Marc Marquez triumphs, Francesco Bagnaia left wondering and Jorge Martin suffers another heartbreak - The story of Grand Prix Qatar
ByTNT Sports
Updated 14/04/2025 at 16:16 GMT+1
Marc Marquez completed a Sprint Race and Grand Prix double victory at Grand Prix Qatar and regained the lead at the top of the Moto GP world championship from his brother, Alex. His Ducati Lenovo team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was left doubting his bike, and he ended up with a warning that he was being "trounced" by Marquez. Jorge Martin also suffered a huge injury setback on Sunday.
Highlights: Marquez battles to Qatar double victory
Video credit: TNT Sports
Marc Marquez ended Sunday evening at Grand Prix Qatar celebrating a double triumph in the "most important weekend of the season so far," after a dramatic three days of racing.
While Marquez grabbed the headlines, there was much more to the weekend than simply a dominant performance from the Spaniard.
The Ducati Lenovo rider had put on such an impressive display that his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia ended the weekend with a warning that his colleague was "destroying him" with the disparity in results.
World champion Martin struggles with wrist pain
The weekend, though, began with the return of the current world champion, Jorge Martin.
Martin had yet to race competitively with his new Prima Pramac Racing team following a wrist injury in training that required surgery.
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'He's going to struggle' - Martin deals with wrist pain on return during Qatar practice
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After missing the first three race weekends, he returned to the MotoGP tour with the intention of getting to grips with his new bike - though he would end Sunday with another bleak outlook after some cruel luck.
In his absence, his title rivals had started to pull away from him to leave him playing catch-up from the off.
Bagnaia disaster as former champion crashes out in Q2
In qualifying, though, one of those rivals had his own problems and started to put pressure on himself with an unusual error.
Ducati Lenovo rider Bagnaia knew that he would have to force the issue if he wanted to break the Marquez duopoly at the top of the standings, and was looking to push his bike hard in order to find a little extra in qualifying on Saturday, which would determine his starting spot in the day’s Sprint Race, and Sunday’s full-length event.
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'That is a first blink' - Bagnaia crashes out at Grand Prix Qatar Q2
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However, in Q2, Bagnaia failed to keep his bike under control and ended up sliding into the gravel after the bike wobbled underneath him. Fortunately, he was not seriously hurt and was fit to get back into action, but he had to do so from P11 on the fourth row.
In the battle for supremacy at his garage, he had blinked first, and Marquez notched pole, to make it four from four for the current campaign.
Marc Marquez triumphs in Sprint
The Sprint Race saw the Marquez brothers rekindle their rivalry, with Alex pushing hard in the early stages to keep Marc focused on the task at hand.
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'He felt he had something' - Marquez brothers battle for lead at Qatar sprint
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Ultimately, it was the older brother who proved to be the better rider on the day, and Alex was beaten into second, and Franco Morbidelli took the final spot on the podium.
The win for Marc gave him enough points to edge ahead of Alex in the championship standings, with his retirement in Austin last weekend giving the chasing pack the chance to reel him back in.
Bagnaia could only scrap his way to eighth as he showed little to suggest he would be a foe to be reckoned with in the full race on Sunday.
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Marquez wins battle with brother Alex in Qatar to win fourth consecutive Sprint Race
Video credit: TNT Sports
Bagnaia: We don’t know why we’re struggling
Speaking after the Sprint, Bagnaia was worryingly honest in his post-race interview, suggesting that he and his team were unsure why the bike was struggling so much compared to his team-mate and rival, who was enjoying some of the best form of his career.
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‘We don’t know why’ - Bagnaia concerned as Ducati Lenovo ‘struggle’ for answers after Qatar Sprint
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The two-time world champion suggested that his struggles were largely coming in the shorter versions of the action - something that would be brutally disputed by Neil Hodgson as he summed up everything that took place over the course of the four completed race weekends later.
Bagnaia can still turn this around
Despite that frank admission, Michael Laverty still thought that given the Italian’s pedigree and past comebacks against all odds, he could not be written off for the weekend.
Bagnaia’s experience and familiarity with the Ducati Lenovo might have given him hope, particularly as he appeared to believe his form was better when he had 22 laps to produce his best.
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‘It will be a closer race’ - Bagnaia faces Qatar challenge as ‘something is not quite right'
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Laverty and the TNT experts predicted a "different" and "closer" race to come on the Sunday, with Fabio Quartararo also tipped to shine when given the room to stretch his legs, and when the bikes had their full complement of petrol.
He said: "Pecco was fast in the cool conditions in the afternoon. He could still have something, but from the fourth row, it’s tough.
"He was prepared to put it on the line, take a risk, but it wasn’t to be today.
"He could still turn it around from there."
Marquez brothers collide in opening seconds
The race certainly had some dramatic differences, though the headline result was ultimately not a shock to those watching along.
The start almost produced a huge moment, as Alex Marquez clipped his brother’s bike, threatening to damage both riders’ hopes of finishing the race, let alone succeeding in it. Fortunately for Marc, he was able to keep control of his bike, though he would lose position for a time.
'Part of the wing has come off!' - Alex Marquez collides with brother Marc at Grand Prix Qatar
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Alex was less fortunate, and when he came into contact with Fabio Di Giannantonio he had pushed his luck one time too many, with a penalty bumping him down to a sixth-placed finish.
Vinales is 'closing in'
Morbidelli took advantage of the chaos and swept into the lead, but he was being hunted down by Maverick Vinales, who was chasing a rare moment of success after a couple of seasons in the wilderness.
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'Maverick Vinales is closing in' - Vinales takes shock lead in Qatar
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For a time, it looked like he might spring a famous surprise and record an impressive, if rare, win to remind the world of MotoGP of his prodigious talents, even if they were on show less consistently than when he was at his peak.
Sadly, it was not to be, as Marquez battled his way back into the lead, and Bagnaia edged up into third spot behind Vinales.
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'Marc Marquez takes advantage' - Vinales gives up lead at Grand Prix Qatar
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Vinales’ moment in the spotlight was swiftly imperilled as it was soon announced that he was being investigated for low tyre pressure, and the authorities confirmed after the race that his transgression resulted in a 16-second penalty, busting him down to fourteenth spot.
'It was his race' - Marquez 'controlled' Grand Prix Qatar
Sylvain Guintoli marvelled at Marquez’s efforts, saying that he had "controlled" the event as he raced within himself for the early stage of the action before moving in for the kill.
The Frenchman also picked out the performance from Vinales, with the pundits all willing the Spaniard to enjoy his success while the threat of a penalty threatened to dash his celebrations before the night was out.
He said: "Marc just controlled it. It was closer than we thought it was going to be, and [Maverick] Vinales was a surprise.
"I mean, he wasn’t just a surprise for us, he was a surprise for Marc as well. Marc just said that he couldn’t believe Vinales was there."
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'It was his race' - Marquez praised for 'controlled' win after 'surprise' challenge from Vinales
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'Most important weekend of the season so far' - Marquez
Championship leader Marquez had cut a relaxed and confident figure for much of the weekend, and that was on show again when he reflected on his success on Sunday.
He proclaimed the win to have been at "the most important weekend of the season so far" and given it had come when he had taken the lead back off his brother, and also seen his team-mate unsure of the causes of his early-season struggles, he had good reason to be confident.
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Marquez celebrates double triumph at 'most important weekend of the season so far'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Marquez explained that he had nursed his tyres for the first half of the race, before increasing his race speed in order to eclipse the chasing pack, and the riders who were only momentarily ahead of him.
'He's destroying you' - Bagnaia warned by Hodgson
Ordinarily, a second-place finish from an eight-place start might have been hailed as an impressive recovery ride from Bagnaia, but TNT pundit Hodgson had seen enough to feel the need to speak out.
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'He's been defeated already' - Hodgson thinks Bagnaia already beaten by team-mate Marquez
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He suggested that Bagnaia was mistaken if he thought the problems were limited to Saturday, and urged him to get back to his best on Friday, and competing throughout the whole weekend. He was, Hodgson said, being "trounced" by Marquez, who was "destroying him" with his performances.
He explained: "I'm a massive Pecco fan. He's a two-time MotoGP champion. He's incredible, but he's been trounced by Marc.
"It's Pecco's team. It's Pecco's garage. I feel for Pecco, it's hard. But that's why I say don't focus on Saturday. Focus on everything, because he's destroying you."
Startlingly strong words, and perhaps the next race weekend in Spain, starting on April 25 live on TNT Sports and discovery+, will be a chance for the Ducati Lenovo duo to put on a show.
Martin suffers 'collapsed lung' as champion dealt bitter blow
While Bagnaia might well be stinging from Hodgson’s words, Jorge Martin might be feeling even rougher.
Fresh from his comeback from a wrist injury, it was reported that he had suffered a punctured lung after falling from his bike, and while he was conscious, he had been taken to hospital for treatment.
If the injury is as serious as it appears, then he could be spending another lengthy spell on the sidelines, one that might turn his first season as champion into a disastrous debut for his new team.
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