Morbidelli fastest in MotoGP’s first practice session of 2021

Petronas Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli led Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro in the opening practice session of the 2021 MotoGP season in Qatar.

The session, held on a visibly dusty track in daytime conditions that aren’t normally representative of qualifying or the race, produced laptimes nearly two seconds off the best efforts from the five days of testing at this same Losail International Circuit venue earlier this month.

MotoGP’s 2020 runner-up Morbidelli spent the vast majority of the session at the top of the charts, setting the initial pace with a 1m55.266s and then lowering that to a 1m55.092s that would stand as the best lap until the final moments of FP1.

This was when Espargaro, having gone 0.015s slower than Morbidelli with his previous attempt, found an extra half a tenth to briefly take Aprilia to the top spot – only for a 1m54.921s from Morbidelli to deny the Noale manufacturer the headlines.

Test pace-setter Jack Miller was one of three Ducati riders to hit the deck during the session, falling at the Turn 4 right-hander at the halfway point. This was virtually a copycat crash to one endured by his Pramac replacement Johann Zarco at the same corner three minutes into the session.

Miller recovered, however, to round out the top three, ahead of new Yamaha works rider Fabio Quartararo and Suzuki’s reigning champion Joan Mir, who both moved up the order at the chequered flag.

The other two Yamahas joined Morbidelli and Quartararo in the top nine, with Maverick Vinales sixth and Valentino Rossi ninth, split by Mir’s Suzuki team-mate Alex Rins and the other works Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia.

KTM showed improved pace relative to its difficult pre-season test, with Miguel Oliveira propping up the top 10, just ahead of LCR Honda rider Alex Marquez.

Marquez was the quickest of the Hondas despite having fractured his toe in a testing crash. His replacement in the factory team, Pol Espargaro, had a relatively difficult first practice session in Repsol Honda colours, punctuated by a crash at the Turn 6 left-hander.

The only other crash came from the reigning Moto2 champion, Avintia Ducati rider Enea Bastianini, who fell at Turn 1 in the final minute.

Practice 1 Results