Zarco tops qualifying one at Qatar MotoGP

Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac) recorded the fastest time in qualifying No 1 at the Qatar MotoGP on Saturday.

Zarco's time of 1:52.38 beat the previous course record set by current world champion Francesco Bagnaia in 2021 by almost four-tenths of a second.

He finished 0.055 seconds ahead of Spaniard Alex Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) in second place and 0.122 faster than third-placed Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati-VR46).

The top three will compete in qualifying round two later on Saturday, which will determine the first 12 places on the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.