MotoGP riders reflect on the ups and downs of the Qatar GP

MotoGP 2025

Round Four – Qatar – Lusail – Sunday

The double in Doha – who’d have thought it? Some might, but not Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). However, that’s exactly how it unfolded for as a frantic MotoGP battle played out in a Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar that saw Maverick Viñales clinch a first podium in Red Bull KTM Tech3 colours – or so we thought.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) recovered to P3 at the line after a dissatisfying Saturday, as drama unfolded for Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who was forced to settle for P7, which was then P6. Why? Because after a tyre pressure penalty for Viñales post-race, most of the points scorers were promoted one position. It saw Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) elevated to P3 – and, of course, Bagnaia to P2. Those +16s demoted Viñales all the way down to P14.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Marc Márquez – P1

“The coming together at turn one with Alex was more my fault than his, but despite the missing wing I felt no behaviour change on the bike. I managed the race as I wanted: I saw that Morbidelli was trying to pull away, but I wasn’t worried, as the priority for me was to manage the front-tyre wear. I knew that by riding this way, Pecco would have come closer, and it happened. When he overtook me, my real race started and I pushed a bit more in order to make the difference in the last ten laps.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P2

“All in all, I’m happy with today’s result, as you never know what can happen when you start from eleventh place on the grid. The only thing that upsets me a bit is that on Sunday I’m always a bit more competitive and effective, especially in the early laps, and I manage to complete some overtakes. On Saturday, on the other hand, I always struggle in doing the same, so I need to understand what to do in order to improve and make a step forward. That said, I’m happy with the outcome.”

Franco Morbidelli – P3

“I am very happy with this podium. It’s a shame for Maverick Vinales, who had an incredible race, however, we took third place and I’m happy. I think this result is the right ending to this weekend, in the race I felt very strong and I had finished fourth. I was able to get a good start and took the lead. I felt good about the pace and was ahead of everyone, but then I had a tyre drop. We are starting to become really consistent, in the first four races we always finished in Top4 or Top5, so we are accomplishing our goals so far. Valentino’s presence was key and I’m happy, he deserved to see this result.”

Johann Zarco – P4

“Fighting for the podium and having that pace and that feeling on the bike it’s something really cool. We’ve worked really well this weekend, and this result is proof of that and the work we’ve been doing since last year. I feel I can control the bike better now, and that allows me to perform at a higher level. Let’s try to keep the momentum going; we’re steadily making progress, and that’s what really matters.”

Farmin Aldeguer – P5

“I’m very happy with this race and for the whole weekend. We have been competitive, we wanted the top ten and we finished with a fourth and a fifth. I put a lot of energy at halfway point to catch Zarco and Morbidelli, and I had nothing left in the tank in the end to overtake them. In any case I’m happy with my race craft.”

Alex Marquez – P6

“It’s a shame for how this race went. I must apologise to Diggia because it was my mistake of calculation, and I believe the penalty was correct. I was forced to a comeback race and we must be happy with this sixth position: these are valuable points for the championship although there’s very little to celebrate. We’re heading to Jerez with a still solid weekend in our bag.”

Fabio Quartararo – P7

“We didn’t have the great first laps again that we had yesterday. The first laps were difficult, and I was blocked by other riders, but for me the tyre drop was okay, so that was good. I gave my maximum, and today this was the best I could do. Let’s see what we can do at the next races.”

Pedro Acosta – P8

“Much better. An acceptable race. I started far off and was 14th. It was not easy to come back but I had the same feeling as last year and no chatter. When we don’t have problems we can be very fast. Happy. It was very nice to ride the bike like this. We know Maverick is super-talented and he started 6th and all the small details count. He made a really nice race.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P9

“I tried to bring out one hundred percent in this race. We made a small step forward compared with Saturday. The bike was more stable, although we did have to sacrifice a bit of power to achieve more stability. We are still far from where we’d like to be, but we are taking steps forward and collecting important information. At the end of the day, we improved over the course of the weekend, so we need to try and stay positive. Obviously, all of us would like to do more, but sometimes you just need more time.”

Luca Marini – P10

“I enjoyed the battle a lot! It was a good way to train my overtaking. A good race, the pace was there, and we were able to go better than yesterday. Honda and my team did a good job to find something in Warm Up which we kept for the race. There are a few areas where we can make the difference and a few areas we still need to improve, in a big battle like this you can understand these things more and more. Already for Jerez we have some ideas of what to try after seeing how this weekend went. It has been a solid first four races to start the year, a base that now we can improve and grow from.”

Enea Bastianini – P11

“The race was a bit difficult at the start, I struggled to overtake some riders so I lost a bit of time, in addition to making a few mistakes. For the rest, the pace was good. I struggled a bit in the fast corners on the left side, which meant that I kept losing on the rider ahead of me. Anyway, I am happy because we have improved from yesterday and we have been more competitive. We need to keep trying, there is potential for us to perform better, so I look forward to reaching that point.”

Alex Rins – P12

“Today, I had a better start than yesterday, but it was still a tough race, especially because I was hit by a stone in the middle of the straight on lap 7. It really hurt, to the point that I did think about going into the box because it was really painful. But I gave it everything. Ogura was doing his race, but I was stuck behind him. When he made a mistake, I overtook him, and luckily also Binder in the second-last corner, so I still finished P13. It later became P12 after the penalty handed to Maverick.”

Brad Binder – P13

“Not much better today. It was tough. We tried to change some set-up in the race and it felt quite decent until about ten laps when I started to have massive understeer and I was spinning a lot on the tire. With five laps to go the rear was toasted. It was a really tricky weekend and my guys tried so many things to help me be comfortable. It was super-good to see Maverick do so well and it will be good for us to see what he did differently and how we can learn from it.”

Maverick Viñales – P14

“I want to start by thanking the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, because this is only our 4th round together and we are on the podium. Since the pre-season testing we have done such a good job together, it is an amazing team. Even if we were a bit far at the start, we have kept a positive mind, we all have trusted the process and we kept believing that we can be close to the fastest riders. Today, I felt so good in the race, the bike was amazing, and everything clicked together. Of course, we still have a long way to go to get closer and closer to the likes of Marc (Marquez), but we are very happy with our weekend. The factory is doing a good job, we are making the correct steps, so let’s continue that way! Can’t wait to be back on the bike already!”

Ai Ogura – P15

“From half distance of the race, I lost the front grip and I couldn’t do anything more. I think I didn’t manage the front tire well in the first six, seven laps as I was focused on the rear and I didn’t care enough about the front. From Friday to Saturday, I made a big step but it seems that my riding style wasn’t really good for the 22 laps. I didn’t have any other way to make a good lap time after I finished the tire – everything was blocked. It just wasn’t good enough from my side.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P16

“It has been an eventful race, my start was really good, and I was fighting for the top positions. We had the potential to be on the podium, then a strange and dangerous maneuver from another rider affected my race. It’s a pity, I got completely ruled out from any chance of doing a good race, we have to work to avoid these mistakes. Later in the race, I had an incident with Jorge Martin, but I am happy that he seems ok somehow, and that’s the most important thing, we all know how dangerous this sport is. Anyway, we did an incredible job this weekend, we were incredibly fast.”

Raul Fernandez – P17

“It was very difficult. I feel good with the bike in some areas, for example in the stop and go corners where I feel very good, but I can’t get the maximum out of the bike in other places for some reason. I can’t ride like I want, I can’t enter the corners like I want and lose a lot of time there. We need to find something because I feel that we can’t turn the bike, especially in the fast corners – that is mainly the area where we have to improve. I don’t know why we had chattering and couldn’t turn well so, we weren’t really strong here, but this is no excuse for me. I think, right now, we are not on the level we can be.”

Somkiat Chantra – P18

“It was a tough race, although I felt some improvements on the bike since yesterday. We are working hard to always do better, and step by step we are getting there. I cannot wait to arrive in Jerez and start the European races!”

Augusto Fernandez – DNF

“It‘s a pity I crashed, because I really need to complete as many laps as possible, especially since I don‘t have the same racing opportunities as the others. It‘s a shame, even though overall this has been a positive weekend. It wasn‘t the finish I was hoping for or expecting, but I did make progress. I arrived here without any pace, but session by session I got closer to the others and started feeling better on the bike. When I arrive in Jerez in two weeks, I know I‘ll be able to be more competitive and get better results. From here, I‘ll fly straight to Valencia tomorrow for two days of testing, so it‘s going to be a busy week for me.”

Jack Miller – DNF

“That was the best I‘d felt all weekend—the bike was working well, until it suddenly wasn‘t. My rhythm was strong, and I was feeling pretty comfortable catching back up to the group ahead. I switched the map, and then just before the crash, coming into Turn 15 on what could have been my best lap, the bike suddenly started vibrating violently at the rear, so much so that my legs came off the pegs. I had to slow down, and even then my time was a 1‘53.9. Martin passed me, and I followed him into Turn 1, but at Turn 2, another left-hander, as soon as I leaned in, I lost the front. I managed to keep the bike up with my elbow, but when I pushed in deeper, it started vibrating again. I was off-line and onto the dirty part of the track, and the bike just slid out from under me. We saw very clearly in the data that something changed from one lap to the next. Why, we don‘t know. The tyre looked fine, everything seemed okay, so we need to understand more about what happened. Honestly, it ended the way the whole weekend had been going. I‘m happy to be heading to Jerez: I think this bike will work well there.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“It’s been a really tricky weekend for us, physically and with the bike. Losing Saturday with the illness and missing the Sprint meant that Sunday was very tough. There was a lot of things that happened in the race, I am still struggling physically. I will now focus on my recovery to be back and healthy in Jerez where I hope to show my form from before Qatar again.”

MotoGP Team Managers

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“Marc had a very intelligent race craft: he managed the situation a bit and when the time came to start pushing, he set two fastest lap-times in a row, in a quite clean way, so I believe he showed that he was a bit stronger. I’m also happy for Pecco as he had an excellent race after yesterday’s challenges. It wasn’t easy, but he reacted the way he knows and I’m happy for him and his team.”

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“The weekend was difficult, but I think we are working very well. It’s a pity for Sunday’s race, Di Giannantonio had a great pace and Morbidelli proved to be constantly in Top4. Franco ended his Sunday with a third place, a double podium in a difficult weekend is an important result for the team. We are always fighting for the podium and the start of the race was fantastic. There is still some work to do, it’s a shame for Diggia, today he could have done an amazing race. Valentino was in the garage this weekend and he makes the difference, we have to take advantage of his presence every time he’s here.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha Team Director

“It was a tough Race. We had hoped to make good use of the P3 and P9 grid positions, but Fabio and Álex were both blocked by other riders on the opening lap, which was a shame. They fought hard, putting in the maximum to keep their rivals at bay, and managed well whilst riding in a big group. Fabio was defending his position the best he could. At the end of the race, he created a gap between himself and Acosta, which cemented his position. Álex was hit on his arm by a stone on lap 7. He was in pain, which for sure didn’t help him, but he rallied. He was fighting all race with Bastianini and Ogura, and he managed to overtake Ogura and Binder on the final lap. All in all, it wasn’t an easy weekend, but we will keep pushing to continue a positive trajectory.”

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“It has been a hard start to the season but I have to say that in Austin and also in Qatar we have taken steps forward. It is important to take a positive result to keep the belief and the full motivation because in racing there are ups-and-downs. We saw this weekend that we are moving forward and I think when we are back in Europe we can do it again. Even though Saturday here was tough we kept our positive feelings for possible performance and today we proved that we are on the way with development, and that the riders are feeling better and more confident on the bike. The podium potential by Maverick is important for the whole KTM family and will give an extra boost to all those involved in the project. We will now push even harder. Unfortunately, we later had the tire pressure penalty but the rules are tight and this is part of racing. I still want to thank all the people for what they have done.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“It is quite obvious that we are leaving Qatar with a huge bitter taste after we were handed a late penalty. Maverick Viñales had an unbelievable weekend, with his best qualifying of the season. Today, he showed an incredible level of performance, riding at a strong pace fighting with the top guys at the front. The bike was fast, and he clocked in the second fastest race lap, so everything was working well. Unfortunately we took a penalty for low tyre pressure, a rule that can sometimes be unfair, but rules are rules and we have to accept them. It does not take away his performance which we will keep in our mind heading to the next round, so thank you Maverick for a strong weekend. Enea Bastianini rode a decent pace and increased from yesterday, gained a lot of positions today, so we know the potential is there. We just need to figure out qualifying and one fast lap to have better chances to fight at the front. Let’s keep the positives of this weekend, and move to Jerez as we begin our tour in Europe.”

Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing

“Our performance in the race was not up to expectations. We’ll continue working with Marco to be more incisive in the opening stages of the race and in time-attacks. Nevertheless, performance moves to the back burner today and our thoughts are with Jorge at this difficult period – we stand with him.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“This wasn’t the race we expected. Unfortunately, we couldn’t really get into the fight – Ai had some front-end issues from halfway through the race and he couldn’t attack, while Raul wasn’t able to exploit the potential of the setup and couldn’t push the way he wanted. At least we scored points with Ai here and during the weekend, we have been competitive and we could have been in the fight, so we know we can do it. Let’s try again next time.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“It has been a tough weekend, ending with both riders retiring due to crashes. Our engineers will now analyze the data to fully understand what exactly happened. Fortunately, Jack and Augusto escaped without any consequences from the incidents, but of course, this isn‘t the way we wanted to finish the event. As a team, we didn‘t achieve the results we were aiming for, although we did find extra motivation in the significant progress Yamaha has made so far. We‘re working together, putting all our energy into getting back to the top positions as soon as possible. We now have a one-week break before the first European round of the season in Jerez, and we have some homework to do to make sure we arrive fully prepared.”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin

“We knew this weekend would present an extreme challenge for the tires, between the heat, sand, humidity, and the track’s abrasive nature.  Our technical choices were validated across the board, with remarkable consistency and multiple records falling during the races. Just as in 2024, the MICHELIN Power Slick Medium tires fully lived up to expectations at Lusail, proving to be the optimal choice for both the Tissot Sprint and the Grand Prix.”

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