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Enea Bastiainini took his first-ever MotoGP victory in an action-packed season opener at the Losail International Circuit ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder and Honda’s Pol Espargaro, who led the way for the majority of the race.
Despite a bad start, the Italian was patient and came back through the pack to take the lead with four laps remaining.
It was a disastrous night for the title challengers as Francesco Bagnaia’s race ended up in the dirt after he collected pole man Jorge Martin and reigning champion Fabio Quartararo had eighth-place snatched away from him on the line by fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco.
Starting Grid
On pole position for the fifth time in his MotoGP career was Martin who set a phenomenal 1:53.011 in Saturday’s Q2 session. The Pramac Racing rider was joined on the front row by Bastianini and eight-time champion Marc Marquez who had to rely on a tow from Joan Mir to clinch third.
Jack Miller started from the head of the second row in fourth ahead of the Espargaro brothers with Aleix starting fifth and Pol in sixth.
Brad Binder fronted row three as the South African topped Q1 but could only manage a lap good enough to see him start seventh. Mir and Bagnaia joined him on the third row as they started eighth and ninth respectively.
On row four, Alex Rins started 10th ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha duo Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli. Zarco fronted row five as he started 13th with Miguel Oliveira in 14th and rookie Marco Bezzecchi in 15th.
Takaaki Nakagami started 16th ahead of Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini in 17th and Alex Marquez in 18th. 2021 Qatar Grand Prix winner Maverick Vinales could only find time for 19th, with WithU Yamaha RNF’s Andrea Dovizioso in 20th and rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio in 21st.
Row eight was locked out by rookies with Tech3 KTM duo Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez in 22nd and 23rd and Darryn Binder who rounded out the field.
As It Happened
Off the line, Marc Marquez got the best start as he led into turn one ahead of Pol Espargaro, however, the latter took the lead out of the race’s opening corner.
Meanwhile, Brad Binder moved into third as front row pair, Martin and Bastianini, fell to eighth and fourth respectively after almost colliding on the run into turn one. The Italian soon fell to fifth after Mir made a move later that lap.
At the start of lap two, Marc Marquez dived up the inside of his teammate Pol Espargaro at turn one but ran deep, gifting the lead back to his fellow Spaniard.
Bagnaia fell to 14th on lap one but picked off Nakagami, Oliveira, Miller and Alex Marquez to move into 10th by the end of the third lap.
Rins made an easy move on Quartararo, whose agonising straight-line speed deficiencies were evident as the Ecstar Suzuki man breezed past the reigning champion over the line onto lap four, promoting himself into eighth.
Marc Marquez kept the pressure on leader Pol Espargaro on the fifth lap of the Grand Prix as Brad Binder was all over the rear of the 30-year-old’s Honda and they were closely followed by Mir and Bastianini.
On lap six, Brad Binder made a move on Marc Marquez into second after the Spaniard ran deep into turn one for the second time in a handful of laps. Moments later, Bastianini moved back into fourth up the inside of Mir at turn four.
The Italian utilised his Ducati’s potent straight-line speed to breeze past Marc Marquez and up to third down the pit straight at the start of lap seven.
Unfortunately, Bezzecchi’s premier class debut came to a premature close after a low-side crash at turn 16 at the end of lap seven. Miller also retired at the end of that very lap with a mechanical problem.
On lap eight, Aleix Espargaro and Mir jostled for fifth as they made a series of brave but respectful moves on each other as the experienced Aprilia rider started to build a small gap over his compatriot.
LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez became the latest rider to retire from the race after he crashed at turn one on lap 10. Oliveira followed the Spaniard for an early bath as he crashed exactly a lap later.
At the halfway point of the race, Pol Espargaro had a half a second advantage over Brad Binder.
Bagnaia tried to execute a move on Martin for ninth on the brakes into turn one, but the Italian tipped in and lost the front as he collected the innocent Spaniard with both riders subsequently retiring.
Two laps later, Bastianini made a perfect move on Brad Binder into second at turn one. Leader Pol Espargaro pulled the pin and started to bridge his lead more and more by the sector.
However, with seven laps remaining, Bastianini rode hard into the clear air and started decreasing the gap that the leading Spaniard had built over the prior laps. Aleix Espargaro started to put his brother’s teammate, Marc Marquez, under pressure as he started to eye up a move for fourth place.
On lap 17 at turn 15, he executed an audacious move on Marquez and finally got himself into fourth place.
That lap, second-placed Bastianini set the race’s fastest lap with a 1:54.338 as he chased down the leader.
At the end of lap 18, Espargaro was blitzed past by Bastainini into the lead of the race down the main straight. In a desperate attempt to hold on at turn one, the Spaniard ran wide and conceded second place to Brad Binder as he rejoined in third.
With two laps to go, Bastianini was conducting the pace at the front, but the second-placed South African refused to let the Italian run away with the glory.
In the end, the Gresini rider held on to win his maiden MotoGP race and his team’s first victory since Toni Elias’ triumph at the 2006 Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril.
Bastianini won the 2022 season opener narrowly ahead of Brad Binder with Pol Espargaro in third. Aleix Espargaro shortly followed his brother over the line before Marc Marquez took fifth.
Mir, Rins, Zarco, Quartararo, Nakagami, Morbidelli, Vinales, Marini, Dovizioso and Gardner rounded out the points scoring positions.
In parc-ferme, an emotional Bastianini paid tribute to the late team boss Fausto Gresini.
“I want to dedicate this victory to Fausto, he pushed a lot from the sky and it’s fantastic for all the team.”
What’s Next?
MotoGP takes a two-week break before heading to the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit for the Indonesian Grand Prix where Bagnaia and Quartararo will hope to rectify their despair in Doha and make a belated start to their title challenge.
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