The 75th MotoGP™ World Championship campaign is set for lift off at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar this weekend, where Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) begins his title defence in the desert. We will also witness Marc Marquez' (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) Ducati debut, and a first MotoGP™ race for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3). Ahead of the 2024 curtain raiser at Lusail International Circuit, why not delve into some of the best stats available?
Welcome to Qatar!
This will be the 22nd Grand Prix at Lusail since it joined the calendar in 2004, and the 18th under floodlights. From 2007 to 2022, the Qatar GP was also the season opener. Last year it then moved to later in the year as the circuit underwent some renovation, but now it’s back as the opening showdown of the season for MotoGP™ to enjoy its stunning new paddock and whole new set of facilities.
Qatar is one of eight Asian countries to host a Grand Prix (solo classes) along with Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India. It’s also one of the 13 circuits that have been used for GP racing in Asia so far: Motegi (69 races), Sepang (68), Lusail (62), Suzuka (56), Shah Alam (21), Shanghai (12), Buriram (12), Istanbul Park (9), Fisco/Fuji (8), Sentul (6), Mandalika (6), Johor (3), and Buddh (3).
MotoGP™ Facts and Stats
777 points are up for grabs this season: 525 on Sunday and 252 on Saturday. That means it’s 32.4% (almost 1/3) of points up for grabs in Tissot Sprints.
The MotoGP™ race in Qatar has been won five times by a rider who has not qualified on the front row: Valentino Rossi (2006, 2015), Casey Stoner (2008), Andrea Dovizioso (2018) and Fabio Quartararo (2021/2).
The top 15 in the MotoGP™ race at the 2021 Doha GP is the closest ever in the premier class. There were 8.928 seconds between Fabio Quartararo and Miguel Oliveira.
In the MotoGP™ era since 2002, 10 riders have won the opening race of the year: Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Maverick Viñales, Andrea Dovizioso, Fabio Quartararo, Enea Bastianini and Francesco Bagnaia.
Since 2001, the rider who clinched the title at the end of the year didn’t stand on the podium at the opening race only six times: 2008 (Rossi), 2015 (Lorenzo), 2017 (Marquez), 2020 (Mir), Quartararo (2021) and Bagnaia (2022).
Of them, only Mir and Bagnaia didn’t finish in the top five. They both retired from the race: Mir crashed out at the Spanish GP in 2020 while Bagnaia crashed out in 2022 at the Qatar GP.
13 World Champions in MotoGP™ in 2024
The 2024 MotoGP™ grid comprises 22 riders. There’s one rookie: Pedro Acosta.
There are 13 GP World Champions on the full-time grid, just one less than the record set in 2022. They have 26 World Championships between them, two more than last year. The record there is 32, set in 2018.
16 riders are premier class winners – three more than in 2023 – and they have 136 wins between them, a 20-win increase on last year.
All 22 riders have at least one Grand Prix victory across all classes, with a total of 347 victories between them, (326 in 2023).
The only rookie in MotoGP™ this year is a GP winner and a two-time World Champion: Pedro Acosta (16 wins), 2023 Moto2™ World Champion and 2021 Moto3™ World Champion.
On this day…
Almost 20 years ago, back in the 2004 125cc race in Qatar, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso crossed the line at the exact same time. As he set the fastest lap, Lorenzo was declared the winner.
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