Pecco Bagnaia, the current MotoGP champion, emerged victorious in the opening Grand Prix of the 2024 season in Qatar. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez, a new addition to the Ducati team, secured fourth place. This victory marked Ducati’s fifth win at the Qatar Grand Prix in the last six races, although they suffered defeat at the Doha Grand Prix on the same track in 2021.
The race was slightly shortened due to a technical issue faced by Raul Fernandez and the Trackhouse Aprilia team, resulting in an aborted start. Fernandez started from the back after an additional warm-up lap and eventually retired from the race after completing 17 laps.
Bagnaia achieved what he couldn’t in the Saturday sprint race, quickly maneuvering to the front of the pack, making up for a somewhat weak performance in qualifying. He was already in third place when he entered Turn 1, overtook Brad Binder at Turn 2, and took the lead from Jorge Martin at Turn 4.
Binder briefly passed Martin at the start of the second lap, but was soon overtaken by him again two laps later. Bagnaia established an early lead over his pursuers, extending it to over a second when Binder once again managed to pass Martin, engaging in a side-by-side battle through Turn 1 and holding onto the position as they braked for Turn 2.
Despite Binder’s efforts, he was unable to significantly close the gap to Bagnaia. Consequently, the reigning champion secured the win with a comfortable 1.3-second advantage. As a result, Bagnaia also took the lead in the championship after the first round, albeit with a mere two-point lead over Binder and three points over Martin.
While Bagnaia maintained control throughout the race, rookie Pedro Acosta caught attention with his aggressive performance in the early laps. He skillfully passed the Marquez brothers until finding himself in the battle for a podium position. However, Acosta’s luck quickly changed as he went off track just two laps later, allowing Marc Marquez to overtake him. From that point on, Acosta’s tires deteriorated, causing him to drop in the rankings.
Martin briefly seemed threatened by Marc Marquez, but the challenge eventually faded. Marquez, winner of the sprint race, finished in third place, just six tenths of a second behind Binder.
Bagnaia’s teammate, Enea Bastianini, salvaged a fifth place with a strong performance in the final stages of the race, despite initially falling back. On the penultimate lap, he managed to overtake Alex Marquez from Gresini Ducati to secure the position. Fabio Di Giannantonio, from VR46 Ducati, who had a scary incident in the sprint race, redeemed himself by finishing in sixth place. This impressive result meant that six of the top seven positions were occupied by Ducati riders.
Aleix Espargaro, from Aprilia, widely considered to have the best race pace for Sunday, faced significant difficulties in the early stages of the race. He dropped from fifth place after the start to tenth place already on the second lap. However, he managed to recover and finished in ninth place, overtaking the worn-out Acosta at the end of the race. Acosta, in his debut, secured a respectable ninth place.
Maverick Vinales completed the top 10 for Aprilia, followed by Fabio Quartararo from Yamaha, who was crowned the unofficial winner of the “Japanese bikes championship,” surpassing Johann Zarco from LCR Honda.
Two Ducati riders, Marco Bezzecchi from VR46 Ducati and Franco Morbidelli from Pramac Ducati, fell short of the expected performance. Bezzecchi struggled to adapt to the 2023 specification Ducati, lacking the familiarity he had with the 2022 version he used last year, and finished in 14th place. Morbidelli, who faced a challenging weekend due to a motorcycle accident on the road, achieved a reasonably satisfactory result in 18th place.
Jack Miller, Binder’s teammate in the KTM team, crashed on the second lap at Turn 1 shortly after being overtaken by Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez. After rejoining the track, Miller spent the rest of the race battling Luca Marini from Honda to avoid finishing last. Marini eventually emerged victorious, crossing the finish line just 0.339 seconds ahead of Miller.
© 2024
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from the field. At 39 years old, the player decided to end his career after a long successful journey. Ronaldo, considered one of the greatest players of all time, will be missed by fans and sports enthusiasts.
Throughout his career, Ronaldo won numerous titles and awards. He was a five-time Champions League winner, six-time National Championship winner, and a top scorer in several seasons. Additionally, the player also had a brilliant spell with the national team, leading Portugal to victory in the Euro and Nations League.
The decision to retire came after a tough season for Ronaldo. The player faced some injuries and had below-par performances in some games. Nevertheless, he stated that he has no regrets and is proud of everything he achieved throughout his career.
Ronaldo now intends to dedicate himself to projects off the field. He has already announced that he will open a foundation to help underprivileged children and also plans to invest in sports-related businesses. The player also intends to spend more time with his family and enjoy leisure moments that were rare before due to his intense routine as a professional player.
The news of Ronaldo’s retirement took everyone by surprise, but it was also received with great affection and recognition. Many colleagues and fans of the player expressed their admiration and gratitude for everything he did for football. Ronaldo will leave an important legacy and will be remembered as one of the greatest icons of the sport.
Now, it is up to the fans to enjoy Ronaldo’s last games and celebrate his brilliant career. The player still has some commitments before officially saying goodbye to the field, and will certainly receive an emotional farewell from the fans. Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement marks the end of an era in football, but also opens up space for new talents to shine and follow in his footsteps.
