Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP |News details:Quartararo Secures Q2 Placement on Qatar GP Friday

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Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins were pushing under the Lusail International Circuit floodlights during the Grand Prix of Qatar Friday Practice session. Quartararo put in a successful bid for a place in tomorrow's Q2, taking 6th position. Rins was unlucky to be pushed outside the top 10 after the chequered flag had already come out. He ended up in 11th place in the timesheets.

Lusail (Qatar), 11th April 2025

Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins both made steps during the evening session, and the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team was on course to having both riders inside the top 10 of the Grand Prix of Qatar Practice. Ultimately, Quartararo ended the session in 6th position, earning him a spot in Saturday's Q2. Rins missed out by just 0.03s and finished in 11th place. He will try again in the Q1 session.

After finishing FP1 in 10th place in the afternoon, Quartararo had set himself the goal of improving his one-lap performance as he knew the competition would be even more fierce in the evening. The Frenchman executed the plan well, using the one-hour Practice to work on his M1's set-up and then putting it to the test in the time attack. He wrapped up the session in 6th place with a best time of 1'51.293s, set on lap 19/21, 0.463s from the top.

Rins had placed 13th in the sunny and much warmer FP1 session in the afternoon. However, the track temperature had cooled after sunset when the Practice session at the Lusail International Circuit got underway. The Spaniard put in a good number of laps to assess the track conditions before commencing his time attack in the final 15 minutes. His best lap, a 1'51.666s set on lap 18/22, had him hold onto 10th place in the final stages, but he was pushed to 11th after the clock had hit zero. He ended up ranking 11th in the Practice classifications, 0.836s from first.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action tomorrow from 15:00-15:30 GMT+3 for the FP2 session, followed by the qualifying sessions from 15:40-16:20, and the 11-lap Sprint at 20:00.

Massimo Meregalli

Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"We really had to push as a team to start the Qatar GP off right. Previously, we came here earlier in the year when the temperatures are lower. Today, we were surprised that despite it being hot and dusty, the track was quite grippy. Overall, we had a good day. Fabio did a very good last time-attack run and secured a place for Q2, which was our objective for both riders. Álex came very close too, missing out on a top-10 result by only 0.03s after the chequered flag had come out. Tonight and tomorrow morning, our work will be focused on preparing for qualifying. It will be crucial to start the Sprint and the Race as much towards the front as possible."

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"The second time attack was way better than the first one. I knew that I had to push to the limit to be there, and to be honest, the lap time was better than I expected. It was really great to feel good at that speed. We have a margin to improve, especially in sector 2 and 3, so that's what we will work on for tomorrow. We are okay on one lap, and we got a positive result today. We'll think about the pace tonight and tomorrow. But today I'm happy with my one lap."

Álex Rins

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"0.03s – it was so close! But we gave it our best and pushed the bike to the maximum. I'm using a different chassis this Friday, which Yamaha had brought to Sepang earlier and have since improved. We found a good set-up from the beginning, and I feel quite good. We are going at our 100%, especially with the tyres. At this track you have to manage the tyres until the end of the race. I don't know if we are going to do the Sprint with the soft, because the drop is massive."