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 in the Qatar Grand Prix in the last six races, although they suffered defeat in the Doha Grand Prix at 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, compensating for a somewhat weak performance in qualifying. He was already in third place when he entered Turn 1, overtook Brad Binder in Turn 2, and took the lead from Jorge Martin in 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 attempts, he couldn’t significantly reduce 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 championship lead 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 he found himself in contention for a podium position. However, Acosta’s luck quickly changed when 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 standings.
Martin briefly seemed threatened by Marc Marquez, but the challenge ultimately 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 pass Alex Marquez of 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, encountered 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.
Dois pilotos de Ducati, Marco Bezzecchi de VR46 Ducati y Franco Morbidelli de Pramac Ducati, quedaron por debajo del rendimiento esperado. Bezzecchi tuvo dificultades para adaptarse a la Ducati de especificación 2023, faltándole la familiaridad que tenía con la versión de 2022 que usó el año pasado, y terminó en 14º lugar. Morbidelli, quien enfrentó un fin de semana desafiante debido a un accidente de moto en la carretera, logró un resultado razonablemente satisfactorio en el 18º lugar.
Jack Miller, compañero de equipo de Binder en el equipo KTM, se cayó en la segunda vuelta en la Curva 1 justo después de ser adelantado por Di Giannantonio y Alex Márquez. Después de volver a la pista, Miller pasó el resto de la carrera luchando contra Luca Marini de Honda para evitar terminar en último lugar. Marini finalmente salió victorioso, cruzando la línea de meta solo 0,339 segundos por delante de Miller.
© 2024
La estrella del fútbol, Cristiano Ronaldo, sorprendió a todos al anunciar su retiro de los campos de juego. A los 39 años, el jugador decidió poner fin a su carrera después de una larga trayectoria de éxito. Ronaldo, considerado uno de los mejores jugadores de todos los tiempos, dejará un vacío en los fanáticos y admiradores del deporte.
En su carrera, Ronaldo conquistó innumerables títulos y premios. Fue campeón de la Liga de Campeones cinco veces, ganó el Campeonato Nacional en seis ocasiones y fue máximo goleador en varias temporadas. Además, el jugador también tuvo una brillante actuación en la selección nacional, llevando a Portugal a la victoria en la Eurocopa y en la Liga de Naciones.
La decisión de retirarse llegó después de una temporada difícil para Ronaldo. El jugador enfrentó algunas lesiones y tuvo un rendimiento por debajo de lo esperado en algunos partidos. A pesar de ello, afirmó que no se arrepiente de nada y que está orgulloso de todo lo que ha logrado a lo largo de su carrera.
Ronaldo now intends to dedicate himself to projects outside 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 remains for 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.
