Will King Bagnaia, double Italian MotoGP world champion, already establish his domination for the rest of the season? Will his Spanish vice-champion Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) strike a blow? On the Lusail route, the battle of the leaders resumes, unless an outsider, or even the legend Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini), shakes up the hierarchy from the outset.
The Turinese expects in any case to face a peloton of “fast drivers” for the first round of a season which will include 21 Grands Prix and as many sprint races contested, as last year, on Saturday . The Spaniard Jorge Martin (Ducati -Pramac) won first this Saturday.
Among Bagnaia’s expected rivals, most are in the Ducati fold, with the reigning manufacturers’ world champion fielding another six bikes this season in addition to its two official flagships ridden by the outgoing champion and his teammate Bastianini.
The Spaniard Pedro Acosta, only 19 years old, new recruit of the French team GasGas-Tech3 arrives in MotoGP this season with the label of new virtuoso, after his titles in Moto3 and Moto2.
Another team, another generation, Frenchman Johann Zarco, 33, swapped his powerful Ducati-Pramac this year for a Honda-LCR, far from the best in 2023, but supposedly making progress. The other Frenchman on the grid, Fabio Quartararo, 2021 champion, only 10th last year, is starting his 6th season with Yamaha, with whom he is under contract until the end of the year and whose future in The ranks of the Japanese team have not yet been decided.
The Qatar Grand Prix will start at 6 p.m. The race can be followed live on Canal+.
