Francesco Bagnaia dominated the final two days of pre-season testing at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar, finishing first on both days. After leading in yesterday’s initial eight-hour session, the reigning World Champion once again secured the fastest time today, setting a record-breaking lap time of 1:50.952.
Following a first day dedicated to reaffirming the positive feelings he experienced with his Desmosedici GP in 2024 configuration during the first three days of testing at Sepang, Bagnaia focused today on time attacks and race simulations in preparation for the upcoming Grand Prix season opener, set to take place at Lusail in a few weeks’ time. Benefiting from favourable conditions, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider managed to break the 1:51 barrier, clocking a record-breaking lap time.
Enea Bastianini also performed well, finishing the Qatar test in second place, just 120 thousandths of a second behind his teammate. The rider from Rimini thus confirms the promising form he showcased during the previous test in Malaysia and is poised to tackle the start of the new MotoGP World Championship, scheduled for March 8-10 with the Qatar GP.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1, Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st (1:50.952 – 103 total laps)
“I’m extremely pleased with the time I managed to set today. I anticipated we’d be hovering around the low 1:51 mark, but going below that was beyond my expectations. Nonetheless, this is just a test, like Malaysia. Today’s conditions were optimal: the grip was incredible, which we fully capitalized on. Overall, it was another positive day, and we’ve fine-tuned our package in every aspect. The GP24 showed promise right from the Valencia test. At Sepang, we did a great job and completed it here. We’re well-prepared for the upcoming season opener in a few weeks.
Enea Bastianini (#23, Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd (1:51.072 – 80 total laps)
“The test has been undeniably productive, and I felt at ease with the bike here in Qatar. We encountered minor issues with vibrations and a slight drop in front tyre performance, but once we address these issues, we can certainly make a significant impact. We showcased competitiveness both in time attack and race pace, so I am happy and eager to get back on track for the inaugural race of the season.”
