MotoGP | Qatar GP FP1: Morbidelli at the top, Valentino Rossi is ninth

MotoGP GP Qatar Free Practice 1 – Franco Morbidelli, one of the favorites of the 2021 MotoGP (this despite not riding an official bike, ed.) started very well, setting the best time in the first free practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix, the opening race of the 2021 MotoGP.

The Italian-Brazilian rider of Team Yamaha Petronas set the best lap with a time of 1:54.921, the only rider to go below the "wall" of one minute and 55 minutes.

“Soft” who covered 17 laps, the best on the 16th lap, preceded by 0.125s a great Aleix Espargarò, who astride the Aprilia RS-GP confirmed the good things done in the recent tests also carried out in Qatar.

Third time for the best Ducati, that of the Australian Jack Miller (for him also a crash without consequences, ed.), who placed his official Desmosedici GP ahead of Fabio Quartararo's Yamaha Factory and the Suzuki of reigning champion Joan Mir.

Maverick Vinales with the second Yamaha Factory is sixth and is followed by Alex Rins' Suzuki and Francesco Bagnaia's official Ducati.

“Pecco” is ahead of Valentino Rossi, with the Pesaro native riding the Team Petronas Yamaha Factory (he exchanged places with Quartararo, ed.) in ninth, less than half a second from the top, exactly 0.498s.

The "Doctor" who covered 15 laps, is ahead of Miguel Oliveira's KTM, which closes the Top Ten. Eleventh time for Alex Marquez (riding the Honda Factory of Team LCR from this year), ahead of team-mate Takaaki Nakagami.

Johann Zarco (a crash without consequences for him as well as for Miller, ed.) is thirteenth, immediately ahead of the Hondas of tester Stefan Bradl (who replaces Marc Marquez, ed.) and Pol Espargarò (who also crashed without consequences, ed.).

Ducati rookies Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) and Enea Bastianini (Team Avintia) finished in 17th and 18th position, ahead of Danilo Petrucci's Team Tech 3 KTM, rookie Jorge Martin's Ducati Pramac, and Lorenzo's Aprilia Savadori and the second KTM of Iker Lecuona's Team Tech 3.