Qatar MotoGP test: Petrucci tops wasted final day
Tech3 KTM’s Danilo Petrucci topped a final day of the Qatar MotoGP test ruined by high winds, with only five riders posting lap times.
High winds around the Losail International Circuit had blown a lot of sand from the surrounding Qatar desert onto the track, with no one bothering to post a lap time in the opening hour of running.
Petrucci ventured out in the second hour on his KTM, but only did two laps, the fastest of which – a 2m01.308s - around eight seconds off the outright test best set by Ducati’s Jack Miller on Wednesday.
The lack of action continued throughout the day, with KTM’s Brad Binder venturing out for a lap with just under four hours to go before immediately pitting.
With just over three hours of the session remaining, Honda’s Pol Espargaro moved ahead of Petrucci with a 2m01.303s but soon returned to the pitlane.
The session was red-flagged about half an hour later as the marshals were sent on track to try and clear the sand away.
Their efforts, however, weren’t enough to prompt a mass exodus from the pits, with Petrucci and Honda’s Stefan Bradl venturing out again when the session resumed.
Petrucci managed to improve to a still unspectacular 1m58.157s, with Bradl slotting in behind him 1.275 seconds adrift.
The pair were eventually joined by LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami, Binder and Espargaro, with the order on the timesheets reflecting that.
Factory Yamaha duo Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo did come out later in the session, but only to try a couple of practice starts – an area the former has been focusing on during the second test.
The session closed with Petrucci heading Bradl, while Nakagami slotted into third with a 1m59.814s ahead of Binder and Espargaro.
Miller’s unofficial outright Losail lap record of 1m53.183s kept him top of the combined test timesheets, with Vinales trailing him following his Thursday-topping 1m53.244s.
Much of the MotoGP paddock will remain in Qatar for the next three weeks (though some riders will return home before the opening round) and will observe strict COVID-19 bubble protocols.
The Qatar Grand Prix kicks off the season on 28 March, while the inaugural Doha GP – a last-minute edition to replace the postponed US and Argentine races – will run at the same venue a week later.
Next weekend the Moto2 and Moto3 paddock will have three days of testing at Losail ahead of the opening round of 2021.
2021 Yamaha MotoGP bike “ready” to race – Vinales
MotoGP champion Mir only "70%" ready for start of 2021 season
2022 MotoGP title fight now “very tight”, says Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro believes the current MotoGP championship picture following the British Grand Prix has set up “a very, very tight” title battle.
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season are being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
Marc Marquez to return to MotoGP paddock at Austrian GP for Honda progress update
Marc Marquez will return to the MotoGP paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix to check up on Honda’s progress as he continues his own rehabilitation.
Rins “destroyed” after “not normal” grip issues end Silverstone MotoGP win hopes
Suzuki’s Alex Rins says he was “destroyed” after a “not normal” drop in grip shuffled him from the lead of the MotoGP British Grand Prix to seventh by the end.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special