Homecoming: Qatar GP Returns as Season Opener
The Qatar Grand Prix is back as the season-opening race in 2024, reclaiming its position after being the inaugural race from 2007 to 2022. In 2023, it was temporarily shifted to the end of the calendar due to ongoing renovation work at the circuit.
This will be the 22nd Grand Prix at Lusail since it joined the calendar in 2004, and the 18th under floodlights.
Can Bagnaia make it 3 in a row?
The 2 time premier class world champion Francesco Bagnaia has his work cut out for him. Last year’s title battle went down to the wire with satellite rider Jorge Martin challenging the factory rider albeit in equal machinery.
Bagnaia’s teammate, Enea Bastianini, is also gearing up to make his mark after a challenging previous season. Bastianini’s campaign took a hit as he crashed in the opening round, leading to a season plagued by injuries.
If Bagnaia secures another championship victory, he will join the exclusive club of only nine riders who have achieved the remarkable feat of winning three successive premier class titles.
Marquez’s Ducati Chapter
Expectations are high from Marc Marquez, the 8-time world champion. For the first time, Marquez will be on a bike other than a Honda, and the machine in question is none other than last year’s title-winning Desmosedici.
However, Marquez believes that this season will be more of a learning curve. He understands that he’s coming into unfamiliar territory, but a territory that is familiar to others who will be challenging for the title. He insists he’s “not ready to fight for the podium” yet. Marquez, in his own words, will also be looking to understand whether his level as an athlete has started to drop.
“ My target is to try to feel competitive again, then I’ll smile and have the motivation to push and keep going. Expectations are super high, but I know what I’ve been through in the last four years. I need time. No rush. I don’t pretend to win from the beginning because it would be a huge mistake, especially because I didn’t win a single race. And now I arrive in a manufacturer where there are two-three guys, especially Pecco, Martin and Bastianini, that are riding this bike super fast, super good. I need to learn from them and adapt.”
“We cannot forget that every athlete has his moment and then starts to drop. Then you need to work harder and harder to keep flat.”
The 31 year old said ahead of this weekend’s opener in Qatar
Well fortunately for Marquez, the last 2 Qatar GPs were both won by Gresini riders, Enea Bastianini in 2022 and Fabio di Giannantonio in 2023.
Pedro Acosta: The next Marquez?
The 19 year old Spaniard is already being termed as the next Marc Marquez, winning the Moto3 and Moto2 world championships in his debut season, the rookie will make his much anticipated premier class debut this weekend.
It took Marc Marquez 3 seasons to win his Moto3 title at age 17, his first race win was his 33rd start. Acosta, however, was also 17 when he won the Moto3 title in 2021 but in his first attempt, his first win came in only his second GP, and it was sensational – through a pack of seasoned competitors from a pit-lane start after an earlier infringement.
In Moto2 Marquez outdoes him. Marquez won his Moto2 title in a dominant fashion on his second year in the the championship, coming close in his first year only to get ruled out in the penultimate round of the championship due to an injury. Acosta in hist first year finished 5th overall with 3 victories, a season with injuries and errors. In his second year although, he was unbeatable, claiming 7 victories and claiming podium in 14 out of 20 races.
Acosta will be riding the KTM of Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3 and is already being considered as a championship contender by last year’s title runner up Jorge Martin.
Schedule and where to watch?
Good thing is we won’t have to wait too long to get our answers to all these questions,
the season opener gets underway in Qatar this Friday, you can find the full schedule below.
You can watch MotoGP live in India on Eurosport (TV) and Jio Cinema (OTT)
