Bastianini wins his first MotoGP victory!

This Sunday the opening race of the 2022 season was held under the floodlights of the Lusail circuit in Qatar. On the front row for the seventh time in a row on this circuit, it was first Marc Marquez who took the lead at the first braking, but he very quickly had to lose to his teammate Pol Espargaro, determined to achieve his first triumph in the category. 

For his part, 11th on the grid, fabio quartararo made a strong start to finish the first round in eighth place. This was not the case, however, for his compatriot Johann Zarco who was pushed back to 19th position.

Despite the pressure, Espargaro did not give in to Marquez who, for his part, had to deal with an overexcited Brad Binder on the handlebars of his KTM. The South African was quick to get rid of the Honda representative to pursue the other RC213V in the lead. 

Fourth and first Ducati rider, Enea Bastianini first observed his opponents before first taking the advantage over Marquez and gradually gaining on Binder. Behind, Aleix Espargaro completed the Top 5 with 12 laps to go ahead of the two Suzukis of Joan Mir and Alex Rins. 

Le troisième Fratelli d'Italia de la journée ! 🏆🎶🇮🇹#QatarGP #WEDIABOLIC pic.twitter.com/Yo2c7FQap1

— CANAL+ MotoGP™ (@CanalplusMotoGP) March 6, 2022

Jorge Martin, who started from pole position, was in eighth position just ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, but the Italian, although favorite for the title and victory at Lusail, was a little too optimistic when braking for the first corner. While trying to overtake his Madrid rival, he fell, dragging Martin into the gravel trap. “It's the first time I've had this much for my life, to be honest,” Martin said after the race. I found myself between the two motorcycles and I think I hit Pecco's with my hand. » Affected in one finger, he will undergo examinations tomorrow morning to make sure everything is fine.

Six laps from the checkered flag, Espargaro was only six tenths ahead of Bastianini. The Italian gave everything to follow in the wake of the Honda, taking advantage of the power of his GP21. He ultimately managed to take control of hostilities at the end of the Qatar straight with four laps to go. Espargaro widened the trajectory allowing Binder to move into second. The youngest of the Espargaro brothers therefore concluded the race on the third step of the podium just ahead of his eldest, Aleix, in fourth. 

Fifth, Marquez will still have to wait before claiming his 100th Top 3 in MotoGP. Mir and Rins placed sixth and seventh ahead of Zarco, author of a good comeback to finish ahead of Quatararo who launches the defense of his crown with the points for ninth place. The world champion suffered from a sudden rise in pressure in his front tire shortly after the start. “I don't understand what happened, because last year, we came from afar and we were able to win without the pressure building,” he said during his press briefing. I'm hoping the team will have an answer for me, but right now they're figuring out what happened. »

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