Ducati’s Bagnaia begins MotoGP title defence with victory in Qatar

Ducati’s defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia won the MotoGP season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday after taking the lead on the opening lap.

Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia celebrates after winning. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Ducati’s defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia won the MotoGP season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday after taking the lead on the opening lap to beat Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder and Pramac Racing’s pole sitter Jorge Martin.

Marc Marquez finished fourth on his Gresini Racing debut aboard a Ducati bike following his switch from Honda while 19-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta nearly challenged for a podium finish before falling back to finish ninth.