Note: The all-time MotoGP lap record for Losail is 1:53.380, which was set by Marc Marquez in 2019.

FIM MotoGP World Championship Official Test

Losail International Circuit

Doha, Qatar

March 7, 2021

Day Two Best Lap Times (all on Michelin tires):

1. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:53.940
2. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:54.017
3. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:54.152
4. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.153
5. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), 1:54.210*
6. Johann Zarco, France (Ducati), 1:54.356
7. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:54.395
8. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.515
9. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.651
10. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.658
11. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:54.666
12. Pol Espargaro, Spain (Honda), 1:54.673
13. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.690
14. Alex Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.952
15. Yamaha Test 1 (Yamaha), 1:55.306*
16. Enea Bastianini, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.486
17. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Aprilia), 1:55.570
18. Luca Marini, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.605
19. Jorge Martin, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.632
20. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:55.708
21. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (KTM), 1:55.795
22. Yamaha Test 2 (Yamaha), 1:55.867
23. Iker Lecuona, Spain (KTM), 1:55.873
24. Brad Binder, South Africa (KTM), 1:55.944
25. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (KTM), 1:56.452*
26. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), 1:56.762*
27. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), 1:57.895*
28. Takuya Tsuda, Japan (Suzuki), 1:58.910*

*=test rider

Yamaha’s test riders include Cal Crutchlow, Katsuyuki Nakasuga, and Kohta Nozane.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Quartararo and Miller split by just 0.077 on Day 2

Yamaha and Ducati depose Aprilia as testing continues in the desert

Sunday, 07 March 2021

Day 2 is done and dusted at the Official MotoGP™ Qatar Test and it’s Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo back in a familiar position: the top. The Frenchman was the first and so far only rider to dip into the 1:53s, but it was mighty close as Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller ended the day less than a tenth off. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was up at the sharp end on the brand-new RS-GP once again, this time in third but just 0.212 off Quartararo.

Sunday ushered in the best conditions the riders have enjoyed since pitlane opened at Losail International Circuit on Friday afternoon, with a bit of wind swirling across the track but nowhere near as much as the previous two days of track action. The improvements came quite early too as by the midway point, HRC test rider Stefan Bradl had beaten Aleix Espargaro’s Day 1 pace. It only got faster from there.

By just over half an hour to play, Quartararo struck in the first 1:53 lap time of the test as the pace intensified under the lights, with Miller slicing up into P2 not long after. That was all Day 2 wrote at the top.

So what was on the agenda barring simple speed? Fastest man Quartararo confirmed late on Saturday evening that Yamaha have a new chassis to try in Qatar, and the Frenchman was trying a carbon swingarm although he said he wasn’t using it when he set his best lap. After struggling to get the feeling on his YZR-M1 in the first “30 or 40 laps”, Quartararo was happy by the end of 59, but said that he needs a little bit more time compared to teammate Maverick Viñales to set that quick lap time from the off on new tyres, and it’s difficult to say whether the new chassis is better or not.

Viñales also confirmed that Yamaha have been trying plenty of things and his main focus so far has been rear grip. Judging from the timesheets, it’s going pretty well for the Iwata factory. Both riders seem to be very pleased with their progress so far with Viñales ending Day 2 in P7, 0.455s from his teammate. It wasn’t a totally slick day for Viñales though as both he and test rider Cal Crutchlow crashed at Qatar’s notorious Turn 2 – both were perfectly ok.

Both Petronas Yamaha SRT men also felt great after Day 1 and although Valentino Rossi’s was in P20 the day after, The Doctor seemed upbeat as he and Yamaha go through plenty of different things to try. After a “great first day at the office”, Morbidelli’s second day at the office also looked to have gone well after finishing up in P4 – a couple of tenths shy of former teammate Quartararo.

Ever the innovators, Ducati were seen with some more new toys on Day 2 in addition to the new aero we’ve seen Michele Pirro, Miller and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) riding wth. A new rear wheel that they’re using to monitor the forces going on at the rear end was seen, but this could just be for testing purposes and it remains to be seen whether this will be something the Bologna brand race with…

Their front-end holeshot device was confirmed today, however, and this is something that Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Suzuki have at their disposal too. The second fastest Ducati on track was Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in P6, with Bagnaia ending the day P9 on the timesheets. Chatting at the end of Day 2, Miller confirmed that he’s enjoying himself on the bike and was able to push a little for a time attack towards the end, and the Australian also ran with the new aero for pretty much the whole day – but hinted that something more is coming soon in classic Ducati preseason style.

Ducati’s trio of rookies were once again out on track finding their feet on the fire breathing Desmosedicis too, and it was reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) who was the fastest of the three on Day 2. The Italian took it by just over a tenth to teammate Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) as the Italians claimed P16 and P18 respectively, a good day for both. Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin, meanwhile, suffered his third crash in three days and completed the least amount of laps of any full-time MotoGP™ rider on the second Official Test day. Martin was perfectly fine after the Turn 16 tumble though and was able to claim P19, only  0.027s behind Marini. All three rookies have impressed so far to finish one and a half seconds off Quartararo’s pace.

Over at Aprilia, the Noale factory tried to play down their Day 1 success but on the evidence that Aleix Espargaro was third fastest on Day 2, there’s plenty of reason to be excited. The entire new package seems to be going well as Aleix Espargaro put 69 more laps on the clock, with teammate Lorenzo Savadori adding 41 to his tally. The latter finished P17, 1.630 seconds away from top spot.

Aleix Espargaro explained that he did a long run to understand what the bike is going to be like over race distance, and he had good reports but said he and Aprilia need to find a way to enable him to ride it more relaxed as the new bike is more physical than last year. The number 41 improved by half a second though and as expected, they’ve been trying lots of different things. Overall, it was a happy Aleix Espargaro with three days of pre-season testing left.

At Honda, there was some new aero to try on Day 2 and all four riders were seen sporting the new fairing during Sunday’s action. Repsol-liveried duo Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro were sitting pretty at the top of the timesheets at the halfway point as the latter’s adaption from KTM to Honda continues to be smooth. Eventually, Espargaro finished the Day in P12 after another 62 laps under his belt on the RC213V, with Bradl continuing to mix it with the top times to finish P5 and impress once again.

LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez crashed unhurt twice on Day 2, one at Turn 16 and one at Turn 2. Teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) also went down, the Japanese rider suffering his second crash of the Test – also at Turn 2 – but he too was ok. The duo were seen on Honda’s new fairing and finished together on the timesheets, P12 for Nakagami and P13 for Alex Marquez. Nakagami confirmed that some areas of the new fairings were good, others less so, with more testing needed to understand them better.

As aforementioned, Team Suzuki Ecstar were one of five teams to bring a front-end holeshot device to the Qatar Test. World Champion Joan Mir and teammate Alex Rins were both comfortably sitting inside the top 10 heading into the final hour of the day, with test riders Sylvain Guintoli and Takuya Tsuda out lapping as well. A new chassis is on the agenda for the Hamamatsu factory as well as some other as yet unconfirmed parts, but so far it looks like all is well in the silver and blue ranks as they packed up early on Day 2.

Mir confirmed that he enjoyed his second day on track, rediscovering his feeling from 2020 was on the agenda and the number 36 did exactly that. One of Mir’s main aims is to improve his qualifying pace, but the Spaniard said today wasn’t the day to properly delve into that. Rins confirmed he tried a new swingarm which made the bike a little more stable, and the number 42 also tried the 2022 engine that Guintoli has been testing. Great reviews, especially on top speed, were given.

KTM were another manufacturer that debuted a new fairing today in Doha. This was narrower than the previous one and it was pictured on Miguel Oliveira’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine, with initial feelings seeming positive. However, with the wind, the word was that it’s difficult to properly tell how useful it is. Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on circuit though, claiming P11, 0.726s from Quartararo.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), meanwhile, described his day as a “little bit challenging” and suffered two crashes towards the end of the day. The South African was fine and although P24 on the timesheets, he confirmed everything is running pretty smoothly. The number 33 also ran with the updated fairing. Danilo Petrucci and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing teammate Iker Lecuona were P21 and P23 respectively, a quiet day for the orange men as Petrucci settles in and Lecuona starts only his second MotoGP™ season.

That’s it for now! There are now two days of downtime before the action returns on the 10th of March in Qatar, but in the meantime keep up to date with all the latest happenings across MotoGP™ social media and on motogp.com!

More, from a press release issued by Tech3 KTM Factory Racing:

Second day of testing in 2021 sees pleasing improvements by Petrucci and Lecuona

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing showed progress throughout day two at the Losail International Circuit. Following an intense debut yesterday in Qatar, the team’s new addition Danilo Petrucci managed to refine his feeling aboard the KTM RC16, which reflected in a steady improvement in lap times with nearly each run on Sunday. At the end of the opening test, the Italian went 1.194 seconds quicker than the previous day.

Likewise, Iker Lecuona increased his pace on the second day. The Spanish youngster, who secured several top 10 finishes in his rookie season 2020, tried different solutions with his KTM RC16 and concluded the first official test of the year 0.078 seconds behind his teammate. Both Tech3 KTM Factory Racing riders aim to step forward even further during the second official test at the Qatari venue, which takes place next Wednesday until Friday.

Danilo Petrucci
 

Position: 21st

Time: 1:55.795

Laps: 51

“Today has been another intense day of working. I’m understanding the bike better day by day. We tried something that works, but it’s clear, that we need some more time, as the challenge is quite tough. Unfortunately, I crashed this evening and I’m really sorry for that. Overall, I’m happy about the improvements we made today. For sure, we are still quite far from where we want to be, but we have three days left next week, where we need to use the time we have available to the best and then I think we can be competitive. We improved the lap time a lot today, but it’s still not enough. I would like to say thanks to my team for the hard work. We have to continue like this.”

Iker Lecuona
 

Position: 23rd

Time: 1:55.873

Laps: 38

“I tried many things on the bike for KTM and also for myself. I continued to improve my performance, mainly with my riding style in order to readapt myself to the bike. Also, with the temperature I felt more confident tonight than yesterday, so I’m quite satisfied about this regard. I didn’t check the result throughout the day, as I was fully focused on my performance and my work. We still have three test days to go faster, so we will see what happens next week.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

The Repsol Honda Team up their pace in Qatar

It proved to be another productive evening in Qatar, both riders improving their overall speed and trying a raft of options on the RC213V machines as times continued to tighten among the top riders.

Having started well yesterday, both sides of the Repsol Honda Team garage were eager to continue their form and keep improving. With just over three hours of the test remaining, Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro led the timesheets in first and second as they put the 2021 RC213V through its paces.

After a positive first day adjusting to the RC213V, Pol Espargaro was again keen to get out on track and continue to lap the 5.4km long Losail International Circuit. With a day of riding and an evening of reviewing data away from the circuit, Espargaro was able to almost immediately improve on his best time from the previous day as his knowledge of the Honda continues to grow. Today Pol and his crew began to work towards longer runs as his base setting was refined.

Ultimately a 1’54.673 saw Espargaro finish the day in 12th, 1.2s faster than his best time from yesterday. With only 0.750s dividing the 13 fastest riders, there was nothing to choose between the top positions.

Stefan Bradl proved his day one pace was no flash in the pan, quickly getting within a few tenths of his best time and dropping into the 1’54s soon after. As the test entered the closing stages, Bradl was in command of the time sheets and looking very comfortable on board the RC213V. Bradl was able to keep pace as the times dropped, settling on a 1’54.210 to end the day in fifth.

Testing resumes on Wednesday, March 10 as the final three days of pre-season testing begins.

Pol Espargaro

12TH  1’54.673

“Another good day, we were not at the top but I am very satisfied with my speed and my overall pace. We were 0.7s from the top and 0.5s from the top five which is a positive after only two days on the bike. I am happy with how the adaption to the bike is going, there are still some areas to work on but physically I am coping well with how to ride the Honda. It is just a matter of time to understand how to make the most of the Honda, I think today we showed the progress you can make in just one day so I am looking forward to a quick break and then getting back on the Honda again.”

Stefan Bradl

5TH  1’54.210

“Well we have had another positive day on the bike and I am pleased with what we have done. We were able to improve almost immediately, and our pace kept up with the guys at the top, it shows that both the bike and I are working well here. This is allowing us to get a lot of work done for Honda and so far we have had three very productive days. I was not chasing a fast lap so much and the times are very tight. Now I will enjoy a short rest before coming back for the final three days of testing here.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

FABIO QUARTARARO TOPS QATAR TEST DAY 2

Losail (Qatar), 7th March 2021

OFFICIAL MOTOGP TEST

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team got into the swing of things on Day 2 of the Qatar MotoGP Official Test. Riders Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Viñales spent today‘s seven hours of available track time to improve their feeling with their bikes and concluded the day in 1st and 7th place respectively.

1st FABIO QUARTARARO 1’53.940 / 52/59 LAPS

7th MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’54.395 / 55/66 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team‘s Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Viñales were on form at the Losail International Circuit today, taking 1st and 7th place respectively in the Day 2 and the combined Qatar MotoGP Official Test standings.

With some more laps under his belt, Quartararo quickly got back into the groove. Sticking to his testing plan for today, he put in a time attack towards the end of the session. He rocketed to the top spot in the Day 2 and combined results on lap 52 of 59. He was the only rider to drop under the 1‘54s-mark, with a fastest time of 1‘53.940s, and holds a 0.077s advantage over his closest rival.

Viñales enjoyed a productive and positive day. He concentrated on perfecting his riding style to suit the 2021 YZR-M1. Though he suffered a small crash in Turn 2 when the temperatures dropped, the Spaniard was unhurt and able to continue. His 1‘54.395s best time, set on lap 55 of 66, earned him seventh position in both today‘s and the combined Day 1-2 timesheets, 0.455s from first.

The team will be back at the Losail International Circuit on Wednesday, 10th March for Day 3 of the Qatar MotoGP Official Test, again held from 14:00 – 21:00 (GMT+3).

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

We are not yet where we want to be with our schedule, but we have been able to gather quite a lot of information that we will closely study in the next two days. Each rider explored different areas of improvement. We will prepare a mix of all the positively evaluated solutions for Wednesday. Overall, we are quite satisfied with the pace that both our riders have been able to keep over these last two days. Fabio set a strong time during his time attack. Maverick hasn’t done one yet.

FABIO QUARTARARO

I’ve been doing a lot of training in the off-season, motocross and also flat track, but riding a MotoGP bike is a different story. I am looking forward to some days off now so the blisters on my hands can heal. Still, I am so happy that we get to ride again in two days, because I am enjoying it so much! We improved the pace, that’s something really positive that we take away from today. The feeling is great, and I made good lap times. We will use these upcoming two days off to look at the data and decide on the next steps.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

We are aiming for consistency this season. I am happy and pleased about the test. Yamaha has been working hard this winter. At the end of today‘s session, we did five or six laps that were really good for us. Those were the lap times we were looking for. I concentrated on my riding style and tried to go with the flow. I was surprised that I could ride 1‘54s even when there wasn‘t that much grip. I can‘t wait to be on the bike again on Wednesday and do more fast lap times.

More, from a press release issued by Sky Racing Team VR46:

STEPS FORWARD FOR LUCA MARINI AT DOHA

End of the first official IRTA test for the young rider of the Sky VR46 Avintia who is making his first steps on the Ducati MotoGP.

Doha (Qatar), March 7th 2021 – Luca Marini’s first official test of 2021 in archive after two days of hard work to continue to become familiar with the new Ducati MotoGP.

The rider of the Sky VR46 Avintia has completed about hundred laps at Losail track and was able to improve his lap time, the position on the bike and the electronics. Positive feelings and a best of 1.55.605 signed in the final stages of the Day2.

Luca Marini:

Of the three, today is definitely the day I enjoyed the most. I was able to ride more easily, I made a good step forward on the setting and a great job in the garage. I have done a lot on my riding style in braking and now I am closer to the other Ducati guys. In these days before the second testing session we will check the data to understand in which area to focus and further evolve my style. The riding position is better, I can do more laps and keep a good pace. I am doing a lot in terms of electronics, I have more confidence on the front too and I have pushed more on the tires that are really very different from Dunlop. We have to work on many details to be 100%, but we can think of a race simulation in the next session.

Ruben Xaus:

An interesting day: Luca continued to ride and take confidence with the Ducati. He is an hard worker and even today he has completed more than 45 laps. He was able to improve his lap time in a really short standings – a gap of only 1.7 considering that the lap time in Losail is close to 2 minutes – and I’m happy. The feelings on the bike are good and let’s enjoy this rest day for the Team to get back at work motivated in the second testing session. We still have some details to fix, not in terms of speed, more of experience for being able to get to the first two races in the best way possible.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:

Miller closes in second position the first 2021 MotoGP pre-season test in Qatar. Ninth Bagnaia

The Ducati Lenovo Team continues its preparations for the 2021 MotoGP World Championship at Losail International Circuit in Doha (Qatar) that will host the Qatar GP at the end of this month.  As they were on track yesterday, working on getting back the feeling with the Desmosedici GP bikes and getting acquainted with their new team, Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia, returned to action today, continuing to fine-tuning their bikes.

Miller closed the first two-day test at Losail in second place. The Australian stopped the clock at 1:54.017, taking over a second off his best time from yesterday and finishing just 77 thousandths behind leader Quartararo.

Pecco Bagnaia was ninth. The rider from Turin, who was busy testing several new items on his bike today, closed with a fastest time in 1:54.651, just 634 thousandths behind his teammate.

Ducati MotoGP Test Team rider Michele Pirro continued the developing work on the Desmosedici GP21, completing 20 laps today, on its third day of testing in Qatar.

Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team, #43) – 1:54.017 (2nd – 57 laps)

“I’m pleased with these first two days of testing with my new team. Today I lapped mainly with the new fairing: the sensations are very positive, and the bike seems more stable. Despite the regulation restrictions, the team has done a fantastic job over the winter! For now, as is often the case here in Qatar, we are all very close, and we will be even closer at the end of these two tests! I expect a very fierce race weekend! Now I’m going to rest over the next two days to get back on track on Wednesday, more focused on our testing program.”

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team, #63) – 1:54.651 (9th – 48 laps)

“Today was a very demanding day, but I’m satisfied with the work we were able to complete. We tested a lot of new items, and so far, the feeling has been positive. Fortunately, we’ll now have two days to work on the data we’ve gathered today and set up the work for the next three days of free practices that we will have here in Qatar next week”.

The Ducati Lenovo Team riders will be back on track at Losail Circuit next week, from 10th-12th March, for the final three days of official pre-season testing.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Qatar Test – Johann and Jorge had a very positive feeling after 3 testing days

The first test session at the Losail circuit has come to an end and the activities will resume on Wednesday 10 March. Both Pramac Racing riders are satisfied with this first taste of MotoGP. Johann Zarco continued focusing with the team on electronics and trying different types of set up. The French did his best lap time of 1:54. 356 during his 51st lap. Jorge Martín is very determined to continue to improve himself more and more, carrying on the work started yesterday on the electronics, experimenting with different set ups to get more confidence with the rear tire. A crash without consequences during the first outing doesn’t dampen the spirits of the Spanish rookie, who gets back on his Ducati. Jorge concludes the first three days of testing in the premier class, setting his best time of 1.55.632 on the twenty-ninth lap out of a total of thirty-six.

Jorge Martín

Every day the feeling is improving and growing lap by lap. Unfortunately I crashed after 3 laps but there were no consequences, I felt that I was gaining confidence and I made a mistake. I’m very happy with these days and the things I’ve learned will help me to do better next week.

Johann Zarco

A positive day, we are continuing to improve day by day, today we tried new things and the sensations are good, I feel good on the bike but we still have to work on some aspects. We are going in the right direction.

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Morbidelli quick under Qatar floodlights

Second day at Losail ends with PETRONAS Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli fourth and Valentino Rossi 20th

Improved conditions greeted PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team at Losail International Circuit today, for the second day of pre-season testing in Qatar. Franco Morbidelli, who enjoyed a brief spell at the top of the timesheets, ended the day fourth – whilst new team-mate Valentino Rossi was 20th.

Morbidelli immediately improved upon his lap time from yesterday when he got the second day of testing in Qatar underway, two hours into the allotted track time for the day. Throughout his 63 laps, Franco was able to test the rear-end settings on his YZR-M1 to find better stability, and also evaluated a modified holeshot device at the end of the session. After enjoying a brief spell at the top of the timesheets, Morbidelli ended the day fourth, 0.213secs shy of the quickest time, with a 1min 54.153secs lap.

Team-mate Rossi continued to compare his two Yamaha YZR-M1 chassis and also focused on improving rear grip. The new signing for the Malaysian squad was able to spend the entirety of the day on this, with winds calmer than they had been yesterday, and opted not to do a time attack. Rossi completed 50 laps, with his fastest time of 1min 55.708secs placing him 20th at the end of the session.

Morbidelli and Rossi will now have two days rest before the Qatar Test resumes with three more days of running, beginning on Wednesday 10 March at 2pm local time (7pm MYT).

Franco Morbidelli

4th (1:54.153)

I am happy with the job we’ve done today. Straight-away we had some good improvements on yesterday and then we just got better and better as the day went on. We went through some new elements that we needed to try, some of which I liked, and it was good to be able to go through them and have the chance to try them on my bike. Looking towards the final three days of testing, we will be looking to continue improving the overall package and then focusing on race pace, to understand some things ahead of the first two GPs here.

Valentino Rossi

20th (1:55.708)

Today was not the best as I found that the grip levels were not what we wanted, so this was not great. We tried a few things, but we struggled a little with grip and acceleration on corner exit. Despite this we worked all day and we tried a new base setting. We will now check the data to help us find a better balance when the test resumes on Wednesday.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

ÁLEX MÁRQUEZ UPBEAT AFTER DAY TWO OF TESTING

The second day of MotoGP pre-season testing took place at the Losail International Circuit on Sunday; another afternoon-evening session under much-improved conditions compared to the strong winds of day one. For LCR Honda CASTROL and their new recruit Álex Márquez it was just a second day of working together, but both parties were positive about the progress made over the weekend.

Márquez continued to work hard with the team on new items from HRC, and despite two minor slide-outs topping and tailing the day, still managed to complete 53 laps of the Qatari venue, with a best time of 1’54.952. This was just a second down on the overall fastest lap of the evening, and without the Spaniard having put in a time attack lap.

After two days of downtime in Doha, the LCR Honda CASTROL Team will reconvene for three further days of testing in Losail from Wednesday 10th March, ahead of the season proper which begins two weeks later.

Álex Márquez – 14th

(1’54.952)

“The second day in Qatar was again encouraging because we tried some special things and a different direction for the bike – and it was honestly a positive result. We just had a couple of small crashes at the beginning and at the end which weren’t really part of the plan, and just meant it was a problem as regards doing a time attack in the last hour.

Anyway, I think we have got some really good information and a good feeling with the bike for next week. We now have two days to analyse things and put all the pieces together. We have learnt a lot over these last two days and I’m looking forward to the final three days of pre-season tests in order to make another step forward and to feel even better with the bike.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI PLEASED AFTER END OF FIRST TESTS IN QATAR

The second day of official pre-season tests took place under floodlights at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Sunday, with LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami continuing set-up work alongside his crew ahead of the fast-approaching 2021 MotoGP World Championship.

The Japanese rider put in an impressive 60 laps of the racetrack, eventually stopping the clock in a best time of 1’54.690 late on in the evening. Despite joining many of his rivals in sliding out at the infamous turn two left-hander, he still managed to get through a huge amount of work one the 2021 RC213V package, as he and his crew work closely with HRC on fine-tuning their new machine.

After two days of data analysis and brainstorming in Doha, the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team will get together with Nakagami this Wednesday 10th March for a further three days of testing, ahead of the season proper which begins at the same desert venue two weeks later.

Takaaki Nakagami – 13th

(1’54.690)

“Today was a quite busy day because we tested a few items, some important things, but it was good because everything was quite clear in terms of the information and feeling we were getting back from the bike. I had a big crash in turn two around five o’clock, but thankfully I was ok.

Step by step we are getting there, and we definitely understood that we need to improve on the set-up for the next test. I’m quite calm and feel good so hopefully we can make another step forward in the next test, which will be really important for the race weekend. I hope we can get even better performance in that next test starting on Wednesday.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

ALEIX FINISHES THE FIRST TESTS IN DOHA WITH GOOD SENSATIONS AND THE THIRD BEST TIME

LORENZO CONTINUES TO IMPROVE DESPITE A PAINFUL SHOULDER

The 2021 MotoGP season started off on the right foot for Aprilia. The new RS-GP, which had already earned the stamp of approval from Aleix and Lorenzo in the Jerez tests, confirmed its improvements compared to the 2020 prototype on the Losail track as well. It is an evolution that involved all the major aspects, from aerodynamics to electronic strategies to the further advanced V4 engine.

Even without focusing attention on the fast lap which, in any case, let Aleix finish in third place after being fastest yesterday, the speed of the new RS-GP was confirmed by several long runs where the Spaniard maintained a promising pace.

Lorenzo Savadori is improving steadily, making his full-time début in the MotoGP World Championship, despite a painful shoulder that kept him from expressing 100% of his potential. Grappling with a new and demanding category, Lorenzo followed a work programme designed to let him gain confidence step by step. The focus of the next tests will be primarily ergonomics and position in the saddle – still not optimum. In addition to fundamental hours of apprenticeship on the bike.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“It’s just a test, that much is obvious, but our step forward is just as obvious. The hard work begun last year and continued over the winter resulted in improvements to the RS-GP, suiting my needs. We’re not talking about just one aspect, but many small changes that make it different from the 2020 bike and more competitive. The weight reduction is a benefit and the greater aerodynamic load provides stability, which translates into a bike that accelerates better. The truly important note is not so much the flying lap as the pace: we are consistent. Even today during the race simulation, pace was objectively significant. The other side of the coin is the great physical effort required, especially after 10-12 laps. We need to work on that and on the right compromise between stability and handling.”

LORENZO SAVADORI

“Two demanding days, particularly for me because of the soreness from a shoulder injury that bothered me rather a lot. Yesterday I tried to gain confidence on the bike and with the tyres, whereas today we worked on ergonomics and my position in the saddle. We’ll be concentrating precisely on this aspect in the next tests, because we identified a few solutions that could make me a bit more incisive.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Esponsorama Racing:

Avintia Esponsorama Racing Team MotoGP Test Qatar

THE TWO RIDERS OF THE AVINTIA ESPONSORAMA RACING TEAM FINISH THE TEST WITH GOOD TIMES AND POSITIVE SENSATIONS.

In this last day the riders of the Avintia Esponsorama Racing Team have ended with very positive sensations looking the upcoming test on the Losail circuit. Enea Bastianini has made 45 laps marking his best time at 1.55″48.   Luca Marini (Sky Vr46 Avintia Team) made 48 laps marking his best time at 1.55″605.

#23 ENEA BASTIANINI – 1´55.48

“I’ve ride more smoothly and relaxed as with this bike you can’t ride aggressively. I finally got a good time in the middle of the section. We have started working with electronics and set up, the result of these three days is very positive. As a goal for the next Test certainly improve gradually to get in the best conditions to the two races”.

# 10 LUCA MARINI  ( Sky Vr46 Avintia ) – 1,55.60

“Of the three, today is definitely the day I enjoyed the most. I was able to ride more easily, I made a good step forward on the setting and a great job in the garage. I have done a lot on my riding style in braking and now I am closer to the other Ducati guys. In these days before the second testing session, we will check the data to understand in which area to focus and further evolve my style. The riding position is better, I can do more laps and keep a good pace. I am doing a lot in terms of electronics; I have more confidence on the front too and I have pushed more on the tires that are really very different from Dunlop. We have to work on many details to be 100%, but we can think of a race simulation in the next session”.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

SUZUKI SWITCHES FOCUS TO BIG TEST ITEMS ON DAY 2 IN QATAR

Joan Mir: 8th – 1’54.515 (+ 0.575)

Alex Rins: 10th – 1’54.658 (+ 0.718)

Sylvain Guintoli: 26th – 1’56.762 (+ 2.822)

Sunday saw Team Suzuki Ecstar’s riders take to the track once again for the second day of testing under the lights at Losal Circuit in Qatar. These crucial early outings on the GSX-RR are proving positive for the squad, as more comparisons and adjustments were made, and the riders gave good feedback.

Joan Mir finished Day 2 with a positive mood thanks to the feeling of the bike and his progress so far. He worked on many different areas, including a comparison of different chassis items. Mir closed the second day in 8th place with a 1’54.515 and a total of 48 laps.

Alex Rins started the day on the 2021 GSX-RR before heading out on the 2022-spec. machine later on in the session. Despite a crash at the end of the day he managed to collect plenty of useful information. Rins did 49 laps with a best time of 1’54.658 and 10th place.

Meanwhile, Sylvain Guintoli continued his work which today focused more in the areas of chassis options and suspension, rather than the engine. The Frenchman is feeling more and more comfortable with the bike and he will continue working next week.

Team Suzuki Ecstar will be back on track in Qatar on March 10th.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:

“Yesterday was mostly about the riders getting used to the machines, and then from today we have started to work more intensely. Alex tried the first version of the 2022 engine today, and Joan worked on the chassis area. Sylvain continued testing and collecting a lot of data. Alex had a little crash in the last couple of minutes, but luckily he is fine and no problems. Now we’ll check everything and prepare for the next three days of testing.”

Joan Mir:

“It was a tough day because we tried lots of new things such as the new spec. chassis items, some things with the electronics, and some tyres. We tried to find the best way forward and I’m happy with the performance, and my lap times so far. The team and I have done a really good job, the test has been positive, and for sure we feel prepared for the next three days of testing at the end of next week.”

Alex Rins:

“I’m feeling quite good, today went pretty well and we tried quite a few different things. I tried the first version of the engine for 2022, which felt good and seems that it might have a bit more speed. After that we tried a few other small things. The times are really tight, but I’m happy with my pace at the moment. I had a small crash at Turn 2 at the end of the day, but there were no consequences. I’m looking forward to the next testing days.”

Sylvain Guintoli:

“Today we carried on working with the chassis, trying some aerodynamic variations. We found some good things and some not-so-good things in those areas, and it was really interesting to compare everything. I also worked on suspension and some smaller adjustments. I felt much better riding today; I’m more used to being on the bike now after 5 months without riding!”

Aprilia Gresini Racing rider Aleix Espargaro was the quickest rider during Day One of MotoGP pre-season testing Saturday at Losail International Circuit, in Qatar. Riding his updated Aprilia RS-GP, Espargaro turned a lap time of 1:54.687.

The all-time MotoGP lap record for Losail is 1:53.380, which was set by Marc Marquez in 2019.

MotoGP did not race at Losail in 2020.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Aleix Espargaro tops Day 1, every factory in the top seven

The full grid roars back into action in the desert, with Aprilia leading the way as 2021 gets in gear

Saturday, 06 March 2021

After the first day of action for the full grid at the Official MotoGP™ Qatar Test, it’s safe to say 2021 has started pretty well for Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as they finish top of the timesheets. The Spaniard set a 1:54.687 to beat Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) by 0.256s, with reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the top three as the new MotoGP™ season officially got underway.

The wind played a key role on Saturday after also proving bothersome at the Shakedown Test, but all 29 riders on the ground in Doha enjoyed some valuable track time despite another blustery day at Losail International Circuit. And this time, having sat out the Shakedown, that included Aleix Espargaro on his near brand-new RS-GP he ended the day just a couple of tenths shy of Aprilia’s best time at 2020’s Qatar Test and put in 57 laps. Updates have been made to the engine, chassis and exhaust and there’s a new carbon swingarm at the Noale factory, as well as two new aero designs that the riders are putting through their paces. Aprilia also have a holeshot device on the front and rear – along with Honda and Ducati. Lorenzo Savadori, on the other side of the garage, completed 42 laps, ending with 1:56.511 as a best time.

Meanwhile, it was a huge day over at the Repsol Honda Team as Pol Espargaro made his eagerly awaited debut for the Japanese giants. A hefty 68 laps were rattled off by the Spaniard on his HRC debut as he, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) all headed out on 2020 Hondas, with each rider’s two bikes having different exhausts. Alex Marquez’ day didn’t get off to the best of starts after destroying his RC213V in a final corner crash, but the double World Champion was soon back out to spin some more laps. Marquez was the second quickest Honda on Day 1, behind the aforementioned Bradl, and finished P10 just ahead of Nakagami.

Bradl was again donning the famous Repsol livery on track and for a lot of opening day, the German was at the summit of the timesheets. He has three chassis to try in Qatar: the ‘standard’ 2020 chassis, the chassis he ended the 2020 campaign on which has carbon bonded to the main beam, as well as an entirely new chassis that we saw the number 6 testing in Jerez a few weeks ago. Bradl was very pleased with his and the team’s progress so far, looking for more of the same over the remaining four days.

Over at World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar, who officially unveiled their 2021 livery ahead of the test, Joan Mir and Alex Rins were the last riders to head out on track. Similar to most teams, we didn’t see many changes to the bike, but we also didn’t see much change to their impressive pace. Third for Mir is a solid start to his title defence, with Rins also inside the top 10 in P8. The duo recorded a combined 91 laps, with test rider Sylvain Guintoli adding another 50 and Takuya Tsuda another 26. Tsuda was the first rider out on track for the Hamamatsu factory.

Further down pitlane, both Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia suited up and headed out in Ducati Lenovo Team red for the first time to begin a new era for both riders and team. Miller was fourth fastest at the end of the day, completing 54 laps in total and glowing that it felt “unreal” to be back. Both riders were on 2020 Ducatis as they got back into the swing of things but did try the new aero, with Miller saying he couldn’t find any faults. Bagnaia finished P13 but was only 0.8s off the top despite a crash at Turn 3.

Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was also circulating with new aero on the front of his GP21; a third extra aero vane was seen fitted lower down on the fairing. In addition, Ducati have a ‘salad box’ that looks slightly different to last year’s. Simon Crafar also reported that the Bologna factory are experimenting with a holeshot device at the front of the bike, along with Aprilia and Honda, so look out for that over the coming days…

Johann Zarco, meanwhile, was in Pramac Racing colours for the first time and from the outside, it looked like the Frenchman enjoyed his first day in his new office. The number 5 was atop the standings at stages in the afternoon, eventually ending Saturday sixth overall with less than half a second splitting him from Aleix Espargaro at the top. Zarco’s teammate Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was back on track for his second day as a MotoGP™ rider, albeit with a sore leg after his Turn 3 crash during the Shakedown Test. Despite this though, Martin was the fastest rookie in P18 after setting a 1:56.147 – just a couple of tenths slower than Pol Espargaro ahead of him.

The other two Moto2™ graduate rookies also got plenty more valuable laps under their belts. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was less than a tenth away from Martin in P20 while Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) finished P24 on the times. It’s a huge learning curve for all three riders in Qatar and there’s no doubt even more improvements will be coming over the next few days.

Over at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were both sitting near the summit in the early stages of the test. By the end of the day, Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on track, the Portuguese rider setting a 1:55.084 to finish fifth overall on his first day as a factory rider. Binder fell at Turn 2 but was perfectly ok to head out, ending the day in P12 after 52 laps.

New KTM rider on the block Danilo Petrucci struck a bright figure out on track alongside teammate Iker Lecuona as the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing pairing lapped on their new orange RC16s too. Like the factory riders, there weren’t too many differences with the bikes they were riding compared to the 2020 model, and Lecuona and Petrucci finished P22 and P23 respectively.

Test rider Dani Pedrosa, however, was trying out some innovations for KTM. As Simon Crafar reported from pitlane, Pedrosa was riding an RC16 kitted out with a new chassis, a whole new tail section and a new exhaust inside that tail unit. The famous number 26 was 26th on the timesheets and completed 48 laps, obviously not focusing on outright speed.

Over in the Yamaha ranks, there was a headline stealer as Valentino Rossi headed out on a familiar bike but in unfamiliar colours. The new Petronas Yamaha SRT rider began his new adventure with the Malaysian team and was seen trying two different tank covers, likely for ergonomics, as he did more than 50 laps. It was teammate Franco Morbidelli who was the quickest YZR-M1 rider on Day 1, however, as the Italian finished P7 and 0.487s adrift. Rossi was P14.

It was a big day for Fabio Quartararo too, who officially began life as a factory MotoGP™ rider at Losail International Circuit. The Frenchman was the busiest rider out there on Saturday after completing 69 laps on his new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP machine, and was just over a second off the pace in P15 – one place behind Rossi. Maverick Viñales was the fastest Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP man on Day 1 though, notching up 51 laps and taking P9.

There doesn’t seem to be too much different to what we saw last season on the Yamahas so far, but there was plenty of data gathering going on. Test riders Cal Crutchlow, Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane were once more sharing bikes, so it’s very hard to tell who set the fastest times on each of the bikes labelled ‘Yamaha Test 1’, ‘Yamaha Test 2’ and ‘Yamaha Test 3’ on the timing screens, but the Iwata marque have a wealth of information at their fingertips.

The Qatar Test returns on Sunday for Day 2, so keep up to date with all the latest happenings across MotoGP™ social media and on motogp.com!

More, from a press release issued by Tech3 KTM Factory Racing:

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing kicks off test action in Qatar

Following a long winter break the Losail International Circuit eventually saw the first track activity in 2021 today. In windy conditions both, Iker Lecuona and Danilo Petrucci have been amongst the first riders at the circuit on the first of two official test days this week, starting to shake off some winter rust to get up to speed step by step.

Thereby, Lecuona, who will compete his second year aboard the KTM RC16, did a total of 55 laps throughout Saturday, making his comeback after he was forced to sit out the final three rounds of 2020. At the same time, Petrucci was riding the orange machine for the very first time, starting to get used to his new environment and concluding his debut day with KTM just 0.069 seconds behind his teammate, after doing 60 laps at the popular venue in Qatar.

Iker Lecuona
 

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:56.920

Laps: 55

“I’m happy, because I was finally jumping back on the bike today after a long time. It felt a bit strange in the beginning, because I was training a lot during the winter, but the MotoGP machine is obviously completely different to what I am practicing with at home. Physically it’s very demanding, but I’m satisfied. I was working a lot on myself. Today we didn’t change a lot on the base setting, apart from the final runs, where we were working on the bike a little bit. Overall, I’m glad about today. We still have four days to test here, so we keep calm and continue working.”

Danilo Petrucci
 

Position: 23rd

Time: 1:56.989

Laps: 60

“I’m really happy to have complete this first day. It was important. Although of course the main thing is to get used to the bike and find a good base setup. We tried a lot of things, some worked, some didn’t. For KTM and for the team it’s the first time having a rider with my size, so we have to find a decent balance. In general, I like the RC16 a lot! The engine is very smooth and I enjoyed riding. We know it’s a long process, but I think we are already on the right path. It’s just day one. Fortunately, we have another four days and some ideas, so I’m already looking forward to tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP ARE BACK IN ACTION

Losail (Qatar), 6th March 2021

OFFICIAL MOTOGP TEST

After months of eager anticipation, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team got in their first kilometres after the winter break. Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo aim to use the Qatar MotoGP Official Test to get a first impression of the 2021 YZR-M1. They completed the first day in 9th and 15th place respectively.

9th MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’55.259 / 51 LAPS

15th FABIO QUARTARARO 1’55.707 / 69 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team‘s Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo were thrilled to step aboard their YZR-M1s on the first official MotoGP testing day of 2021. Despite the windy conditions at the Losail International Circuit, the riders got straight to work. They ended Day 1 in 9th and 15th place respectively.

Viñales’ plan for Qatar Test Day 1 was to fully focus on his rhythm. Getting a first feel for the 2021 YZR-M1, the Spaniard ran a total of 51 laps. His 1‘55.259s fastest time, set on lap 33, earned him ninth place in the overall results, 0.572s from first.

Quartararo had been counting the days to his Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP debut. He had a positive first day in his new office. He rode 69 laps over the course of the seven-hour testing session, and he set a best lap of 1‘55.707s on lap 35, to take 15th place, 1.020s from the top.

Tomorrow the riders will be back at the Losail track for further testing, from 14:00 – 21:00 (GMT+3).

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

After months of no riding, the team is thrilled to be back in action. Especially, Maverick and Fabio are both happy to be on the bike again. However, we immediately had to put our heads down and get to work. Today was our first testing opportunity of the 2021 season, and Yamaha has come prepared: we have a lot of new items to try in this Qatar Test. We also have three test riders on track, besides Maverick and Fabio, to help us collect as much data as possible as we prepare for the start of the 2021 MotoGP season in three weeks‘ time.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

It’s good to be back on track and riding the bike. Today I focused on getting into the rhythm, we didn’t try anything specific. So far, the feeling is positive, but it’s still very early in the testing process. We will keep working. In the upcoming days we will be riding many more laps to try to be faster.

FABIO QUARTARARO

It was a positive day. Honestly, I needed a bit of time to get used to riding a MotoGP bike after the long winter break. Still, I was happy to be riding again. I can’t wait for tomorrow, because it will keep getting better and better. I’m looking forward to getting in more laps, getting faster, and also doing a time attack tomorrow – that’s the main plan.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

LCR HONDA CASTROL BACK ON TRACK WITH START OF 2021 MOTOGP TESTING

6 March 2021 | Qatar Test

The excitement for the start of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship was ramped up in Qatar on Saturday with the first day of action for a full field of riders and bikes at the Official Test. After a long winter of hope and anticipation, the LCR Honda CASTROL squad were finally able to show off their brand-new look with their incoming rider – the two-time world champion Álex Márquez.

The popular Spaniard joins the LCR Honda CASTROL team after an impressive rookie campaign on the factory Honda, and got his first taste of this year’s version of the RC213V under the Losail International Circuit floodlights, completing a total of 48 laps with a best time of 1’55.278.

The on-track action began in the afternoon sun, before temperatures dropped significantly as evening fell. Whilst the track was in much better conditions than for a shakedown test on Friday, there was still a strong wind affecting handling around the circuit. This led to several riders being moved off the racing line and sliding out, including Márquez. Thankfully, the early crash was soon put behind the team as they got through some valuable work with new parts, and sealed the tenth fastest lap of the evening.

Alex Marquez – 10th

(1’55.278)

“In the end it was quite a good first day, after we started out not so well with a crash on the first real exit out on track. It was not the way we wanted to start, but then we began to get the feeling back and we worked in a really good way. We even tried a few new things on this first day, so, it was positive.

We have five days here, four after today, but we need to be patient and not wear ourselves out physically or mentally. We need to make only the laps that we need, test all the new things, and try to be clear with the work that we do. We need to get good information, and the team will start to work well together, so let’s see how tomorrow goes.”

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Qatar Test – Amazing first day for Johann Zarco, Martín keeps improving

Second day of activity at  Losail Circuit that for the first time sees Johann Zarco with Pramac Racing Team colours. A more than positive day that sees both riders satisfied with the work done both on the track and inside the box, unfortunately the weather conditions today were not kind due to the strong wind that has been blowing since yesterday. Johann Zarco took advantage of his first day on the track to gain confidence with the bike, maintaining a good pace throughout the day while using the tires for many laps, trying different set up during the course of activities. An excellent performance of the French rider whom today was one of the protagonists remaining always in the firsts positions. Johann finished with his best time of 1’55. 110 for a total of 54 laps. Jorge Martín continued the activities from where he left them yesterday continues his apprenticeship, together with the team he makes an experience on electronics and on different settings to better adapt his riding style to the bike.

Jorge Martín

I’m satisfied with today, I’ve improved by more than two seconds and I feel that I have more and more feeling with the bike. Today we focused on the electronics and we tried different settings. Tomorrow we hope to do even better.

Johann Zarco

A very positive day, I’m really happy, as the first day I could not hope better. With the bike I had a great feeling from the beginning and with the team we were able to work well from the beginning. We still have to work on some things but I feel that we are going in the right direction.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI GETS FIRST TASTE OF FACTORY HONDA AS MOTOGP TESTING BEGINS

6 March 2021 | Qatar Test

The anticipation for the start of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship was raised another level at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Saturday, with the first day of Official MotoGP Tests completed. It represented the first opportunity for the LCR Honda IDEMITSU team to see Takaaki Nakagami out on track on his factory RC213V.

Following a sensational 2020 campaign where the Japanese star regularly demonstrated he had the potential to win races, Nakagami finally got his first go on the latest HRC machine at the desert venue, completing a total of 58 laps with a best time of 1’55.467.

The on-track action began in bright sunshine at 2pm local time, before temperatures dropped significantly as night fell at 6pm, with a further three hours under the lights. The track was much improved after Friday’s shakedown test, however there was still a strong wind affecting handling around the circuit. As the evening went on, the breeze softened, allowing Nakagami to set the 11th fastest time of the evening, as he got to grips with the characteristics of his 2021 machine.

Takaaki Nakagami – 11th

(1’55.467)

“First of all, I’m really happy to be back on the MotoGP bike of course. It was tricky conditions today with strong winds, but after six or seven o’clock the wind got better and the conditions were ok. There is some good rubber down, so the grip level was good.

Of course, for me it is a completely new bike and we have only had our first day on it. We still have a lot of work to do – I need to understand the new machine and especially the different engine character. We will keep working hard, but I am happy with today’s result. The pace was good, and I am really looking forward to day two.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:

Miller and Bagnaia make their debut on the Ducati Lenovo Team Desmosedici GP bikes on the first day of testing in Qatar

Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia finally took to the track at Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, for the first day of official testing of the 2021 MotoGP campaign. During today’s session, both Ducati Lenovo Team’s riders made their long-awaited debut on the factory team’s Desmosedici GP machines, immediately receiving positive feedback and showing that they are already at ease within their new team.

Miller finished with the fourth-fastest time in 1:55.022, just 355 thousandths behind leader Aleix Espargaro. The Australian rider completed a total of 54 laps, closing as the top Ducati rider on track.

It has been a positive day also for Pecco Bagnaia, despite a small crash at Turn 2 towards the end of the day. The Piedmontese rider, who was among the first riders on track this afternoon, completed a total of 50 laps, stopping the clock at 1:55.572, 513 thousandths of a second behind his teammate.

After taking part in yesterday’s Shakedown Test, Michele Pirro (Ducati MotoGP Test Team rider) was also present today to continue developing the Desmosedici GP 21 machine.

Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team, #43) – 1:55.022 (4th – 54 laps)

“It was a positive first day of testing. I haven’t ridden the Desmosedici in a long time, but I felt comfortable right away. Today’s goals were to find back the feeling with the bike and to adapt to my new team. The strong wind partially disturbed our activity, making it difficult to try a time attack, but I tested a new fairing and am happy with it. Now we just have to continue working in this direction also in the coming days”.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team, #63) – 1:55.572 (13th – 50 laps)

“It was a tough first day, mainly dedicated to finding the feeling with the bike after the long winter break. Today’s conditions weren’t perfect due to the strong wind, but despite a small crash at Turn 2 towards the end of the day, we managed to get some interesting runs in. I did a few laps with the new fairing, and the feeling was positive. Starting tomorrow, we’ll work more concretely on the bike’s set-up”.

Tomorrow, the Ducati Lenovo Team riders will have another seven hours of free practices at Losail Circuit before returning for a second test at the same track next week, from 10th-12th March.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

NEW LOOK GSX-RR PUT THROUGH ITS PACES ON DAY 1 IN QATAR

Joan Mir: 3rd – 1’54.980 (+ 0.293)

Alex Rins: 8th – 1’55.198 (+ 0.511)

Sylvain Guintoli: 25th – 1’57.460 (+ 2.773)

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s riders enjoyed the launch of their 2021 machines at Losail Circuit in Qatar before taking to the circuit in the afternoon for the first test day of the season.

This opening day proved useful as they worked to fine-tune their GSX-RRs and settings, completing many laps and collecting useful data. After settling into a rhythm with their bikes, both riders worked in the areas of chassis, suspension and electronics.

Joan Mir completed a total of 45 laps, with a best time of 1’54.980 and 3rd position. He reported feeling comfortable from the start of the session, which allowed him to work on small adjustments in setup to build on the overall base package ahead of tomorrow’s second day of testing.

Alex Rins similarly felt comfortable on his bike despite difficult track conditions for everybody with high winds. He worked towards overall setup as well as some electronics settings. Rins completed 46 laps, closing the session in 8th place, just half a second from the top.

The team’s test riders, Sylvain Guintoli and Takuya Tsuda were able to ride their bikes one day earlier, on Friday, for the ‘shakedown’ day which was allocated for test riders and rookies. They also gave positive feedback regarding the direction of the GSX-RR. Guintoli spent yesterday trying some new specs for the 2022 bike, before switching to the 2021 bike to work on chassis, suspension, and electronics.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:

“Our schedule today was mainly for the riders to re-establish their feeling, and we also checked many small items. Both riders found their rhythm quickly, and I’m very happy about that. Tomorrow we’ll try a few more things such as comparing engine specifications and working on chassis. Anyway, today has been a good opening day and I’m pleased with the progress.”

Joan Mir:

“My feeling jumping back on the bike was good, and I’m happy because it’s important to be competitive as early as possible. I was able to work on the bike and the settings because I already felt pretty comfortable. We tried some new things and we completed our goal for today. Getting on the bike and riding at full speed is the best way to get back into it, the bike is an animal and it’s hard when you haven’t ridden for a few months because your body is not used to it, but it feels great! I’m looking forward to tomorrow and continuing our work.”

Alex Rins:

“Today went well! I’m so happy to be back riding my bike! We did some work on the electronics side and general setup. I was able to complete a lot of laps and gain a lot of information. Despite the wind, I was feeling better and better with every lap. I did a best time of 1’55.198, which feels OK for the first day. So I go into tomorrow ready for more and pleased with the progress so far!”

Sylvain Guintoli:

“Conditions were not perfect because it was quite windy out there, but we were able to complete our planned program anyway. We worked on the chassis and swingarm and also some other areas. It was really interesting and I’m pleased with the work we’ve done. We already have a good base, so we’re just looking to improve by small margins here and there. I hope the conditions are better tomorrow, I think it will be a little easier because more bikes have been on track now.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Pol Espargaro begins his Repsol Honda Team journey

Action returns as MotoGP testing gets underway in Qatar, Pol Espargaro enjoying his first contact with the Repsol Honda and Stefan Bradl making constant improvements.

Heavy winds swept across the Losail International Circuit as the first day of official testing began ahead of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship season. While much of the field waited for conditions to settle, the Repsol Honda Team were eager to make the most of the track time available.

Pol Espargaro was the first full-time rider out on track, eager to sample the Honda RC213V for the first time. Completing his instillation lap, Espargaro returned to the box for his first debrief and setup adjustments. Short runs would be the order for much of the day as the 2013 Moto2 World Champion adapted to life in Repsol Honda Team colours. Each lap saw Espargaro improve his time, settling on a best time of 1’55.878 after 68 laps aboard the Honda.

Times were not the focus of the day, Espargaro and his team working on getting comfortable on the bike and improving his feeling on the Honda RC213V.

Having had a successful day of running during the Shakedown the previous day, Stefan Bradl was back on track. The experienced German was fast from the off, leading the start of testing and retaining a position in the top three for the majority of running. Ending the evening second fastest, Bradl’s 1’54.943 was 0.256s shy of the top time.

Pol Espargaro

17TH  1’55.878

“I feel good, there was a lot of work and there will be a lot of work to feel the limits of the bike, but it was great to finally ride the Honda. Today was about getting comfortable on the bike and beginning to understand everything, I am happy with the laps we did. We kept it very simple today, but we made good progress. Already I am excited to get back out there tomorrow and keep working but for now it’s time to go back to the hotel and start to look at the data to see where we can go better tomorrow. Front end feeling is what I need to understand the most at the moment, I can see this compared to Stefan but this will come with more laps. This is the same anytime you get on a new bike.”

Stefan Bradl

SECOND  1’54.943

“I am happy overall because we have worked very well, been very productive and I feel comfortable on the bike. We kept working through our test plan and today our attention shifted more to parts and working on the chassis side. We’ve been finding good pace again and everything has worked very well so far, the goal is to continue in this direction. I’m happy to be riding and feeling like this on the bike. It’s the first test day for the other riders so I probably had some advantage from riding yesterday, we need to stay calm as everything is going to get closer as lap times improve. Happy for now, but still lots of work to do.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi find their rhythm in first day of Qatar Test

Morbidelli ends opening day of Qatar Test seventh; Rossi 14th on PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team debut

A dusty and windy Losail International Circuit greeted the PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team riders as the first test of 2021 got underway today in Qatar. Franco Morbidelli ended the day with the seventh fastest time whilst Valentino Rossi’s first day on track with the team saw him go 14th fastest.

Morbidelli was the first rider from the Malaysian squad to take to the track, after waiting just over 90 minutes for the conditions to improve, and immediately placed himself inside the top-ten. The Italian, who spent his 61 laps reacquainting himself with his bike and accumulating kilometres on fresh engines, posted a fastest time of 1min 55.174secs, just 0.487secs shy of the quickest rider around Losail International Circuit.

Team-mate Rossi, who took to the track aboard his new PETRONAS Yamaha SRT liveried YZR-M1 for the first time, also joined Morbidelli in the top-ten for the majority of the day’s seven hours. After completing 54 laps, testing a new chassis in a few of them, Rossi ended the day with a fastest time of 1min 55.584secs – 0.897secs shy of the quickest rider.

Track action will resume at 2pm local time (7pm MYT) tomorrow for Morbidelli and Rossi, with the second day of Qatar test coming to a close at 9pm local time (2am MYT).

Franco Morbidelli

7th (1:55.174)

It’s been a nice day and it’s good to be back at work. I felt good, especially late in the night when I really started to feel like myself back on the bike, I had again the feelings that I know from this bike and I think we are already on a good level. Of course there are things to improve, but we are not too far from the top guys so I’m happy with that. I’m also happy that this bike is the same but different, it feels the same as last year but we are faster on the straight. Tomorrow we have some electronic upgrades to test, so let’s try to improve again. It has been a great first day at the office!

Valentino Rossi

14th (1:55.584)

It was a little strange to begin with because the winter break was longer than normal, so at the start the MotoGP bike is always really impressive and is so fast after three months of not riding it! It was the start of a new adventure today and I was very excited for my first day with PETRONAS Yamaha SRT. It was a good day, my pace was quite good all day and I enjoyed it a lot; at the end of the day my result was not fantastic but we worked well and the atmosphere in the team is really good. Today we basically worked on the standard bike and we haven’t tried a lot of new things, only a very few laps with the new chassis, that we want to keep testing in the following days. We still have in front of us a long testing plan, to help us improve.