AFTER a top race, Round 2 of the 2021 MotoGP season has concluded with a new winner in Fabio Quartararo on the Monster Yamaha, with two Pramac Ducatis taking the next spots on the podium.
Starting the race, Oliveira rockets up from 12th to 3rd, like a certain Jorge Martin last week! Unfortunately, he then heads back down the pecking order to finish in 15th.
Things got heated between Joan Mir and Jack Miller, the two touched and Miller went wide after coming in to contact. Miller was fuming. Mir realises his initial mistake and raises his leg as an apology, but the two come together again later in the race! New rivalry brewing here?
Alex Rins was fighting all race, looking for the lead with 14 laps to go and sniffing at clean air - he saves a low-side after almost losing the front, too, and ends up in 4th on the Suzuki.
Jorge Martin secures his first podium after leading in his second ever MotoGP race. He was leading for a large part of the race, Johann Zarco taking second place from him on the last lap, and slightly earlier, with 5 laps to go, was passed by a charging Fabio Quartararo…
Speaking of, Quartararo puts out a fantastic display to work past the Ducati riders, having an overall brilliant race after qualifying in 5th. The Frenchman takes his Monster Yamaha to his first win of the 2021 Championship, and back-to-back Yamaha wins in Qatar.
Fantastic work from the Pramac Ducatis, who have usurped the factory Ducati team to take the Desmo glory this weekend. Factory Ducati will be no doubt fuming, with Miller and Bagnaia finishing 9th and 6th respectively.
Valentino Rossi will be searching for more, qualifying in 21st and finishing in 16th. The top 15 finished within 8.9 seconds of each other - the talent in the paddock this year seems to be absolutely unparalleled.
Round 3 will be in Portimao on the 16th-18th of April - perhaps a date that Marc Marquez has violently circled in his calendar, will he be back on the Respol Honda that Stefan Bradl is keeping warm for him?
Final results of the Doha GP | MotoGP 2021
At the top, Fabio Quartararo with a final time of 42 min 23.997 seconds (last week Viñales won with a final time 42 min 28.663). 2nd was Johann Zarco (+1.457), Jorge Martin claimed his first podium in 3rd (+1.500), 4th Alex Rins, 5th Maverick Viñales, 6th Francesco Bagnaia, 7th Joan Mir, 8th Brad Binder, 9th Jack Miller.
Full results and finishing times here on crash.net.
Current 2021 MotoGP Championship standings here on crash.net.
