Marc Marquez began MotoGP's Qatar Grand Prix weekend with the fastest time in the opening practice, as Jorge Martin was 20th on his return.
Key moments:
- Marquez in control early on
- Martin easing himself in
- Ducati looks out of reach again
The daytime Friday session in Qatar, which this time began with a track temperature close to 50°C, is mostly used for cleaning and remains of limited value - though under the current MotoGP format it at least matches the time of day that qualifying takes place later in the weekend.
Predictably, Marquez shone on the 'raw' track, leading all through the 45-minute session - and taking himself half a second clear with a 1m52.288s mere moments before the chequred flag.
A late Yellow flag brought out by @jackmilleraus at T4 😱 #QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/UcJ7V6rYoU
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 11, 2025
A Jack Miller crash at Turn 4 robbed Marquez of another chance to improve but that previous lap was plenty good enough to head up a Ducati 1-2-3-4.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez were 0.513s, 0.583s and 0.675s behind him respectively in the end.
Maverick Vinales was fifth for KTM, though his position was seemingly flattered by fresh tyres in the closing minutes of practice (the same being true for Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi in ninth).
Vinales was the only non-Ducati rider in the top seven.
Early troubles for @JohannZarco1 as @88jorgemartin gets his first FP1 mileage in ⚠️✅#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/5RQAjuaLyz
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 11, 2025
Miller's crash aside, it was a relatively uneventful session, with Johann Zarco's bike issue on his first flying lap - which forced him to run back to the pits from the Turn 1 run-off - the only other notable moment.
Martin's return
Having missed virtually the entire pre-season and the first three rounds, Martin placed 20th in the first official session of his title defence.
Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola told MotoGP.com his rider still felt pain from the injuries but was otherwise adjusting well to the bike, and the times bore that out.
After 15 laps of mileage, Martin ended up 1.824s off the pace, ahead of Trackhouse Aprilia's Raul Fernandez and LCR Honda's Somkiat Chantra.
