Marc Survives Brotherly Shove To Win Qatar Motogp

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) DOHA : Marc Marquez passed his toughest test of the season with flying colours, powering to a dramatic victory under the lights at the Lusail International Circuit in the Qatar MotoGP.
In a frenetic 22-lap race, the Ducati star survived a first-lap collision with his younger brother Alex and clawed his way back through the field to take the win, finishing 1.8 seconds ahead of Maverick Vinales. However, Vinales, riding for Tech3 KTM, was later handed a harsh 16-second penalty for a tyre pressure infraction, dropping him from a surprise second place to 14th.
That promoted Marc's factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia to second – an impressive recovery after starting 11th – while Franco Morbidelli, on the VR46 Ducati, secured the final podium spot, his second in three races.
Coming into the weekend, Marquez wasn't tipped to shine at Lusail – a circuit where he hadn't won in MotoGP since 2014. But the 32-year-old defied expectations, completing a dominant double with both the sprint and Grand Prix victories, making it seven wins in eight races this season. His only blemish remains a crash while leading in Austin.
Marquez's race nearly ended at Turn 1 on the opening lap, when he and Alex, riding a Gresini Ducati, made contact. Marc lost a winglet from his bike and briefly dropped behind Morbidelli. He later admitted it was his fault.“Luckily both of us stayed on our bikes,” he added.
At one stage, Marc found himself trailing Morbidelli, Bagnaia, and Vinales. But with strategic tyre management, he bided his time before surging back into the lead with seven laps to go, ultimately taking the chequered flag well clear of the field.
“I said before the race, I need to manage the tyres,” said Marc.“For that reason, in the first part of the race I was quiet. When Pecco (Bagnaia) came up to me, I thought, 'Right, let's start to race.' Big surprise when Maverick overtook me – I thought it was (Pedro) Acosta because normally he is the fastest on KTM. He was super fast, but I had that margin for the end. Victory in Qatar is amazing,” he added.
The victory moved Marc up to 123 points at the top of the riders' standings, 17 points ahead of Alex, while Bagnaia is third on 97 points.
Alex's night didn't improve after the early contact. The Spaniard was later involved in another collision – this time with VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio
– which saw both riders lose positions.
Alex immediately put his hand up to apologise, and the stewards handed him a long-lap penalty that dropped him down to 12th, ending his hopes of a podium after having finished second in every sprint and race this season. He eventually came home seventh.
Reigning champion Jorge Martin, returning to action for the first time since a series of bone-breaking pre-season crashes, slid out with eight laps to go.
Still troubled by his left hand, the Spaniard knelt in the gravel, head bowed in frustration. He was later taken to hospital for further tests.
Fabio Quartararo faded from the front row to finish eighth on his factory Yamaha, while Acosta and Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi completed the top 10. Luca Marini was 11th for Honda, with Tech3's Enea Bastianini, Yamaha's Alex Rins, KTM's Brad Binder and Trackhouse's Ai Ogura rounding out the points. Di Giannantonio was 16th after his clash with Alex.
Piqueras prevails in nail-biting Moto3 victory
The Moto3 race delivered edge-of-your-seat action over 16 laps, with Angel Piqueras of FRINSA - MT Helmets - MSI emerging victorious. In an incredibly close finish, Taiyo Furusato from Honda Team Asia took second just 0.009 seconds behind, while Piqueras' teammate Ryusei Yamanaka completed the podium only 0.042 seconds off the lead.
The Moto2 class also delivered intense competition over 18 laps. Aron Canet, riding for Fantic Motor, claimed victory ahead of Deniz Oncü of Red Bull KTM Ajo, while pole-sitter Manuel Gonzalez from Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP settled for third after leading from the front of the grid.

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