Quartararo wins Doha MotoGP with Zarco runner-up

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.

Quartararo joked modestly that he “will enjoy the moment with a nice McDonald’s tonight” following his win.

“It is easy to say I’ve not won a lot of races – but wow!” he added.

“I came from eighth, the pace and track were totally different from the fourth practice and warm-up.

“I always dreamed to win in Qatar, unfortunately I was not the first (this season).”

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.

Britain’s Sam Lowes won his second Moto2 race in Qatar in as many weeks.

Completing 20 laps in 39 minutes 52.702 seconds, Kalex-rider Lowes pipped Australia’s Remy Gardner by 0.190 seconds.

Spain’s Raul Fernandez finished third, 3.371 seconds off the pace.

“The wind was there so it was easy to stay behind but when I got to the front it was hard to pull away because of the wind,” Lowes said.

Spanish teenager Pedro Acosta defied the odds to win the Moto3 race after starting in the pit lane following a penalty. (AFP)