Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin led from start to finish to win the MotoGP season-opening sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday as last season's championship runner-up became the first rider to register 10 sprint victories.
Martin had begun the 2024 campaign with a bang when he broke the lap record in qualifying to clinch pole position and the Spaniard was under constant pressure from Red Bull KTM's Brad Binder.
Binder had qualified fourth but shot off the line like a rocket to move up to second. The South African stayed on Martin's rear wheel for the entire 11 laps but could not find a way past the purple and red Pramac bike.
"I was fast ... I was really close to crashing on a corner but I feel confident, I feel fast. We're going to work on the bike tonight to see if we can enjoy the big one (Sunday's race) tomorrow," Martin said.
Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro had qualified second on the grid but after falling down the pack, he methodically carved his way through the field, keeping Marc Marquez at bay before stealing the final podium spot from Ducati's defending champion Francesco Bagnaia.
Gresini Racing's Marc Marquez looked a different beast on a Ducati bike compared with his struggles with Japanese outfit Honda in recent years, and he was initially involved in an intense battle for fifth with compatriot Espargaro.
The pair traded places but it was Espargaro who managed to come out on top in the duel of the Spaniards after Marquez made a mistake and went wide, before the Aprilia rider set his sights on Bagnaia and moved up to third with one lap to go.
Bagnaia did not want to risk an overtake on the final lap for just one more point and he settled for fourth ahead of Marquez while the Italian's team mate Enea Bastianini was sixth.
Marquez's brother and team mate Alex was seventh while 19-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta finished a commendable eighth in his debut race in the premier class to pick up two valuable points for the Red Bull GasGas Tech3 team.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, last year's winner in Qatar, was the only rider who failed to finish after the VR46 rider suffered a crash at turn 10.
Martin keeps Binder at bay to win Qatar GP sprint
Image: Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin led from start to finish to win the MotoGP season-opening sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday as last season's championship runner-up became the first rider to register 10 sprint victories.
Martin had begun the 2024 campaign with a bang when he broke the lap record in qualifying to clinch pole position and the Spaniard was under constant pressure from Red Bull KTM's Brad Binder.
Binder had qualified fourth but shot off the line like a rocket to move up to second. The South African stayed on Martin's rear wheel for the entire 11 laps but could not find a way past the purple and red Pramac bike.
"I was fast ... I was really close to crashing on a corner but I feel confident, I feel fast. We're going to work on the bike tonight to see if we can enjoy the big one (Sunday's race) tomorrow," Martin said.
Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro had qualified second on the grid but after falling down the pack, he methodically carved his way through the field, keeping Marc Marquez at bay before stealing the final podium spot from Ducati's defending champion Francesco Bagnaia.
Gresini Racing's Marc Marquez looked a different beast on a Ducati bike compared with his struggles with Japanese outfit Honda in recent years, and he was initially involved in an intense battle for fifth with compatriot Espargaro.
The pair traded places but it was Espargaro who managed to come out on top in the duel of the Spaniards after Marquez made a mistake and went wide, before the Aprilia rider set his sights on Bagnaia and moved up to third with one lap to go.
Bagnaia did not want to risk an overtake on the final lap for just one more point and he settled for fourth ahead of Marquez while the Italian's team mate Enea Bastianini was sixth.
Marquez's brother and team mate Alex was seventh while 19-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta finished a commendable eighth in his debut race in the premier class to pick up two valuable points for the Red Bull GasGas Tech3 team.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, last year's winner in Qatar, was the only rider who failed to finish after the VR46 rider suffered a crash at turn 10.
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