Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Vinales wins shortened MotoGP opener

Spaniard Maverick Vinales has won the season-opening Qatar MotoGP.

Spanish MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales
Spanish rider Maverick Vinales has won the season-opening Qatar MotoGP. (AAP)

Maverick Vinales has won a rain-delayed and shortened Qatar MotoGP season-opener in a triumphant Yamaha debut for the young Spaniard.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso was second for Ducati with 38-year-old compatriot Valentino Rossi back on the podium in third for Yamaha under the floodlights.

Honda's reigning world champion Marc Marquez finished fourth on an eventful evening that saw 22-year-old compatriot Vinales drop from pole to fifth on the opening lap before making a stirring comeback for his second career victory.

"It feels great. The track was so difficult," Vinales said.

"First lap I was taking a lot of care, then when the people started to push I said 'OK, now is the time to push' and I started to come back little by little - I didn't want to destroy so much the tyre. Anyway, the bike was great."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Rossi, a nine times world champion, started 10th and raced with a camera dangling off the back of his bike after making contact with Britain's Cal Crutchlow into the first corner.

"If I had to bet on me, on my podium today, I don't bet for sure," said the happy Italian.

"But we never gave up. We tried the maximum, we tried three or four different settings this morning... but I enjoyed it a lot."

Australia's Jack Miller finished eighth on his Honda.

The season's only night race started 45 minutes late after earlier rain, with plenty of discussion among the riders who did two warm-up laps before Vinales took his position at the front of the grid.

The race distance was shortened to 20 laps.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world