Bezzecchi third fastest in Qatar practice as Aprilia gains ground

Marco Bezzecchi set the third-fastest time in Friday's pre-qualifying at Lusail, behind Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marc Marquez, guaranteeing him direct access to Q2. He had finished FP1 behind Marquez, and the result suggests the Aprilia RS-GP is competitive at a circuit where the team struggled a year ago.

Bezzecchi said he had enjoyed the day and credited the team in Noale and Aprilia for the progress. He also acknowledged improvements to his own riding, while noting that work remains in the time attack and in the consistency of his race pace. He described the night session as more enjoyable than the daytime one and said he would be happy to race more at night.

Looking ahead to 2027, Bezzecchi said he would miss the very high speeds reached on the straights of the current 1000cc bikes, even as he welcomed the new MotoGP machinery with smaller engines, less aerodynamics and no lowering devices.