Monday and Tuesday sees MotoGP™ back on track in Qatar, with track action from 14:00 to 21:00 (UTC + 3) on each day – followed by a 15-minute practice start session. So join us here from Lusail as the final pieces of the puzzle slot into place before the first race!

Monday February 19th

21:48 - There will be plenty more rider interviews to come throughout the evening, and all will be available to watch on motogp.com. We're going to sign off from here for the evening though, and we'll be back for Tuesday's action! We'll see you then.

21:00 - CHEQUERED FLAG! That's it for the opening day of testing, and it is Pecco Bagnaia who leads the runnings in Lusail. Title rival Jorge Martin is close behind him with Aleix Espargaro closing out the top three. KTM's Brad Binder improved late on to make it three different constructors in the top four. All five manufacturers feature in the top 10 times, with Castrol LCR Honda's Johann Zarco P9, and Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo in P10. We're not quite done just yet, with riders now having a 15 minute window to try some practice starts, while After the Flag will broadcast until 22:00 (UTC +3)!

20:55 - Jack Miller has crashed at Turn 6 but has rejoined the action

20:42 - Simon Crafar dropping some nuggets of information on After the Flag, with Aprilia seemingly happy to forego testing their new engine until the opening round.

“Aprilia have told me they’re working on race set up… and the new engine isn’t coming for Aprilia until race weekend. They said it’s not a big change, just an upgrade”

20:28 - AFTER THE FLAG! Just a couple minutes away from analysis, interviews and reactions from Lusail with Louis Suddaby, Elliott York, Jack Gorst and Simon Crafar!

WATCH HERE

20:16 - Augusto Fernandez has crashed at Turn 1

20:05 - Jorge Martin lifts himself to P2 and it's now an all Ducati top three.

20:02 -  👀 TECH WATCH: Some new toys have been spotted on the Yamaha in Qatar, with the M1 sporting a new exhaust and dino wings.

20:00 - ONE HOUR TO GO! Just 60 minutes remain on Day 1 in Qatar. Who has impressed you so far?

19:53 - Diggia and A. Espargaro break up the Ducati Lenovo Team one-two! Currently eight riders have broken into the 1:52s, including Pedro Acosta in P8.

19:50 - The sunset certainly makes for a stunning backdrop to MotoGP™ at Lusail!

 

19:42 - Bastianini makes it a factory Ducati one-two, coming in half a second behind his teammate!

19:32 - Our reporters in pitlane have told us that Bagnaia has finally gone out with the full 2024 aero, and it looks to have had an immediate effect! The reigning Champion went top with a tenth to spare, before finding another six tenths for a brilliant 1:52.040 lap!  

19:30 - Just 90 minutes remaining in Day 1 of the Qatar Test, which means we're just an hour away from the start of the After the Flag programme which will bring us live coverage of the action!

19:14 - Diggia breaks up the Aprilia party and slots into P3. 

19:04 - Four riders into the 1:52s at Lusail, with Aleix Espargaro and Pecco Bagnaia joining Fernandez, but it is Maverick Viñales who reclaims top spot with a 1:52.754 to make it an Aprilia top three lockout as things stand!

18:45 - Raul Fernandez goes top after a sparring round with Brad Binder on the timesheets! A remarkable performance from the rider who was only declared fit on Monday!

18:38 - Due to technical reasons, MotoGP™'s midday recap has been cancelled. Don't worry however, you can still catch coverage of the Test from Lusail with After the Flag at 20:30 (UTC +3). 

18:34 - Diggia splits the Aprilias to move into P2, with Viñales in the unfamiliar position of P3 for today!

18:29 - And we have a new leader! It's still an RS-GP though, but this time it's Aleix Espargaro's! The #41 has spun off back-to-back fastest laps, and the new time to beat is 1:53.088.

18:22 - Meanwhile, the laps are still coming in thick and fast! Pecco Bagnaia has moved to within a tenth of Viñales, while Jorge Martin and Repsol Honda's Joan Mir have shot up the timesheets to P3 and P4 respectively. 

18:20 - 👀TECH WATCH: Some more tech news to bring you and it seems KTM's riders aren't major fans of the new air intake that was part of the whole new aero package. Our reporters in pitlane have spotted the bikes with the new side fairings but not the new front fairing that has the updated air intake. Below you can see the old style air intake at the front, new side fairings.

 

 

18:04 - Viñales looks to have found something on his RS-GP, as he fires in consecutive PB times to go to 1:53.276. Brad Binder has also fired himself up the timesheets to take P2 ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio, who was another improver.

17:47 - And now Marc Marquez has come to play, joining Viñales in the 1:53s for P2!

17:44 - Viñales posts a new fastest lap, going 0.033s quicker with a 1:53.652.

17:37 - Bagnaia back into P2 now as Aleix Espargaro first goes P6, then improves for P4.

17:33 - A number of late lap times coming in just before the break! Bezzecchi has moved up to P2, Martin and Brad Binder also push themselves up the timesheets, but can anyone catch pace-setter Viñales?

17:21 - Just as the factory Ducati duo moved to within a few tenths of Viñales, Top Gun has responded with a fast lap of his own and becomes the first rider to move into the 1:53s.

17:15 - And the Italian is now joined by teammate Bastianini in the top three! The factory Ducatis get a couple time attacks in and any cause for panic has been averted!

17:10 - That's a bit more like it from the reigning Champion! Pecco Bagnaia is beginning to motor and moves into P2!

17:06 - Around about an hour until we hit the halfway mark, and just a reminder you can hear from Simon Crafar and Jack Gorst LIVE from the circuit for their midday recap!

 

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17:00 - Back at the business end of things, Alex Marquez moves himself into the top three, but is still half a second away from Viñales. 

16:58 - All 23 riders have now finally set lap times, and bottom of the pile is reigning, two-time MotoGP™ Champion Pecco Bagnaia. Indeed it's not been an ideal day on the timesheets for the factory Ducatis, with Bastianini fourth from bottom currently. 

16:53 - Viñales shifts the goalposts again and finds another eight-tenths to go to 1:54 flat.

16:45 - Enjoy a glimpse of the action from Lusail so far

Test underway in Qatar! MotoGP™ riders are already on track

Don't miss the pivotal opening laps of two crucial testing days for premier-class stars at Lusail!

 

16:41 - Pedro Acosta has been a busy boy today, completing 26 laps so far, 10 more than anybody else, and on his 23rd, he jumped back into second on the timesheets!

16:23 - Talk about the commentator's curse eh? Just as I say that, Gresini's Marc Marquez moves into third place at the expense of the Frenchman. Sorry Fabio!

16:22 - Fabio Quartararo 'feeling good' on and off track it seems. The Yamaha star currently sits third on the timesheets, and seems to enjoy a good stroll around Lusail's impressive paddock!

16:11 - It was a pretty difficult outing for Augusto Fernandez in Sepang and he would have hoped his fortunes would change in Qatar, but he has encountered more issues. Apparently suffering from a technical problem, the #37 was spotted rolling back through pitlane.

15:56 - Viñales deposes Martin from top spot now. Top Gun is still three seconds out from the lap record though. 20 riders have now set a time, with three still yet to feature. Both LCR Honda's Johann Zarco and Taka Nakagami are yet to exit pitlane as is Raul Fernandez. 

15:48 - And just as I say expect it to change, it does! Jorge Martin giving everyone a timely reminder of his blistering speed over one lap to go two-tenths clear, before extending his advantage on the follow up to a whopping 1.3 seconds! 

15:47 - We have a new leader as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) goes fastest, but we're still about six seconds shy of the lap record so expect plenty more change at the top. 

15:40 - Here we go then! The action is beginning to heat up now as some of the MotoGP™ heavyweights join the fray! Jack Miller joins the other three RC16s on track and goes top on his fourth effort with a 1:57.204, while Ducati's Pecco Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi are also spinning laps in Lusail.

15:30 - For all you MotoGP™ tech fans, we have an early post of what has been spotted so far at Lusail International Circuit HERE! Honda's aero package, Viñales false roof, Bastianini's 2023 set up and some beautiful liveries are all touched upon!

15:26 - No mistake this time around though as Acosta goes three-tenths clear on the next lap. Yamaha Test Rider Cal Crutchlow is also out on track and is just the fourth rider to post a lap time. 

15:25 - Binder has pushed himself top of the timesheets. Acosta is back out on track and tried to respond, but fell just 0.001s short in his first effort, losing quite a bit of time in the final sector having had a couple tenths in his back pocket.

15:17 - Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) jumps up to second behind Acosta as the South African attack Lusail International Circuit for the first time. As things stand, he is just the third rider to set a lap time so far. 

15:09 - Confirmation then that we will be seeing Raul Fernandez at the Qatar Test. The Spaniard has been declared FIT to ride after a visit to the medical centre.

Medical Info 📋#MotoGP rider #25 @25RaulFernandez has been declared fit#QatarTest ⏱️

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) February 19, 2024

14:55 - 👀TECH WATCH: With minimal action on track, that's allowed some of our intrepid reporters in pitlane to have a look around the boxes and they have spotted a few things! Interestingly, having previously worked with external manufacturers, it seems that all four Hondas are equipped with a swingarm designed by the Japanese manufacturer themselves. At Aprilia, Maverick Viñales' search for a good feeling with his 2024 RS-GP continues, with Top Gun trying an older tail unit along with the new. He also has a piece in the roof of the underseat diffuser that makes it smaller. It appears that whatever effect it's having on the bike, Viñales wants less of it. Take a look at the piece of kit on the #12 bike in comparion to his teammate Aleix Espargaro's. 

14:50 - A little more track action then as the Red Bull GAGSGAS Tech3 boys have come out to play, and Pedro Acosta has gone top, courtesy of a 1:58.171. That is still some way short of Luca Marini's 2023 pole setting time. Augusto Fernandez has also spun a few laps on track to get a taste of conditions at Lusail.

14:35 - Less than ideal track conditions then in Qatar has seen minimal action across the opening 35 minutes or so. Pirro managed to squeeze in six laps and sits atop the timesheets. If you fancy a coffee, then now is the perfect opportunity to go grab one!

14:10 - After a slow start, we have our first rider out on track, and that is Prima Pramac's Michele Pirro! Reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is next out!

14:00 - And it is time to go testing as the green flag waves at Lusail International Circuit!

13.50 - A reminder then that Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) is once again absent as he continues his recovery from a testing crash in Portimao during the pre-season. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) had to end his Sepang Test early due to heavy crash, but should take part in the action. Sticking with Trackhouse Racing, and new recruit Davide Brivio is in Qatar as the 2020 World Champion winning Team Manager begins his adventure with the American based outfit. 

 

13.35 - A busy day awaits, and motogp.com and MotoGP™'s social media channels will be bringing you plenty of coverage of the action from the circuit itself. Jack Gorst and Simon Crafar are our men on the ground at Lusail, and they'll be keeping an eye on all the tech developments while also presenting the mid-day recap, before later joining Elliott York and Louis Suddaby for After the Flag. Check out the schedule below!

  

12:30 - There's not long to go now, with the final two days of testing kicking off at 14:00 (UTC +3) local time. We'll be keeping you up to date with all the action and news throughout Monday and Tuesday, so make sure you stay tuned! While we're waiting for the track action to begin, why not take a look back on Sunday at Lusail, where Aprilia Racing held their 2024 Team Presentation!

11:30 - Good morning from Lusail!