Ducati Lenovo’s Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia in action on the second day of the Qatar MotoGP pre-season Test at the Lusail International Circuit, yesterday. AFP
Doha, Qatar: Double world champion Francesco Bagnaia appears to be the top contender to win the MotoGP crown again.
After dominating the Sepang testing 10 days ago, the Ducati star led two days of Qatar MotoGP Test at the Lusail International Circuit (LIC) leaving a resounding message to his rivals: catch me if you can!
The 27-year-old Italian ended the test with a remarkable 1:50.952 lap time, marking a historic moment as the first sub-1:51 lap ever recorded on two wheels at the tricky Lusail circuit.
Bagnaia’s achievement sets the stage for an electrifying start to the season with MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix 2024 scheduled on March 10.
The world champion was accompanied by teammate Enea Bastianini at the top, while Aleix Espargaro and his Aprilia once again maintained pace with the 2024 Desmosedicis to round out the top three.
Indeed, it has proven an exceptional Test for the Bologna bullets, with six of their seven full time riders in Qatar finishing inside the top 10.
That includes Marc Marquez, who has started to give a glimpse of what he can do with the Ducati on one lap, claiming fourth on the timesheets, though he did suffer his first crash as a Gresini rider with just over 20 minutes left in the Test.
Prima Pramac’s Jorge Martin claimed P7, while it proved a very positive Test at the VR46 garage.
Marco Bezzecchi didn’t enjoy the best of times in Sepang, but on Day 2 here in Qatar, he was the first rider to go under Luca Marini’s Official Lap Record, while Fabio Di Giannantonio’s incredible testing form continued with both riders sitting inside the top 10.
Yesterday’s Test Times at Lusail
1. Francesco Bagnaia
(ITA/Ducati) 1min 50.952sec
2. Enea Bastianini
(ITA/Ducati) at 0.120sec
3. Aleix Espargaro
(ESP/Aprilia) 0.308
4. Marc Marquez
(ESP/Ducati-Gresini) 0.383
5. Raul Fernandez
(ESP/Aprilia-Trackhouse) 0.389
6. Maverick Viñales
(ESP/Aprilia) 0.435
7. Jorge Martin
(ESP/Ducati-Pramac) 0.514
8. Fabio Di Giannantonio
(ITA/Ducati-VR46) 0.537
9. Brad Binder
(RSA/KTM) 0.631
10. Marco Bezzecchi
(ITA/Ducati-VR46) 0.726
