Francesco Bagnaia made a perfect start to the defence of his MotoGP title with victory in the first race of the season in Qatar.
The 27-year-old Ducati rider took the lead on the opening lap after starting fifth on the grid. South African Brad Binder finished second for KTM, while Spain’s Jorge Martin was third at the Lusail circuit.
Pramac Racing’s Martin, who won Saturday’s sprint race, had qualified in pole position but just couldn’t live with the pace of the newer Ducati machinery.
Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez finished fourth on his debut with Gresini Racing, following his switch from Honda.
Acosta finished ninth on his grand prix debut, having dropped behind both VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio and Aleix Espargaro in the latter stages of the race.
The race was delayed when Raul Fernandez encountered an unspecified mechanical issue on his Trackhouse Aprilia at the original start.
