The 2024 Qatar GP was the starting signal for the 2024 MotoGP World Championship and it did so in a very similar way to the one that ended in 2023, with Pecco Bagnaia winning and showing that he is in top form. But beyond the result that places him as the leader after finishing fourth in the Sprint Race, the most striking thing about the Italian is the way in which he is able to manage the race.
Far from trying to overwhelm his rivals, he imposes his rhythm, maintains it and controls a safe distance. He doesn’t escape completely, but no one can beat him. No matter how hard both Brad Binder and Jorge Martín tried, at the slightest sign that the lead was decreasing, Pecco increased it again to around a second margin.
THE CHAMPION DOES NOT HIDE 😎
🥇 Pecco Bagnaia
🥈Brad Binder
🥉 Jorge Martin#QatarGP 🇶🇦 #MotoGP 🏁 https://t.co/4BQ38GDj3X pic.twitter.com/XMlhARYHI9— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) March 10, 2024
In other times a second would have been nothing, but with these very precise MotoGP machines today, and as we have seen again in the 2024 Qatar GP, a second means a world.
That said, we must not lose sight of the fact that this has only just begun and that in the Sprint Race Pecco does not finish showing that dominance, so the power struggle throughout the year can be very interesting.
In fact, both Brad Binder and Jorge Martín were second and first respectively in Saturday’s Sprint, which, added to Bagnaia’s fourth, makes the start in the general classification very close. 31 points for Bagnaia compared to 29 and 28 for Binder and Martín. Despite the large number of points at stake during such a long season, each mistake can be an excessive burden and regularity prevails more and more every day.
Bagnaia, Binder and Martín were the proper names in the 2024 Qatar GP, but be careful with the rest
Although it is true that the 2024 Qatar GP, unlike last year, is special because the preseason tests have taken place there and there is a lot of work done that can obscure the results, the feeling of equality is evident.
Marc Márquez, much more in tune with the bike with each passing day and driving in a very different way from the Honda, was a candidate for the podium on both days. But there is more and the difference in speed in the middle of the straight of Marc’s Ducati was very noticeable, so on other tracks he can maintain the pace.
The eight-time champion flirted with the idea of a podium finish and that is good news for the championship, as is the fact that Bastianini, Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Gianantonio crossed the finish line less than seven seconds behind the winner.
Aleix Espargaró was the unpleasant surprise on Sunday and according to the Catalan driver, a tire that did not work caused him to fall in the classification. We see that there are things that do not change even though we are in the new season and neither do the problems with the tires.
The one who suffered them but through their management was Pedro Acosta. The Murcian debuted in style and although he was aggressive, except for one mistake, he stayed on the track fighting with more experienced drivers. That lack of experience made him destroy his tires, but Acosta is here to stay.
A SHARK IS ON THE LOOSE
AND HE’S ON THE HUNTThe advancement of @37_pedroacosta to @marcmarquez93 💥#QatarGP 🇶🇦 #MotoGP 🏁 https://t.co/4BQ38GDj3X pic.twitter.com/DToTKaufk2
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) March 10, 2024
Maverick Viñales closed a top 10 that he may know little about, but he did not give up throughout the race, he continued working and adding points. Furthermore, that top 10 left out all the Japanese motorcycles on the grid and Quartararo, eleventh, was the best Japanese motorcycle. Of course, as both Yamaha and Honda riders recognized during the weekend, real steps forward in performance are expected in the coming months.
