Martin, Espargaro, Acosta & Marc Marquez steal the headlines on Day 1

March 8, 2024

Rain? In Qatar? You read that right, sometimes it even rains in the desert.

The heavens opened on Friday evening, meaning Day 1’s usual Q2-deciding Practice session was switched with Free Practice 2. That sets us up for a bumper opening Saturday of the year, but there are no less headlines to enjoy from Friday. Where should we start?

FP1, fittingly, delivered the first thrills of the day. In the full dry, a late flurry of quick laps saw a familiar name come out on top: 2023 silver medallist Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing). Compatriot Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was less than a tenth shy of Martin in P2 to further signal he’s getting on very well with the 2024-spec RS-GP. And then came Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3)…

The rookie sensation only continues to deserve the moniker and he made sure of that on more than just the timesheets in FP1. A save, a cheeky move on Espargaro and a dazzling laptime within 0.071 of the top ain’t bad for 45 minutes work. He was also quick in the wet. Team boss Herve Poncharal remained eternally quotable from pitlane: “He is special, he is different, he is better.”

Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), meanwhile, took fourth in the dry FP1 and then topped the wet session. Another reason to raise some eyebrows in anticipation for qualifying. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounded out a top five that was split by just 0.265s, with Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) also impressing on his debut with a different factory in P6, heading the Honda charge.

Then came 2022 Qatar winner Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) ahead of 2023 winner Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking P9. So where’s Pecco?Reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed a tricky first session of the season in P10. The #1 encountered some issues at the start of the session and with a blockbuster Saturday appearing on the horizon, will be hoping to move forward with a big step in Practice. Something we have more than seen him pull off before.

So on to the wet. It was Marc Marquez who topped the 45-minute session with a 2:06.544, with the eight-time World Champion finishing ahead of Red Bull KTM GASGAS Tech3 sophomore Augusto Fernandez, who impressed. But then came Pedro. Despite the completely different conditions, Acosta made it a double set of P3s on Friday.

Check out the full results below and make sure to come back for more on Saturday. With the addition of the Tissot Sprint across the calendar in 2023, it became Super Saturday already. But the 9th of Marc 2024 will see it hit another level as Q2 entrants are decided, the grid positions are set, and then the lights go out for the first Sprint of the year – all in one magnificent day of MotoGP™ action.