2019 Qatar MotoGP FP2 Result: No Rest For Wicked Marquez

The final outing of the day started off with a slight delay due to Moto2 debris and ended with Marc Marquez breaking the all time lap record around the Losail circuit by three tenths of a second. The world champion saw a missed opportunity in FP1 (and throughout winter testing) and got straight down to business with a handful of laps in the high 1:54s. It was enough to keep him on top after the first run, although the Ducati tag team were a looming threat right behind the Spaniard, both on track and on the timesheets. Yamaha did not want to feel left out either, Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo adding to the mix of consistent long runs throughout the session.

Joan Mir fired the first shot in the time attack with 13 minutes left on the clock, taking over the top of the timesheets from Marquez and inviting more pretenders to the crown. It took until the final five minutes for the action to really heat up on soft rubber but Marquez swiftly dealt the final blow and the red lights stopped blinking on the timesheets. Marquez had used Vinales as a reference for his record breaking lap and, as it happens, the Yamaha man put together an excellent lap of his own, half a second off his leading compatriot.

Jack Miller was best of the rest and top Ducati in third position, a tenth of a second ahead of factory colleague Danilo Petrucci. Quartararo ended the session once again as second best Yamaha, one tenth faster than Andrea Dovizioso and teammate Franco Morbidelli. Alex Rins and Aleix Espargaro were the final men within a second of the leader, with Mir securing the final top ten position.

Rins’ late antics demoted Jorge Lorenzo from the top ten, leaving the Spaniard – who was testing a new seat unit – with a lot of work to do in FP3 if he wants to secure a Q2 place. However, the Spaniard will be in fine company, as Cal Crutchlow and FP1 leader Valentino Rossi also missed the boat on top positions. The Italian had a particularly disappointing evening after an excellent FP1, finishing the day 1.7 seconds off the lead.

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