MotoGP 2021: Fabio Quartararo wins Doha race with Johann Zarco completing French double

Doha: Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha won the Doha MotoGP on Sunday with French compatriot Johann Zarco of Ducati-Pramac finishing second.

Spanish rookie Jorge Martin, the teammate of Zarco, was third after starting the race on pole position.

It was the first time two French riders had been on the podium in the sport’s elite class since 1954 when Pierre Monneret won and Jacques Collot was third on home soil in Reims.

Zarco’s second-place finish was enough to put him on top of the world championship after two rounds.

He has 40 points with Quartararo in second, four points behind.

Spain’s Alex Rins, on a Suzuki, and Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales, the winner of the Qatar MotoGP on the same Losail track last week, filled out the top five.

Valentino Rossi, the seven-time MotoGP world champion, was 16th on the Yamaha-SRT, after starting in 21st place, the Italian’s worst ever qualifying performance.