Opening the season with a sensational final lap performance, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) takes the first victory of the 2018 seasonof in the Grand Prix of Qatar beat Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to the line at the Losail International Circuit by just 0.027s, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completing the podium.
Ducati rider Dovizioso pushed Marc Marquez to the final race in Valencia in a thrilling challenge last season in 2017, but the defending champion was made to settle for second as a last-turn move down the inside under the lights at Losail International Circuit with only 0.027s splits the top two riders.
Valentino Rossi, who this week signed a new two-year until the end of 2021 Movistar Yamaha contract, charged up from eighth to earn the final step on the podium, as Johann Zarco, who qualified on pole with a record lap, had the lack of race pace in his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 exposed.
Marquez looked to slide through on the inside of the final turn but Dovizioso accelerated out of the shallower line to take the chequered flag and strike the first blow of the 2018 MotoGP season.
“We have confirmed we are more competitive than last year but like always we had to wait until the race to understand the level of the competition and I didn’t expect to finish the race with Marc,” Dovizioso said having beaten Marquez by just 0.027s at the chequered flag.
“We finished the race at the last corner which had already happened before. I didn’t want that to happen but in the last four laps when I went to the front I finished my rear tyre. I made a good time but not as good as I wanted.
Having completed the first weekend of the season in the Middle East, the riders have three weeks until they return to the track at the Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina, 06 Apr - 08 Apr 2018.
Full results of the Qatar GP 2018
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