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Opinion
MotoGP is back, as the season kicked off with the Grand Prix of Qatar.
Held at the Losail International Circuit, the first race of the season saw Maverick Viñales win, while last-lap drama saw Johann Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia round out the podium.
Here are the top talking points.
Missing Marquez
The start of the 2021 season was highly anticipated due to the return of six-time world champion Marc Márquez. After breaking his arm in July last year, racing fans were eagerly awaiting his return.
After three operations the Spaniard had been cleared to train, however doctors ruled him out of the season opener saying he needed more recovery time.
Márquez’s recovery plan will most likely rule him out of next weekend’s race as well, with a medical check planned on 12 April to assess his condition.
We can only hope to see the best rider of the last decade back on the circuit shortly.
Last-lap drama
It was a terrible start to the season for world champion Joan Mir, who struggled to pick up last year’s form, qualifying in tenth position.
However, despite his slow start, which saw him in seventh after 14 laps, he showed the competition why he is world champion, reigning in four spots to sit third with one lap to go.
In an incredible final lap, Mir was gaining fast on second place Zarco and eventually overtook him on the penultimate corner. Heading into the last corner, the Spaniard looked certain to hold onto second place until he lost speed on the final straight and was miraculously overtaken by Zarco and Bagnaia to miss a podium finish.
Vintage Vińales
After Marquez was ruled out of the 2020 season, many believed that opened a massive door for Viñales to claim his maiden world championship.
Finishing sixth last year would have been a disappointing result for the Yamaha rider and been motivation to improve.
It was important for the Spaniard to start the new season well and gain some confidence. He did just that, coming from sixth place on the grid to get the first win of the season.
Overtaking Bagnaia on the 15th lap, Viñales never looked back, increasing his gap on second place past one second to cruise to a comfortable win.
Ducati disappointment
Ducati came into this race with Andrea Dovizioso having won the last two races, in 2018 and 2019 (the 2020 race was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns).
After qualifying, Ducati’s riders were in strong positions.
Bagnaia had pole position, his Lenovo teammate Jack Miller started fifth, and after a hot first lap (Ducati riders in first to fourth position) things looked good for the Italian manufacturer.
But Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin had a brilliant start (coming from 13th on the grid to fourth after the first lap).
Bagnaia was always going to be overtaken by Viñales and only snuck onto the podium after a late mistake from Mir. Zarco was the shining light, finishing in second place, however after such a strong start anything but a win was a bad result.
Super speeds
With motorcycles forever evolving and new technology enhancing engines, it should be no surprise to see bikes getting faster.
Zarco proved this in the fourth practise session, when he broke the all-time speed record in MotoGP history.
Riding down the 1km straight, the Frenchman reached a speed of 362.4km/h, smashing the previous record of 356.7km/h set by Andrea Dovizioso in the 2019 Italian Grand Prix.
Jorge Martin and Jack Miller also broke Dovizioso’s record, reaching speeds of 358.8 and 357.6km/h respectively in qualifying.
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