The wind with which Saturday began in Qatar has worsened the track conditions at the Losail circuit and this has prevented In MotoGP FP3, Alex Rins’ Friday time could be lowered. For this reason, there has been little change in positions among the top ten places that give direct access to Q2 of this Qatar GP, the first of the 2022 season, but there has been a significant one. And it is that the notable improvement in the last breath of Enea Bastianini, from eleventh to fifth place, has sent the reigning champion to Q1, a Fabio Quartararo who has not shied away from showing his disappointment.
The one from Yamaha, who was already very critical of his factory in the preseason, pointing out that they had only taken half a step forward while his rivals two, fell to eleventh place, which condemns him to go through Q1 purgatory, where the two best achieve access to the final session in which the first twelve places on the grid are decided. Last year, the Frenchman only went through the purgatory that this playoff entails throughout the season, in Misano 2, where he was later proclaimed champion, and now he begins his first title defense with the obligation to row against the current.
Those who will see calmlyQ1 from his box waiting for his turn will be the first ten of the combined free practice: Rins, Márquez, Mir, Martín, Bastianini, Pol, Morbidelli, Bagnaia, Miller and Aleix. We must highlight the slight improvement of Bagnaia, who started FP3 tenth, marking the limit, and managed to climb two positions. For a moment he was eleventh, when The Beast took a first jump forward, but his lap was immediately canceled for stepping on the green at the exit of the curve from the entrance to the finish line.
MotoGP FP3 in Qatar.
MotoGP
In addition to Quartararo, Brad Binder, Nakagami, Oliveira, Zarco, Dovizioso, Álex Márquez, Maverick, Marini, Fernández, Bezzecchi, Di Giannantonio, Gardner and Darryn Binder will also pass through Q1.