Luca Marini returned to the podium with a third-place finish at the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix. He was unable to contend for the win against Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini/Ducati) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), but he believes that his pace was sufficient and that he fell victim to race circumstances.

The Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider stated in a press conference that Bagnaia taking the lead early on thwarted his plans: ‘I’m really satisfied with the weekend, we’ve made a very solid work. The feeling with the bike was good. I knew that probably I wasn’t the fastest because Fabio showed us a very good pace from Friday. It’s just a pity because Pecco made an amazing start and my plan was to start well and be first at the end of the first lap and try to open a gap with them because I knew that with the soft front [tyre] I had something more maybe on the left corners in the first two laps. But then when I saw Pecco in front I said: «OK. Let’s manage a little bit the tyres»’.

Subsequently, Marini said that he ended up losing time behind other rivals, which cost him the chance of winning: ‘Fabio and Álex [Márquez] behind me were pushing a lot, they overtook me, and then I’ve lost a lot of time with Álex and Brad [Binder], so the opportunities of the victory were gone. But I was just trying to manage the tyres in the best way because with the soft front when you reach too much temperature it’s very difficult to ride. For my starting position the choice was to put the soft. I could also do the race with the hard, but the plan was another. But I’m very satisfied with my performance, my tyre management was good and I think had the pace to fight with them for the victory. But I’ve lost too much time during the race’.

O conteúdo ‘I had the pace to fight for the victory, but I’ve lost too much time’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Francesco Bagnaia came very close to the MotoGP title with the second place at the Qatar GP. However, not everything left him satisfied in yesterday’s race in Losail, where he lost out to Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini/Ducati).

The Italian stated in a press conference that he was pleased with his overall performance, leading a significant portion of the race: ‘I’m happy, but I’m not 100% happy. I did what I was expecting from myself on the Sprint race. On Saturday I was expecting this pace but I didn’t have the possibility to do it. In the main race everything went perfect and I tried to push from the start, I tried to do my ideal race, and it was nice to be back and leading, pushing, doing my pace. It was a long time that I wasn’t doing it. So I’m very happy for that, I’m happy for the pace we showed’.

However, Bagnaia was dissatisfied with the mistake he made while trying to regain the lead from Di Giannantonio and went off track: ‘I’m not happy because I already did the same mistake in the past – in 2021 I did the same with Johann Zarco. So I’m not happy for that, because normally I learn from my mistakes. But in any case I wasn’t expecting this sucking from his slipstream. We have to be happy, Di Gia was fantastic all the weekend and in the race his pace was better than mine’.

O conteúdo ‘I’m not happy, I already did the same mistake in the past’ – Francesco Bagnaia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Fabio di Giannantonio emerged victorious at the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix, securing his first win in the premier class at a time when his future in the grid may be in jeopardy. The Gresini rider didn’t let himself be intimidated by the direct duel with the champion and championship leader, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), surpassing his rival without showing any signs of being pressured.

The #49 revealed in a press conference that in the past week, there were negative developments about his future that left him particularly determined to win the round at Losail:

– I want to be honest: let’s say that after Malaysia something about my future happened and it wasn’t a good thing. So I arrived at home with a lot of anger, but in a positive way. I’ve said two or three times to my closest friends and family: «In Qatar I’m gonna win». And all the guys were saying: «Fabio, don’t say it, please, because if you say it the energy goes away». And I told: «I say to you now, I’m gonna win». But for sure when you arrive here you have to make all the things well and you have to make it happen. For sure it wasn’t easy, but we made it.

O conteúdo ‘After Malaysia something not good happened about my future’ – Fabio di Giannantonio aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Pol Espargaró finished the Qatar MotoGP GP in a modest 18th place. The veteran from GasGas Tech3 didn’t have the means to fight for a better result in Losail, marking one of his last rounds before retiring from the circuit.

Speaking to the press, the Spaniard said he faced significant challenges throughout the race, and his performance wasn’t at its best, as he now shifts his focus to the Valencia GP:

– I’m normally struggling with this bike with the front. I struggle to make the bike turn and it was a very difficult race. For sure my performance wasn’t good anyway together with the problems I had on the bike. I struggled a lot during all the race. Nothing to say, let’s move to Valencia and let’s have fun on the last one of the year.

O conteúdo ‘I struggle to make the bike turn and my performance wasn’t good’ – Pol Espargaró aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Fabio Quartararo finished the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix in seventh place, keeping his streak of top-ten results. However, he wasn’t particularly pleased with his performance in yesterday’s race at Losail.

The Monster Energy Yamaha rider mentioned that he did the best he could, feeling faster than the day before but struggling to fully showcase that competitiveness:

– It was a good race, a great start – it wasn’t like Saturday. But even if I felt faster than on Saturday, but on Saturday was easier to make the lap time. But it was our pace, it was the best race we could do. Then, in the last laps, to overtake Álex [Márquez] was really, really difficult. I was faster, but I couldn’t do it. I think we can be happy with our race.

O conteúdo ‘I felt faster than on Saturday, but…’ – Fabio Quartararo aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

One of the riders who was behind Jorge Martín and eventually overtook him in the MotoGP Qatar GP race was Fabio Quartararo. The 2021 champion spent some time behind the Prima Pramac rider when the Spaniard was clearly facing significant difficulties before Quartararo managed to pass him.

The French rider told the press that he isn’t aware of the reasons behind Martín’s performance issues but believes there was undoubtedly some kind of issue:

– He was struggling. He was not riding like yesterday. I don’t know which was the problem, but of course he wasn’t the same Jorge as yesterday. For sure he had a big issue, because you don’t make this kind of race less than 24 hours after. So for sure he had an issue. When I overtook him I wanted to be sure, because I didn’t want to make a mess, but he was struggling more than yesterday. The way he rides, I was faster. Yesterday I wasn’t faster than him and today I felt worse than yesterday. So I think the difference was big. But I think it’s not me that I tell you the correct answer.

O conteúdo ‘He wasn’t the same Jorge Martín as yesterday; he had a big issue’ – Fabio Quartararo aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Nearly at the end of his second MotoGP season and without a signed contract for 2024, Fabio di Giannantonio finally secured his first victory in the premier class. The rider defeated the reigning champion, Francesco Bagnaia, in the Qatar GP race, in a duel that lasted until the final laps.

The Italian rider from Gresini spoke about his performance to the official broadcast, as well as the significance of this long-awaited result:

– What to say? It has been an incredible weekend. The race was just unbelieavable. I had some pace. When I was behind Pecco I knew he could have something more. And in the middle, honestly, I was struggling a little bit with the front. But then I saw he was also doing little mistakes, so I thought: «Maybe there is my opportunity». And we did it. I’m speechless. This is a real redemption, let’s say, a real revenge – first for myself and then also for everybody who doubted about me. We did it guys, now we did it! We are MotoGP winners!

O conteúdo ‘This is a redemption, a revenge’ – Fabio di Giannantonio aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Luca Marini secured a podium finish this Sunday at the MotoGP Qatar GP. Starting from pole position, the Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider wasn’t always in the top three, but managed to recover and clinch the final third place.

In the flash interview with the official broadcast, the Italian expressed the need for this type of result and performance but believes he could have contended for the win. Now, he sets his sights on the last round of the year:

– Fantastic. It was an amazing weekend, I really needed it. It’s just a pity because I’ve lost a lot of time with Álex [Márquez] and Brad [Binder], because I think that I had the pace to stay with Fabio [Quartararo] and Pecco [Bagnaia] and maybe try to win at the end of the race. But anyway, a great podium, a great weekend, so thank you to my team. We worked very well. We have just another weekend, so let’s enjoy and try to do our best also in Valencia.

O conteúdo ‘I had the pace to try to win; we have just another weekend…’ – Luca Marini aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

After nearly two seasons, Fabio di Giannantonio secured his first MotoGP victory this Sunday. In a solid race at the Qatar GP, he showed no fear and didn’t hesitate to challenge the championship leader, Francesco Bagnaia, achieving a well-deserved triumph… even without a contract for 2024.

Bagnaia (Ducati) had a strong start, overtaking Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team/Ducati) to take the lead. Di Giannantonio (Gresini/Ducati) positioned himself in third ahead of his teammate Álex Márquez. Yesterday’s winner, Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati), had a poor start, dropping to eighth place.

Positions swapped between Di Giannantonio and Márquez in the second lap, with the Spaniard moving up to the podium. However, this situation didn’t last long as the Italian responded and, after five laps, he was already in second place. Marini lost momentum and dropped to fifth, behind Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM).

Bagnaia was leading dominantly, but his advantage was gradually overturned by Di Giannantonio until it was about two-tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Binder wasn’t far behind. Di Giannantonio’s progress became more significant in the last ten laps.

Determined to achieve his first win, Di Giannantonio completed the pass four laps from the end. Bagnaia made a serious mistake but managed to hold onto second place thanks to the gap he had over Marini, who had returned to the podium spots. Binder was overtaken by Maverick Viñales (Aprilia).

After taking the lead, Di Giannantonio never looked back, securing his first MotoGP victory. Bagnaia maintained second place, with Marini closing the podium in third. Viñales and Binder completed the top five. Martín had a forgettable race, finishing only in tenth place, dealing a strong blow to his title aspirations.

Results:

O conteúdo Masterful: Fabio di Giannantonio beats champion Bagnaia and proves he deserves a seat in 2024 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Miguel Oliveira fractured his right scapula during the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix Sprint race, and this is the end of the season for him. The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team man admits he will miss both the GP and the Valencia test.

The Portuguese rider said to the press that surgery might not be necessary: ‘It looks like no, I will not need surgery. That takes a bit of time to really get the bone into a bit of solidification, then we’ll see what’s ahead in terms of tendons and the shoulder area. To see what’s going on’.

When asked about missing the Valencia test, Oliveira confirmed: ‘Unfortunately, yeah it looks like I will miss the race, the test, and that’s it, my final laps of this fantastic season have come to an end’.

O conteúdo Miguel Oliveira won’t undergo surgery but won’t return to the tracks until 2024 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.