Fabio Di Giannantonio tops Qatar practice, Marquez second
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 6, 2026
Friday practice sets the order
Di Giannantonio topped Friday practice at Lusail with a new lap record, and Marquez again chased him home in second. Di Giannantonio’s 1 minute, 50.406-second lap put him 0.142 seconds clear of Marquez and left the Ducati rider at the front of the sheet after a session that kept tightening near the end. Marquez regrouped after a chain failure and returned on his second bike, then answered with a final-lap time of 1 minute, 50.548 seconds to lock in second. Marco Bezzecchi took third, Francesco Bagnaia finished fourth and Jorge Martin completed the top seven after making the cut for Q2. Pedro Acosta ended up 14th and missed out on a direct place in the second qualifying session. The order at the sharp end gave Friday practice a different look than the opening session, but Di Giannantonio left no doubt where the pace sat when the checkered flag fell.
Marquez stays in title hunt
Marquez arrived in Qatar with a 44-point championship lead and the chance to clinch his eighth MotoGP title before the weekend ended. The math was clear. He could secure the crown if he outscored Martin by 30 points and Bezzecchi by eight. Marquez said the championship was not finished and his chance to clinch the title in Qatar was still far, even after another strong showing on Friday. His pace backed up that stance. He led FP1 earlier in the day with a 1:52.278 lap and finished 0.110 seconds ahead of Bezzecchi before sliding to second in the later practice session behind Di Giannantonio. That combination of speed and recovery kept him near the top in every run and showed that the title picture could move quickly if he keeps matching the front-runners. Marquez did not look rattled by the chain failure in practice. He came back, found speed on the spare bike and stayed in the fight for the day’s fastest time. The result left him in a strong position, even if the title door remained open rather than closed.
Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta
Jorge Martin made a sharp return to action in Qatar and finished fifth in FP1 after being cleared to race Friday morning despite a broken right wrist. He then backed that up with seventh in Friday practice and a place in Q2, which gave him a useful foothold in a weekend that began with uncertainty over his condition. Pedro Acosta also showed front-running speed early, taking fourth in FP1 before a late mechanical issue with his KTM/RC16 ended that session early. He slipped to 14th in Friday practice and did not qualify directly for Q2, leaving him with more work ahead after a promising start. Jake Dixon and Brad Binder both crashed early in FP1, though both were reported OK. The first session also showed how close the field was around the leaders, with Marquez setting the pace and Bezzecchi close behind before Di Giannantonio took over later in the day. Across the two sessions, Lusail gave a clear picture of the order at the front. Di Giannantonio owned the best single lap, Marquez stayed in control of the title chase and Martin and Acosta left enough on the table to keep the weekend open.
