Qatar MotoGP: Miller leads FP2, Espargaro crashes again
Jack Miller led a Ducati 1-2 in second practice for the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix, while Honda rookie Pol Espargaro suffered his second crash of the day.
Aleix Espargaro set the early pace as FP2 got underway with a 1m55.204s, before Francesco Bagnaia dropped into the 1m54s with a 1m54.625s to take over top spot moments later.
This lap stood for just a few seconds, as his factory Ducati teammate Miller edged ahead with a 1m54.571s before the session was red-flagged briefly for debris on the main straight.
When proceedings restarted, Miller bettered his lap to a 1m54.557s, but Espargaro dug deep on his Aprilia and really spread the field with a 1m53.789s on just his sixth lap of the session.
It took 15 minutes for Espargaro’s lap to come under threat, MotoGP’s qualifying specialist Fabio Quartararo on the factory Yamaha getting to within 0.077 seconds on the opening lap of a run.
On his follow-up tour, Quartararo deposed Espargaro with a 1m53.697s, before Bagnaia produced a 1m53.422s a few minutes later to take over top spot.
A flurry of fast laps filled the closing stages of FP2 as the field made their bids for a provisional place in Q2 with conditions in FP3 set to be windier than they were on Friday.
With just over two minutes remaining, Miller reclaimed top spot from his teammate with a 1m53.387s, and this would go unchallenged through to the chequered flag.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Several riders came close on their last laps to pipping Miller, with Bagnaia the closest at just 0.035s adrift, having been forced to abort his final effort due to Pol Espargaro’s late crash.
The Honda rider was tailing LCR counterpart Alex Marquez and slid off at the fast Turn 15 left-hander, although he held onto a provisional Q2 place in 10th.
Quartararo completed the top three on his Yamaha ahead of Johann Zarco on the Pramac Ducati, with Alex Rins showing an encouraging turn of single-lap pace for Suzuki in fifth and just 0.236s off Miller’s lap.
His world champion teammate did not fare so well; although only 0.527s off the pace, Joan Mir was shuffled out of the Q2 places into 11th.
Maverick Vinales rounded out the top six on the sister works team Yamaha ahead of FP1 pacesetter Franco Morbidelli on the Petronas SRT M1, while Aleix Espargaro slid down the order to eighth.
Splitting the Espargaro brothers was Valentino Rossi on the sister SRT Yamaha, while Jorge Martin led the rookie crop in an impressive 13th on the Pramac Ducati.
KTM’s Qatar woes continued into FP2, with Brad Binder the leading RC16 rider in 16th and 0.984s off the pace, while teammate Miguel Oliveira headed Tech3 KTM duo Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona in 19th.
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Laps | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jack Miller | Ducati | 17 | 1'53.387 | |
| 2 |  Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 16 | 1'53.422 | 0.035 |
| 3 |  Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | 17 | 1'53.575 | 0.188 |
| 4 | Johann Zarco | Ducati | 18 | 1'53.586 | 0.199 |
| 5 |  Alex Rins | Suzuki | 19 | 1'53.623 | 0.236 |
| 6 | Maverick Viñales | Yamaha | 18 | 1'53.639 | 0.252 |
| 7 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha | 19 | 1'53.676 | 0.289 |
| 8 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 16 | 1'53.727 | 0.340 |
| 9 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 19 | 1'53.874 | 0.487 |
| 10 | Pol Espargaro | Honda | 18 | 1'53.901 | 0.514 |
| 11 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 18 | 1'53.914 | 0.527 |
| 12 | Alex Marquez | Honda | 17 | 1'54.115 | 0.728 |
| 13 | Jorge Martin | Ducati | 17 | 1'54.178 | 0.791 |
| 14 |  Takaaki Nakagami | Honda | 16 | 1'54.199 | 0.812 |
| 15 | Enea Bastianini | Ducati | 17 | 1'54.228 | 0.841 |
| 16 |  Brad Binder | KTM | 15 | 1'54.371 | 0.984 |
| 17 | Luca Marini | Ducati | 17 | 1'54.432 | 1.045 |
| 18 |  Stefan Bradl | Honda | 18 | 1'54.634 | 1.247 |
| 19 |  Miguel Oliveira | KTM | 17 | 1'54.756 | 1.369 |
| 20 | Danilo Petrucci | KTM | 16 | 1'54.774 | 1.387 |
| 21 | Iker Lecuona | KTM | 16 | 1'55.098 | 1.711 |
| 22 | Lorenzo Savadori | Aprilia | 18 | 1'55.674 | 2.287 |
| View full results | |||||
Related video
Espargaro “can’t wait” for Dovizioso to test Aprilia
Pol Espargaro ‘needed’ Qatar crash for Honda knowledge
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.