Di Giannantonio sets Lusail record in MotoGP Qatar pre-qualifying, Marquez second

Di Giannantonio sets the Lusail record

Fabio Di Giannantonio, riding for VR46 Racing, was fastest in the pre-qualifying session at Lusail on Friday, 6 November, with a time of 1'50.406, a new absolute lap record for the circuit. Marc Marquez finished second on his Ducati, and Marco Bezzecchi was third on an Aprilia, ahead of Francesco Bagnaia. Bagnaia took fourth, and La Repubblica noted that he had not been this quick for some time. Jorge Martin placed seventh. Three years earlier Di Giannantonio had won at this track unexpectedly, a result that earned him a MotoGP contract for the following seasons.

Di Giannantonio110.406

Marquez110.548

Di Giannantonio

110.406 seconds

Marquez

110.548 seconds

Data from the article text

Marquez's chain failure

Marquez, the championship leader, has the chance to win his tenth world title this weekend, but his session was briefly disrupted. According to Fanpage, citing images from MotoGP's official account, his Ducati lost its chain on a flying lap with a little under half an hour left in the session. The chain came off, the rear wheel lost its drive, and Marquez had to slow and stop near the pit lane entrance. Crash.net reported that the chain also damaged an aerodynamic part near the rear wheel, and the causes of the failure have not yet been established. Ducati mechanics worked on the damaged bike while Marquez rejoined on his second GP26 with about 18 minutes remaining. He first posted 1:50.925, then improved to 1:50.548 on his final attempt, which gave him second place and a direct pass to Q2.

Martin, Acosta and the rest of the order

Jorge Martin, who is racing with a fractured right wrist, took seventh after a cautious first session and advances directly to Q2, according to La Repubblica. ANSA said he returned to the track in record time after the fracture, and the agency reported that the Aprilia rider had received medical clearance and looked to be improving. Ducati and Aprilia share the leading positions on the virtual grid. Bastianini was sixth on a KTM, while Zarco on a Honda and Binder on another KTM also advanced. Pedro Acosta was 14th, 1.2 seconds off the pace, and it is the first time this year that he has finished in Q1. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, 7 November, followed by the Sprint race.