Unfolding the Qatar GP Weekend
What a brilliant start to the season, couldn’t have asked for more really. As expected from what happened in the pre-season testing at the same venue a couple of weeks earlier, the Ducatis wasted no time and topped almost all the charts from practice to the qualifying. Jack Miller of the factory Ducati went fastest in few practice sessions whereas, in qualifying, his teammate Francesco Bagnaia stitched a fine lap together to take the first pole of the 2021 season. Lining up with him on the front of the grid were the two Monster Energy Yamaha teammates, Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales in second and third respectively. The surprise of the lot? Definitely none other than Valentino Rossi, the 41-year-old former champion qualified fourth just 0.026s behind his former teammate. Considering the overall speed of Ducatis throughout the weekend, it looked like Jack Miller and Johan Zarco with his Pramac Ducati, missed out on the potential front grid, if not the pole. When it comes to the defending champion Joan Mir and Team Suzuki, we all know they don’t necessarily have the same one-lap pace as other manufacturers but their overall balance and a pair of quality riders make all the difference when it matters in the race. Mir qualified in tenth place, 0.192s behind his teammate Alex Rins in ninth.
There was one pre-race incident that is noteworthy here and it’s about Johan Zarco. You already guessed it right? Yes, the Frenchman went flying in free practice-4 when he recorded top-speed of 362.4kph (225.1mph) which is a new record. The previously held record was by Andrea Dovizioso when he clicked 356.7kph (221.6mph), driving the factory Ducati.
The Qatar GP didn’t take place in 2020, as the opening race of the season had to be canceled due to the pandemic outbreak. But generally, it is considered to be Ducati’s stronghold and the record speaks for itself, as Andrea Dovizioso took back-to-back victories at the venue in 2018 and 19.
The start itself was a sight to behold. As soon as the lights went out, the Ducatis just went past the Yamaha duo like it’s a child’s play. Just ahead of the turn-1, Bagnaia held to his pole position start while his teammate Jack Miller and both the Pramac Ducatis including the rookie Jorge Martin were warming up his tail. The Yamahas on the other hand had a shocking start with Vinales and Quartararo just making up the top-10 in the initial laps. Meanwhile Quartararo’s ex-teammate Franco Morbidelli saw himself drift from being seventh to all the way back at the twentieth position. Around the seventh lap is when the factory Yamaha duo got settled in and started coming through the field steadily. It was the young Frenchman Quartararo who got past Martin and made the way for his Spanish teammate.
Valentino Rossi, on the other hand, started well from the initial fourth position, but he struggled in terms of pace after a few laps and gradually drifted back to finish at 12th. The Repsol duo of Pol Espargaro and Stefan Bradl finished in 8th and 11th place respectively whereas both the LCR Honda riders, Alex Marquez and Takaki Nakagami crashed out late, to add to the team’s frustrations.
So close yet so far for Mir and the final lap drama
Coming back to the fight for the podium, world champion Joan Mir, started his charge a few laps past the midway of the race and even looked good enough to take the win at one point. He went past Quartararo and Alex Espargaro and up next were the two Ducatis of Bagnaia and Zarco, which as we know are hard to beat on the straight-line pace. He then lunged past Bagnaia who seemed to have lost the tires at the end. The drama of the final lap though was something else. Mir went past Zarco at turn-15 to take the second spot on the podium and had it almost till the end. On the final start/end turn, he went off for a tiniest of seconds, but it was enough for the trailing Ducatis of Zarco and Bagnaia to run past Mir to complete the podium.
Meanwhile, Maverick Vinales who started his blitzkrieg around the lap-10, went past the leading pack one by one to finally make a race-winning lunge on then-leader Peco Bagnaia, who seemed to struggle for the tire grip, as I mentioned earlier. After that, the Spaniard did not look back as he absolutely cruised to a commanding victory.
The Grand Prix of Doha: Welcome to the Round 2
The tradition to have back-to-back races at the same venue has been started since 2020, and it not only helps everyone to stay safe at one place in a bubble but also reduces the additional costs like traveling to new venues, creating new bubbles in every place, etc. Plus, as fans, it works a little bit in our favor as we get to see the high-quality MotoGP races in successive weeks, and who can say no to that?
It was yet another week of Ducati dominance in the practice and qualifying, and once again the Yamahas looked like the closest contender to the Italian outfit, when it comes to the one-lap pace.
Jorge Martin, the Spanish rookie, who earned his maiden MotoGP point during the opening weekend for his 15th place finish, looked very confident on the bike and it was a fierce battle between him and his teammate Johan Zarco for the pole position. It was Martin, who came on top in that battle, notching a 1’53.106 lap to outclass his teammate by 0.157s, who settled for the second. Joining them on the front row was our first-race winner, Maverick Vinales, who qualified third for the second successive week. It was all Ducati and Yamaha first and second row, with Miller, Quartararo, and Bagnaia filling in just below the leading pack. Spanish trio of Alex Espargaro, Alex Rins, and Joan Mir finished on seventh, eighth, and ninth respectively while the Brazilian sensation Franco Morbidelli completed the final place in the top-10.
I covered the first race like we always do, summarizing all the important moments and incidents and coming to a conclusion about the race and what the weekend meant for all the teams, and how the season is shaping up to come the next round. However, the second race day of the season had so many memorable incidents, facts, and memorable moments, that each one of them deserves an individual mention. To say the whole race was a highlight says everything about it.
How good is Jorge Martin? Incredible arrival on the big stage for the Spaniard
The 2018 Moto3 World Champion has had a formidable start to his career in the top-flight of MotoGP and the span of just 2-weeks, he earned his first championship point, earned his maiden pole in only his second race, and has now earned his first-ever MotoGP podium, after finishing third in the second Doha race.
The man from Madrid led more than half of the race, and at one point it looked like he might actually win it, such as the drive from the youngster. He did not make any considerable mistakes, given his very low experience with the bike and the tires. Even though the track has a history of being favorable to the Ducati, what he achieved over the two weeks is really commendable, given how some of the more experienced riders like Jack Miller and Peco Bagnaia struggled to extract more out of their bikes.
Ducatis are fast on the straights, but on the corners, nobody can catch the Yamahas
Watching a MotoGP race is always very pleasing and the best thing about it is you can never predict what’s going to happen next. And this unpredictability is what makes the game very interesting for the viewers and the popularity of the event going forward. Moreover, all the bikes are fairly on the same level, apart from a couple of new entrants like Aprilia and KTM. Also, the strengths and weaknesses of each one are pretty visible even to someone who may not understand the technology that goes into it, so overall it only adds to the entertainment value of the sport and we are all here for it. For example, we all know how hard it is to play catch-up to the Ducatis on the straights, and it’s not very easy to get past them on the corners either, but out of all the teams we’ve seen, Yamaha’s corner speed looks strongest but the Suzuki is also there and thereabout. During the final few laps, Quartararo did manage to get past the race leader Jorge Martin, but on the very next straight line, the Ducatis went past him with ease. He got them again going into the first two corners and he had to push incredibly hard to create a considerable gap at the front, to ensure he takes the chequered flag before anyone else.
What happened between Mir and Miller? Did it cost them the potential podium?
Jack Miller and Joan Mir were involved in a couple of incidents that may have hampered the chance of the defending champion, as he for the second successive week, failed to convert a good start into a podium finish. Miller started from fourth only to get pegged back a few positions at the start, while Mir started from ninth and was never going to settle for that. He first attempted to get past Miller at the halfway mark and the two riders had the slightest of contacts between them, which was okay. The move was made and there wasn’t anything questionable bout that one. But a few laps later, Mir went wide and this time it was Miler who tried getting past the Spaniard and the two had another contact, big enough to cause a heated reaction from the Aussie. That was enough to disrupt the rhythm of both the rider’s and even though it was deemed as just a racing incident and no penalty was given to both of them, a couple of ninth-place finishes and a fourth and a seventh seems like a lost chance for both of them from the opening two races.
Johan Zarco: The flying Frenchman is leading the world championship after the first two races. You heard it right.
What a start to the season for the Frenchman and he deserves every bit of it. A couple of second-place finishes in the first two races and now he’s leading the championship. I know the season has just gotten underway and we have a pretty long way to go, Marc Marquez is yet to come back and plenty of other riders haven’t found their groove yet, but to hit your strides straightaway in the opening few rounds is equally commendable and impressive. He showed last year with the Aprilia that he deserves a better bike and can get good results consistently, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s not going to be an easy task to maintain such consistency over such a long and grueling season but hopefully, he manages to hold onto his current form.
El Diablo is back!
What a race from Fabio Quartararo. Simply an unbelievable drive! He started the race from fifth, found himself down by a few places only to get back up and warm the tails of the leading Ducati trio of Bagnaia, Zarco, and Martin. What Vinales did in the first race, Quartararo did it even better in this one. After a few tussles with Bagnaia, he had to fight with Miller for the third spot. The next one in-line was Zarco, which he lunged past on turn-3 and Zarco couldn’t do anything to stop it. He then cut Martin’s lead at the front and the Spaniard finally showed some signs of tire-ware with just four laps to go. After going past Martin, it wasn’t a cakewalk for the Frenchman as he had to drive his socks off to keep build a considerable cushion on the final lap of the race. With Quartararo, almost secured his first race win of the season, Zarco got past Martin late on the final lap to secure the second. After the championship slipped from his hand in the second half of the season, it’s good seeing the el diablo back, doing what he does best, winning the races!
Don’t forget about the 2020 Moto2 Champion: 2 points finishes in 2 races for Enea Bastianini
Much of the focus has been on Jorge Martin, that the achievements of Enea Bastianini have gone under the radar a bit. A 10th and 11th place finish in a couple of races is a big finish for the rookie who’s driving for the Avintia Racing, which is a 2019-model of the factory Ducati. His teammate and last year’s Moto2 rival Luca Marini, has had a subdued start to his season, who is yet to finish in the points and hasn’t settled in yet, which he will look to improve on before the third race in Portimao.
Closest Top-15 in MotoGP History and Key Takeaways
This race was clearly the one for the history books and will remember this one for a long time. It was the closest top-15 finish in the Moto GP history whereas two riders from France finished in the top-2 in a premier-class race for the first time since 1954.
Miguel Oliviera’s explosive start from 12th to 6th, Quartararo’s brilliant come-through victory, Alex Espargaro’s good run of form, his brother Pol finishing in the points for Repsol Honda and Brad Binder’s incredible 8th place finish, this race has promised a lot for the upcoming races and as I always mention with MotoGP, we are in for a treat of a season yet again.