Qatar MotoGP: Marc Marquez fastest in FP2 at season opener, Pedro Acosta impresses on debut

Marc Marquez was the quickest in FP2 at the Qatar Grand Prix, as the new 2024 MotoGP season got underway at the Lusail International Circuit.

The second session took place in heavy rain, and the riders started on wet tyres to combat the inclement conditions.

The race organisers adjusted the format of the session, meaning FP2 ran for 45 minutes, but without the times counting towards qualifying.

With a little over 20 minutes of the session remaining, Marquez went top as he took the chance to experiment on his Ducati Gresini in the wet.

He would end the session top of the pile with a time of 2:06.544, while it was an all-Spanish top three as well.

Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GasGas Tech3) was three-tenths of a second behind, with team-mate Pedro Acosta only a tenth behind him.

Jack Miller and then Brad Binder followed in fourth and fifth respectively.

Jorge Martin went fastest in the first free practice session.

Aleix Espargaro of Aprilla was 0.047 seconds adrift of the lead, while Acosta made a big impression in what was his debut MotoGP session, as the Red Bull rider came third and 0.071s behind Martin.

There was plenty of hype and excitement surrounding the 19-year-old Acosta, having already won two world titles across Moto3 and Moto2 level.

Despite his tender years, the Spaniard proved he can compete with the very best following some eye-catching work in Lusail and will certainly be one to watch this season.

There were plenty of eyes on Marquez following his transfer from Honda to Ducati Gresini, and the six-time world champion produced a solid showing on his new bike by coming fourth.

Acosta was leading the way heading into the final 10 minutes, while Marquez also briefly propelled himself into top spot before finishing in fourth. Marc's brother Alex Marquez came 10th also riding the Gresini Ducati.

Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia made a rather slow start before coming 13th, and will hope that this is not a hangover from the way in which he ended the 2023 season.

Both Qualifying 1 (Q1) and Q2 races take place on Saturday, which will decide the starting grid positions for the opening sprint race of the season in the afternoon.

The 22-lap Grand Prix itself then takes place on Sunday at 5pm UK time under the lights for what promises to be a pulsating night-time race.

- -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media