MotoGP: Enea Bastianini wins season opener in Qatar

Italy's Enea Bastianini won the opening race of the MotoGP season in Qatar to claim his first victory in motorcycling's premier class.

The 24-year-old Gresini rider trailed Pol Espargaro for much of the race before surging past the Spaniard.

Espargaro went wide after being overtaken and finished third, with South Africa's Brad Binder second.

France's reigning champion Fabio Quartararo endured a disappointing start to the season, finishing ninth.

Aleix Espargaro, Pol's brother, finished fourth with six-time champion Marc Marquez in fifth.

Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin, who started on pole, fell behind early and later crashed when Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia slipped and took both bikes out.

It was an impressive performance from Bastianini, who claimed two podium finishes in his debut MotoGP season last year after winning the Moto2 title in 2020.

Bastianini paid tribute to the team's founder Fausto Gresini, a double 125cc world champion who died aged 60 last year from coronavirus.

«I dedicate this victory to Fausto,» he said.

«He pushed me a lot from the skies, and it's fantastic for all the team. I think we've all been crying.»

Elsewhere, Britain's Sam Lowes claimed a podium finish in the Moto2 opener in Qatar, finishing behind Italian winner Celestino Vietti and Spain's Aron Canet.

1. Enea Bastianini (Ita) Gresini 42min 13.198sec

2. Brad Binder (SA) KTM +0.346sec

3. Pol Espargaro (Spa) Repsol Honda +1.351

4. Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Aprilia +2.242

5. Marc Marquez (Spa) Honda +4.099

6. Joan Mir (Spa) Suzuki +4.843

7. Alex Rins Navarro (Spa) Suzuki +8.810

8. Johann Zarco (Fra) Pramac +10.536

9. Fabio Quartararo (Fra) Yamaha +10.543

10. Takaaki Nakagami (Jpn) Honda +14.967

1. Enea Bastianini (Ita) 25 pts

2. Brad Binder (SA) 20

3. Pol Espargaro