Winners and losers from MotoGP’s Qatar GP

Was Losail ever actually a ‘weak circuit’ for Marc Marquez? He stated each earlier than and after the weekend that it was, however his efficiency in Qatar completely belied that concept – to the purpose the place you surprise if the Spaniard was merely enjoying together with the narrative spun by a media corps petrified of one other 18 MotoGP weekends with no real title battle to write down about.

The very fact is that Qatar was very a lot the same old story the place Marquez was involved. Pole place, dash victory, grand prix victory and two quickest laps. He didn’t lead a lot of the grand prix however that was merely a case of him controlling his tempo and managing his tyres. This seemed precisely like the same old template. If that’s what a poor monitor for Marquez appears to be like like, then one of many final straws his rivals needed to clutch at has been rudely snatched away.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Group

Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Pictures

This time it seemed prefer it may simply occur for ‘Pecco’. By his standard requirements, Bagnaia hit the bottom working on Friday. He didn’t should squeak into Q2 like he had within the earlier two rounds. For the primary time this yr, he was overtly optimistic after the primary day’s follow. He believed he might threaten manufacturing facility Ducati team-mate Marquez this time round.

With Saturday’s circumstances much like Friday’s and his homework accomplished, the exhausting half was presupposed to be out of the best way as he went into qualifying. However then all of it unravelled with a crash that condemned him to eleventh on the grid. On high of that, he struggled to launch any form of restoration with a light-weight gas load within the dash. The Sunday podium solely served to underline what might need been.

Maverick Vinales, Pink Bull KTM Tech 3

Photograph by: Karim Jaafar – AFP – Getty Pictures

Vinales had been stronger than standard in Texas two weeks in the past, however the common paddock assumption was that this was all the way down to his affinity for the COTA circuit. It was one thing of a shock, subsequently, to see him qualify on the second row in Qatar. With standard KTM talisman Pedro Acosta struggling to twelfth in qualifying, Tech3 rider Maverick thus emerged because the clear chief of the Austrian brigade within the desert.

Whereas he slipped again within the dash due to a weird tyre alternative (see beneath), there was no signal of a basic Vinales disappearing act within the grand prix. He fought his technique to the entrance and led the center of the race till Marc Marquez determined sufficient was sufficient. However crossing the road in second place was greater than sufficient to have Vinales beaming as he cracked the highest 10 for the primary time in any race this season. {That a} penalty for tyre pressures demoted him to an official 14th did nearly nothing to dampen his spirits.

Losers: Dash race tender tyre runners

Marc Marquez, Ducati Group

Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Pictures

Whether or not it was all the way down to over-reliance on some piece of software program or just a case of collective mania, the 9 riders who began the dash on tender rear rubber paid a heavy value. These included all 4 KTMs and all three Hondas (Joan Mir missed out with sickness), together with the Yamahas of Jack Miller and Alex Rins. Three of those riders began contained in the factors however none of them completed there.

It’s not typically that total fleets of bikes get a tyre put on prediction so badly improper, notably when follow has performed out in even hotter circumstances than the race, which in Qatar takes place within the night. Sure, it’s an oversimplification to ascribe the woes of all 9 riders to the tender tyre, as there have been a few caveats. However broadly talking, this was a bunch failure for the ages.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Manufacturing facility Racing

Photograph by: Karim Jaafar – AFP – Getty Pictures

Yamaha riders had proven flashes of tempo thus far this season, however Quartararo making the entrance row in Qatar was one thing of a leap in efficiency over one lap – his first look contained in the qualifying high three since Assen in 2022.

Everybody, Quartararo included, held their collective breath when the dash received below means. The worry was that the M1 wouldn’t have the ability to replicate its single-lap tempo over a race distance. The truth that Quartararo ran fourth many of the means earlier than a last-corner slip to fifth would have been purpose sufficient for Yamaha to have thrown a celebration.

A flattering seventh place within the grand prix on Sunday was a actuality test, however on the entire this was a optimistic weekend for Yamaha – albeit at a monitor the place the bike traditionally goes nicely.

Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photograph by: Dorna

Coming into the Qatar weekend, Alex had been nothing if not constant in 2025. He had completed each dash and each grand prix in second place – irritating however nonetheless robust within the context of his profession and unbiased Gresini Ducati machine. He additionally occurred to be main the championship following brother Marc’s mistake in Texas final trip. In Doha, nonetheless, Alex lastly hit a pace bump.

Whereas he did safe his now-traditional second place on the grid, Alex had by that stage endured his first crash of the yr, in Free Follow 2. The dash adopted a reasonably acquainted sample – Alex completed second after mounting nothing greater than “half an assault” on Marc.

However the grand prix noticed issues really come off the rails. Contact with Marc on the first nook appeared to place him on the again foot and he ended up taking out Fabio di Giannantonio. After serving the ensuing long-lap penalty he ended up sixth – 17 factors behind Marc as a substitute of two forward of him.

Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing

Photograph by: Noushad Thekkayil – NurPhoto – Getty Pictures

Following the rookie’s leap to prominence on the earlier race in Texas, Aldeguer consolidated his new standing as a real high 10 contender this weekend. As he continued to take strides in Qatar, it was no shock to see him qualify the Gresini Ducati inside the highest 10.

Aldeguer had been quick in Texas however crashed within the grand prix. This time, he secured robust finishes with fourth within the dash race and fifth within the grand prix. The latter additionally noticed him defeat team-mate Alex Marquez for the primary time, albeit after Alex’s multitude of points throughout the race. On high of that, he had far the higher weekend of the 2 vaunted rookies within the subject, as Aprilia rider Ai Ogura couldn’t attain his stage.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Group

Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Pictures

Though he scored a podium place on the Americas GP, Fabio di Giannantonio returned to his world of frustration in Qatar. Once more he gave the impression to be basically quick on the VR46 GP25, qualifying an honest fifth, earlier than one thing went improper come race time.

His dash trials had been pretty undramatic. A poor getaway – particularly the second part of the beginning – set the tone for a drop down the order within the early going. He might solely get better to sixth place within the brief race.

On Sunday, he received below means a lot better and had simply overtaken Alex Marquez for fourth place when the Spaniard dive-bombed him out of factors competition heading into Flip 12. A protracted-lap penalty for Marquez was no assist to di Giannantonio, who will really feel he ought to have considerably greater than the 48 factors he has amassed thus far. He lies fifth within the championship, however 30 factors shy of team-mate Franco Morbidelli.   

Pictures from Qatar GP – Race