Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi has drawn first blood at the Qatar MotoGP round, setting the fastest time in free practice one with old enemy Jorge Lorenzo second and reigning champion Marc Marquez in third place.
The 40-year-old stuck in a new medium Michelins all round for a time-attack lap at session end and deposed the still-injured Lorenzo from top spot with a 1’54.048 to better the Repsol Honda man by 0.079s.
Marquez, also on a Repsol-backed RC213V, was only 0.037s further back, using a hard front/medium rear combination, whereas Lorenzo used a medium front - the only Honda rider to do so in the session.
Rossi, like team-mate Maverick Vinales, spent a majority of the session getting in laps on the hard front before dropping to a softer compound. Lorenzo didn't try a hard front all session and Marquez also stayed with his preferred choice.
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso stalked the top three right at the end of the 45-minute period and took third using mediums all round with a 1'55.217 but he was demoted back to fourth by his countryman's final flier.
Team-mate Danilo Petrucci, also on mediums, had been holding second place but was demoted back to fifth with his 1'55.267. The former Superstock 100 champ is using aero around his front and rear wheels to try and keep tyre temperatures down as his size and style gives the rubber a hard time.
Vinales ended on a 1'55.312 to just edge out Petronas Yamaha's Franco Morbidelli with Jack Miller putting the Pramac Ducati GP19 in eighth. Ecstar Suzuki's Alex Rins, who sat in third with four minutes remaining, ended in ninth place with Taka Nakagami taking his 2018-spec RC213V to tenth but only four-tenths off the pace.
Fabio Quartararo, second fastest overall in testing, was 11th place with Pol Espargaro leading brother Aleix in 12th. Joan Mir, Andrea Iannone and Pecco Bagnaia completed the top 16 with Cal Crutchlow 17th and only eight-tenths slower than Rossi.
