Coup d’etat in the first Grand Prix of the season for MotoGP in Qatar. Against all odds, Enea Bastianini won the race at the Losail circuit where Pol Espargaró led much of the track until he ran out of tires and petrol to continue competing. The checkered flag has been flown for the first time this 2022 and has crowned La Bestia, Valentino Rossi’s academy pilot, as the winner, with eyes full of tears in memory of Fausto Gresini.
The show was about to begin. You could feel the nerves between the bubbles, like when it’s time for the big premiere. The stands were full, the bikes were already placed just behind their marks on the starting grid. The perfectly organized chaos minutes before the traffic lights went out allowed mechanics, guests and helpers to turn around while watching the 24 protagonists who would finally take the exit after months of preparation. The minutes have been exhausted and, little by little, it is time to lift the curtain. The pilots took off their headphones and equipped themselves with gloves and a helmet. His mechanics have run off the tarmac to go to the pits and the traffic lights have been turned on to kick off the longest MotoGP season in history.
Silence has invaded the Losail circuit. All eyes were fixed on the five lights that gave permission to press the accelerator. With the deafening sound of the engines, the function has begun.
The two Hondas have made an exceptional start. Pol Espargaró, in the season that should be his confirmation, has taken the lead in the race after finishing sixth accompanied by his teammate Marc Márquez. Both, like an exhalation, have left behind Jorge Martín, the man of the pole, which has lost momentum in the first meters. Granollers, as the headliner in this function, has set a fast pace for much of the race, but Enea Bastianini has taken all the juice out of her Ducati in the final laps. Meter by meter, lap by lap, he has been opening up more space with his pursuers, but the Italian rider has been able to wait and attack when the Catalan has started to suffer from tires. With an error after the overtaking, Espargaró has fallen to third place.
The secondary actors in this race have been diverse. The two brothers Espargaró and Brad Binder (KTM) have fought for the podium places that La Bestia has left to decide. The Australian KTM rider has been the quintessential spectator of Bastianini’s victory. Without making much noise, like an ant working slowly but without pause, Binder climbed to the second step of the podium just in front of Polyccio. Marc Márquez’s Honda has not shown the good level it has shown in qualifying practice. Cervera was not comfortable on the bike, did not slide on the asphalt as he usually does and had to settle for fifth position.
Debacle de Ducati i Yamaha
Despite Bastianini’s stunning victory, the Ducati have had a day to forget. After a poor start by Jorge Martín, the Madrid player has not reacted, to the despair of the brand structure. As if that wasn’t enough, in addition to the frustration with a race that promised Martin, neither of the two official bikes from the Italian factory has reached the finish line. Pecco Bagnaia was wrong when he tried to overtake the Madrid driver and swept him two laps from the end. And Jack Miller has also had to leave due to mechanical problems.
If the Ducati has been one of the bitter faces of the World Cup premiere, the Yamaha has an even worse balance in its premiere. Fabio Quartararo, the current World Cup champion, has had a weekend to forget. Without power, not at all comfortable riding his bike and with a lot of mechanical problems, the Frenchman said no with his head when, on the main straight, Johann Zarco overtook him at the last moment.
Italian triumph in Moto2 and Moto3
The two categories of smaller displacement have also had their debut today. Andrea Migno (Honda) won the Moto 3 ahead of Sergio García Dols (GasGas) and Kaito Toba (KTM). The Italian has been able to take advantage of the misfortunes of two of his direct rivals: the Spaniard Izan Güevara (GasGas), who had achieved the “pole position” but has been sanctioned for the race, and the Japanese Ayumu Sasaki (Husqvarna), who had to retire due to mechanical problems.
In the intermediate category, the victory went to Celestino Vietti (Kalex). Once again, an Italian won the Qatar Moto2 Grand Prix at the Losail circuit, ahead of Corbera del Llobregat rider Arón Canet (Kalex) and Britain’s Sam Lowes (Kalex).
