Enea Bastianini won the season-opening Qatar MotoGP on
Sunday and dedicated his first victory in motorcycling's premier class to
former team boss Fausto Gresini, who died last year after contracting Covid-19.
The Italian, in his second season in the elite, took first
place ahead of South African Brad Binder on a KTM with Spaniard Pol Espargaro
of Honda third after leading for most of the race.
"I think now it's incredible," said Bastianini,
the Moto2 champion in 2020 who rejoined Gresini Racing this season after
beginning his career with the team in Moto3.
"At the end Pol was really close to me. I understood
that now I could try to win the race, and I overtook Pol on the first corner
after he went out."
Bastianini paid tribute to the late Gresini, the team's
founder and a double 125cc world champion in the 1980s who passed away at the
age of 60.
"I dedicate this victory to Fausto. He pushed me a lot
from the skies, and it's fantastic for all the team. I think we've all been
crying."
Bastianini started second on his Ducati but took control of
the race from Espargaro with four laps remaining, improving on a couple of
third-place finishes from his debut season.
Aleix Espargaro on an Aprilia was fourth ahead of Honda's
six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez, whose past two seasons have been
derailed by injuries.
Suzuki duo Joan Mir and Alex Rins failed to replicate their
success from Saturday's practice, crossing the line in sixth and seventh
respectively.
Reigning champion Fabio Quartararo of France finished ninth
after a challenging weekend on his Yamaha.
Quartararo began in 11th after barely sneaking into the
final qualifying session, and suffered with tyre-pressure problems and a lack
of top speed.
"What's frustrating is that I'm really giving my all.
I'm definitely here to get a good result and I finish ninth on a track where I
won last year," said Quartararo.
"It hurts but you have to stay strong. The most
important thing is to keep in mind that, whatever the position, you're giving
your all and today, sincerely, I couldn't have done better. So we're going to
need to find a solution."
Francesco Bagnaia, who came second behind Quartararo last year,
crashed his Ducati on lap 12 and took out poleman Jorge Martin's Pramac Ducati.
Celestino Vietti of Kalex won the Moto2 race following
Andrea Migno's Moto3 victory on his Honda.
Like many sports bodies since the start of the Russian
invasion of Ukraine, MotoGP displayed the words "United for peace"
during its television broadcasts.
Several riders also wore a "Give peace a chance"
sticker on their helmets.
This weekend's Grand Prix was the first of a record 21-race
season climaxing in Valencia, Spain, on November 6. The next race is scheduled
for March 20 in Indonesia.