 minutes

Marཧc Marquez still leads the way from the tw𓂃o GASGAS Tech 3 KTM riders. 

17:36

KTM's stranglehold on top spot is broken and it's Marc Marquez wh🐼o goes fastest. 

17:28

Scrap that, the GASGAS Tech 3 duo have gone quicker with Fernandez ahead of Aco🐓sta.

17:28

One of the best riders in tricky conditions, Miller has now gone fastest ahead of Acost𒀰a. Miller's time is a 2:07.263s.

17:26

Marc Marquez breaks up KTM's dominance at the front as he goes third, splitting Fernandez and Mi🦹ller. 

17:24

He's doing it ag𝔍ain - dr🌠y or wet - Pedro Acosta is currently fastest for KTM.

17:20

Lap times are still way off that of FP1 as Augusto Fernandez lead🌼s the way currently. 

17:15

The r🐟ain has stopped but the track remains ver♎y wet. 

17:12

FP2 is underway in Qatar. Again,♔ lap times will not count in this session towards Q2.&nbs🧸p;

17:10

Update: Practice 2 has become FP2 and times will not count towards Q2, instead that session will now♕ be Saturday morning. This ev🌠enings session is also reduced from an hour down to 45 minutes.

17:00
Spray

You can real🅰ly see how the wet track is affecting things during the current session.

Moto2 practice is ending right now.

Which means the MotoGP session is coming up.

But whi🅘ch riders will be suited to the wet? And how does it change plans for teams throughout the we𝕴ekend?

16:50
New start time

A 10-minute delay expected for MotoGP Practice due to the w🃏eather.

That's 5.10pm UK / 8.10pm local

16:38
It's raining! Who expected that?

Full details here

16:29

In fact, Practice 2 will take a bit longer to get sta🌃rted following a delay in the Moto3 sessions. There has𒊎 also been very, very heavy rain.

16:27

After topping FP1, can Jorge Martin keep his place atop the practice leaderboard? Seconꦯd practice where the top ten riders will advance directly to Q2 begins in just over 30 minutes.&nbsꦜp;

13:33
That's it for FP1 as Jorge Martin leads the way

Martin to💃ps FP1 ahead of Aleix Espargaro 𓂃and Acosta. Marc Marquez finishes fourth with Binder fifth fastest. 

13:28

Martin will no🌞t be denied as he goes quickest once again.

13:27

Big moment for Acosta as he loses the front-end at turn one bꦿefore saving it.&ꦿnbsp;

13:27
Acosta leads from Marc Marquez heading into the final stages

Marc Marquez♋ spli📖ts the KTM's as he goes second behind Acosta!

13:24

This is brilliant stuff from ꦦAcosta as he goes nearly two tenths cle𝓡ar of Binder with seven minutes to go.