2024 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Race Results

*Rookie.

Reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia strikes back from his Sprint race woes to win the 2024 Qatar MotoGP season-opener at Lusail.

Off the podium on Saturday, the factory Ducati star scythed past Brad Binder and Sprint winner Jorge Martin on the opening lap of the grand prix and controlled the race thereafter.

Brad Binder and Martin joined Bagnaia on the podium, with Marc Marquez going one better than yesterday for fourth - again as the top GP23 rider - on his Gresini grand prix debut.

• Qatar: 2024 MotoGP World Championship standings

The original start was delayed after a problem on the grid for Raul Fernandez, with the race reduced from 22 to 21 laps.

With many riders already suffering with tyre wear by the end of the Sprint, the leaders set a slow pace early in the grand prix.

The notable exception was exciting rookie Pedro Acosta, who swiftly charged up to fifth, between the Marquez brothers, but his tyres would pay the price.

Meanwhile, the impasse at the front was broken when Bagnaia suddenly dropped into the mid-1m 52s on lap ten.

Seeing the danger, Martin lunged past Binder to try and latch onto Bagnaia, but he couldn’t shake the KTM rider, who retaliated a lap later.

Acosta claimed a notable scalp when he passed Marc Marquez. But with his rear tyre smoking, the teenager began fading back through the field soon after.

With Acosta out of the frame, Marquez rode to a safe fourth, while Martin made a late push to catch Binder, but the KTM rider equalled his second from the Sprint.

Behind Marc Marquez, Enea Bastianini, Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio completed the top seven.

Aleix Espargaro came into the grand prix tipped as a favourite after being the fastest rider at the end of the Sprint, on his way to third. But the Aprilia star never recovered from a poor start and limped home in eighth.

Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Johann Zarco (Honda) and Joan Mir (Honda) battled for top Japanese machine honours in 11th, 12th and 13th respectively.

Jack Miller lost the front of his KTM at Turn 1 early in the race, rejoining last.

After his grid woes, Fernandez later pitted and retired.

All riders chose the medium-medium tyre combination except Takaaki Nakagami, who picked the soft front.

• Qatar Moto2: Results
• Qatar Moto3: Results

Franco Morbidelli was riding for the first time since Valencia last November. The new Pramac Ducati rider missed both pre-season tests as a precaution after being knocked unconscious in a January training accident.

Miguel Oliveira had a long lap penalty to serve on Sunday, carried over from last November’s Qatar event, the Portuguese having missed the 2023 Valencia finale due to injury.

Revised tyre pressure rules for 2024 mean riders must now stay above a lower front minimum of 1.8 bar (instead of 1.88) for 60% (instead of 50%) of a Grand Prix distance, or 30% of a Sprint.

The penalty for failing to meet this minimum in a Grand Prix will be a 16-second post-race time penalty, or an 8-second penalty for a Sprint/short race.