Several key questions were finally answered as the 2024 MotoGP world championships kicked off in Qatar at the weekend.
Italy’s Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia is in good form to defend his world crown; Spain’s Marc Marquez is not far off being a winner again and, when young Spanish MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta learns to manage his tyres a little better, he’ll become a title threat just as quickly as he did in Moto3 and Moto2 in previous seasons.
The Ducati Lenovo Team has come out victorious in the Qatar GP race thanks to two-time reigning champion Bagnaia, who put together a perfect performance from start to finish. His team-mate Enea Bastianini was fifth in the 21-lap, first full race of the season.
Bagnaia had a great start from fifth place on the grid and was third entering turn one, before making his way to first position in a matter of a few corners. Thanks to a fast and consistent pace, Bagnaia kept himself safely in the lead while managing his margin and – at the same time – preserving the tyres, eventually crossing the finish line 1.3secs ahead of his closest rival.
After Sunday’s win, Bagnaia is now leading the championship standings with 31 points, while runner-up rider Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM), from South Africa, is just two points behind.
The riders will be back in action on March 22-24 at Portimão’s Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
“We used a different strategy today, after the excellent work done with the team during warm up,” said Bagnaia afterwards.
“Everything went perfectly: I tried to brake hard and waiting an extra moment in order to not use the rear too much and ended the race in the best possible condition.
“I started a bit slower lap-time wise and then started a bit more as the laps went by. When I saw another rider getting closer, I tried to pull away a bit more and everything went according to plan. Even on this occasion, the team has done an incredible job.”
Photo courtesy Ducati
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MotoGP World Championship results from round 1:
| 2024 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail – Race Results: | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff |
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | 39m 34.869s |
| 2 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.329s |
| 3 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +1.933s |
| 4 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +3.429s |
| 5 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP24) | +5.153s |
| 6 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP23) | +6.791s |
| 7 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +9.161s |
| 8 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +11.242s |
| 9 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) | +11.595s |
| 10 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP24) | +13.197s |
| 11 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +17.701s |
| 12 | Johann Zarco | FRA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +18.075s |
| 13 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +18.437s |
| 14 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | VR46 Ducati (GP23) | +19.194s |
| 15 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP24) | +20.717s |
| 16 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +24.093s |
| 17 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 (RC16) | +24.106s |
| 18 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pramac Ducati (GP24) | +24.641s |
| 19 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +25.556s |
| 20 | Luca Marini | ITA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +42.422s |
| 21 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +42.761s |
| Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP23) | DNF | |