Jorge Martin holds off Brad Binder and secures Sprint victory from pole in Qatar, Marc Marquez impresses

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) started the 2024 MotoGP season in perfect fashion with a lights-to-flag victory in the Qatar Sprint.

The Ducati rider took the holeshot from pole and managed a gap over Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) over the 11-lap race.

"I was fast, but the rear-tyre chatter is still there, so we need to work on that," the Spaniard said in parc ferme. "I think I was really close to crashing in a lot of corners, so I was struggling a lot. Today we have achieved, but tomorrow, if we continue like this, it will be impossible. Let's work on it.

"I feel confident, I feel fast, the only thing is the bike. We need to work on it tonight and let's see if we can enjoy the big one tomorrow."

Martin had secured pole position with an all-time lap record in qualifying and hung on to top spot at lights out. Binder too had an excellent getaway from P4 on the grid to charge up into second.

The top duo quickly found their rhythm and started to edge away from the field in the opening laps.

Behind, defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) established himself as leader of the chasing group with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) just behind him.

Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) swiftly recovered from a poor start and claimed Espargaro for fourth on Lap 7. However, after running slightly wide on Lap 8, he fell back behind the Aprilia and lost touch.

Out front, Binder had started to gradually close in on Martin to potentially line up a move, but the Spaniard responded and increased the gap back up to around half a second going into the last third of the race.

From there, Martin looked in full control and managed his advantage to open his 2024 campaign with victory.

Espargaro had the best pace in the late stages and reeled in Bagnaia. While he could not make an initial attempt to overtake on Lap 10 stick, he made the move only a few corners later and elevated himself into a podium position.

With a clear advantage in speed and grip, Espargaro hunted down Binder, but the KTM rider had enough of an advantage to bring runner-up home.

"Today was great. It's always awesome to finish on the podium, especially in the first race back," Binder said.

"The pace was really fast, especially in the first few laps. I'm super impressed with the gains we made on corner entry and under braking, the bike's on another level there, but we obviously have some work to do."

Espargaro meanwhile had to settle for third.

"I tried my best, but I lost a lot of time with overtakes," he admitted. "Unfortunately, we need to improve a bit on the straights because it's easy for them to overtake me, but the speed we can have throughout the circuit is amazing.

"I'm really happy, the level of the bike is extremely high and I think also that in the long race, we will have a better chance because we saved a lot of rear tyre."

Bagnaia had fallen behind Espargaro in fourth and just managed to hold Marquez at bay on his Ducati debut.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) took sixth from Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) while rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3) finished eighth in his first MotoGP race. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) snatched the last point on offer in ninth.

As former Moto3 and reigning Moto2 champion, Acosta came into MotoGP with a lot of pedigree - and he lived up to the hype.

Already impressing in the practice sessions, the 19-year-old progressed straight to Q2 and qualified in P8. He transferred his performance into the race with confident riding - indeed, he was the fastest rider on track at one point - and some neat overtakes to bring home an incredible eighth place on his debut.

And it's not only Acosta's on-track displays that stand out. Red Bull GasGas Tech3 team prinicipal Herve Poncharal was full of praise of the Spaniard's overall demeanour and attitude.

Expect great things from the rookie this season.

1/11: MARTIN TAKES HOLESHOT, BINDER UP TO SECOND - It's a dream start from pole for Martin who takes the holeshot into Turn 1. Binder too had an excellent getaway and is up into second followed by Bastianini.

4/11: BAGNAIA ON THE MOVE - The defending champion has made his way up into third and is ever closing down the gap to Binder who, in turn, is reeling Martin back in.

6/11: MARTIN STEPS UP - Too close for comfort for Martin who drops the hammer and now pulls away from Binder for real.

8/11: MARQUEZ WIDE - That could be it for Marc Marquez's podium hopes as he goes slightly wide and drops behind Espargaro.

10/11: ESPARGARO INTO THIRD - The Aprilia rider tries again for third and this time, he manages to make his way past Bagnaia.

11/11: MARTIN WINS QATAR SPRINT - Martin takes the chequered flag with about half a second of an advantage. Binder holds off Espargaro for second. Behind, things got close between Bagnaia and Marc Marquez, but the factory rider just manages to hang on to fourth.

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