Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales overcame a slow start to win the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday in an exhilarating race where defending world champion Joan Mir lost out on a podium on the final lap to Johann Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia.
Mir, who started 10th on the grid, steadily made his way through the field, but went wide on the final corner, allowing Pramac Racing’s Zarco and pole sitter Bagnaia of Ducati to beat him on the straight with their superior engine speed.
Bagnaia and teammate Jack Miller were quick off the line at the start, while Zarco and his teammate, Jorge Martin, took up positions to make it a Ducati-powered top four in the opening lap, as the Yamahas fell back.
Zarco overtook Miller to move into second, while Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo moved up in a battle for third.
Vinales, who started on the front row, picked off Miller to move up to fourth.
While the Yamahas were not as fast as the Ducatis on the straights, Vinales was able to find more speed and grip on the corners. He first overtook Zarco before taking the race lead from Bagnaia with eight laps to go.
“The start didn’t go well, but after that, I felt the potential. I was saving tires to find the right moment,” Vinales said. “I tried to be very smart, very calm — and chose the right place to push.”
Tire trouble almost took out Zarco.
“The end was difficult,” Zarco said. “I tried to catch Vinales, but I was sliding a lot. At the end, Mir cut me back, but thanks to my engine, I was able to finish second.”
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