MotoGP: Three things we learned from Friday in Qatar

The first day of action has concluded in Qatar with surprises at the top and frustration brewing for some Championship contenders. Let’s have a look at three things we learned on Friday.

Aprilia on top

The Aprilia factory had an incredibly successful day, with Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) at the top of the time sheets. The young Spaniard completed 20 laps in the one-hour Practice session, setting a time of 1:52.843. Fernandez completed five runs, setting his quickest time on the soft tyre.

The factory duo had a great day under the floodlights, with Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) provisionally breaking the lap record. The time was taken away and dropped down to third at the end of the session.

His teammate, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), had a great day, finishing inside the top five in Practice. Espargaro had a small crash at the beginning of the day but would not affect his confidence. On the final Aprilia was Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team), who admitted to having the pace but made too many mistakes.

Rain falling on Thursday

Heavy rain fell in Qatar on Thursday evening after the important media day for the press. This resulted in the surrounding roads being flooded outside the circuits as well as surrounding hotels.

On Friday morning, this meant there was a very green circuit (low grip), resulting in a tight racing line. The first session for all three classes was sketchy, with riders cautiously circulating around the track.

Many riders crashed, including Aleix Espargaro, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati). The circuit is likely to be swept again before the end of the weekend.

If the rain were to fall this weekend, we could see a delay or a cancellation of the session. MotoGP has only experienced this twice, with the 2009 race pushed to Monday due to rain and 2017’s qualifying session cancelled. The issue is the reflection/glare due to the floodlights.

Tensions brewing in the paddock

Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) had multiple moments throughout the day. Espargaro and Bezzecchi were close to making contact with each other.

Frustrations brewed after the session was completed, with Bezzecchi hitting the back of the GASGAS machine. The Italian proceeded to run into the back a further four times before eventually riding away.

Jorge Martin had his own frustrations after becoming another victim of the tight racing line. After running wide multiple times, Martin had near crashes on the dirty side of the circuit, left from the rain. This left a very frustrated Jorge Martin, who continues to chase Bagnaia in the Championship.

Two days remain, with 14 points separating Martin and Bagnaia in the MotoGP World Championship. After the Malaysian Grand Prix, Baganaia and Martin both had a tyre pressure warning. This means both riders will receive a penalty if they break the limit again. It could be a title-changing weekend in Qatar, with no more rain expected for the remainder of the round.

Image credit: motogp.com