Qatar MotoGP: Bagnaia wins 2024 season opener

    Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder finished second and Sprint race winner Jorge Martin was third.

    Published On Mar 11, 2024 03:26:00 PM

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    The 2024 MotoGP season opener in Qatar saw two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia continue his reign on the Ducati GP24. The feature race’s start was disrupted due to a technical issue faced by Raul Fernandez from Aprilia Trackhouse racing.

    1. Binder finishes second in sprint and main race
    2. Marc Marquez finishes fourth, first time on Ducati Machinery
    3. MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta finishes in the top 10

    The podium battle

    While Jorge Martin got a great start from pole position, 2023 champion Francesco Bagnaia managed to seize the lead within the first three corners and it stayed that way for the remainder of the race. 

    Behind Bagnaia, Brad Binder and Jorge Martin were engaged in their own battle, overtaking each other multiple times, but ultimately, Binder’s RC16 took second place followed by Sprint Race winner Martin in third. 

    Marquez brothers finish in the top 10

    Marc Marquez, in his first feature-length race on a Ducati, managed to finish within the top five in both the Sprint as well as the main race. Binder and Marc Marquez were involved in a close battle throughout the race, which pushed Enea Bastianini down to fifth place and into an immediate skirmish with Alex Marquez. At the end, Alex finished the race in sixth position.

    Rookie Acosta in top 10 on MotoGP debut

    The only rookie on the 2024 MotoGP grid, Pedro Acosta, initially had a very promising race and at one point was in fourth place, ahead of even Marc Marquez.

    However, all that overtaking took its toll on the rookie’s rear tyre and forced him to reduce his pace, at which point both the Marquez brothers, Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Aleix Espargaro came past him. Acosta had to settle for ninth place in the end.

    2024 MotoGP championship standings

    After claiming his 2023 MotoGP championship, Bagnaia has won the opening race of the 2024 MotoGP season. This winning race sets the reigning champion at the top of the standings, followed by Brad Binder and Jorge Martin. The next round will be held at the Algarve circuit in Portugal on March 22–24. 

    2024 Qatar MotoGP results  

    2024 Qatar GP Results
    PositionRiderTeam
    1Francesco BagnaiaDucati
    2Brad BinderKTM
    3Jorge MartinPramac Racing
    4Marc MarquezGresini Racing
    5Enea BastianiniDucati
    6Alex MarquezGresini Racing
    7Fabio Di GiannantonioVR46 Racing
    8Aleix EspargaroAprilia
    9Pedro AcostaGASGAS Tech3
    10Maverick VinalesAprilia
    11Fabio QuartararoYamaha
    12Johann ZarcoLCR Honda
    13Joan MirHonda
    14Marco BezzecchiVR46 Racing
    15Miguel OliveiraTrackhouse Racing
    16Alex RinsYamaha
    17Augusto FernandezGASGAS Tech3
    18Franco MorbidelliPramac Racing
    19Takaaki NakagamiLCR Honda
    20Luca MariniHonda
    21Jack MillerKTM
    NCRaul FernandezTrackhouse Racing

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