MotoGP Doha Grand Prix – how to watch, start time, & more
Jorge Martin has taken a stunning maiden MotoGP pole position ahead of Pramac Ducati team-mate Johann Zarco at the Doha Grand Prix. Here’s how and when you can watch the race.
MotoGP rookie Martin will start his second premier class race from pole position after lighting up the times in the final minutes of qualifying to produce a 1m53.106s to edge out team-mate Zarco.
In a complete contrast of fortunes, nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi suffered the worst-ever qualifying of his premier class career and will line up in 21st place for Petronas SRT Yamaha.
Qatar GP winner Maverick Vinales was bumped off provisional pole but held on to a front row spot in third place for the factory Yamaha squad, ahead of Jack Miller on the works Ducati.
Fabio Quartararo slots into fifth place on the sister factory Yamaha, as Qatar GP polesitter Francesco Bagnaia could only manage sixth.
Pol Espargaro, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
With Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro seventh, he’s joined by Suzuki duo Alex Rins and Joan Mir on the third row – with the defending MotoGP world champion coming through Q1 to qualify ninth.
Petronas SRT Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli claimed 10th ahead of Stefan Bradl (Honda) and Miguel Oliveira (KTM).
Marc Marquez is still out of action for Repsol Honda as he continues to recover from his arm injury, having previously confirmed he will miss the opening two races in Qatar.
When is the MotoGP Doha Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday 4th April 2021
Start time: 6:00pm BST, 8:00pm local time
Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
How can I watch the Doha MotoGP?
In the United Kingdom, BT Sport have exclusive live broadcasting television rights. The race will be shown live on BT Sport 2, with race coverage starting at 5:30pm BST, directly after the Moto2 race.
BT Sport will also be showing the Moto3 and Moto2 races from Qatar.
TV Channel: BT Sport 2
Start time: 5:30pm BST
MotoGP also offers its own live online video streaming service which is available to stream in the UK.
How can I watch the Doha MotoGP highlights?
ITV4 has secured a deal to show the highlights of each MotoGP round in 2021, including highlights of the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, which will be broadcast on each Monday evening after the race.
TV Channel: ITV4
Start time: Monday 5th April - 8:00pm BST
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Why is MotoGP holding two races in Qatar?
As part of the COVID-19-hit campaign, the 2021 MotoGP calendar has been tweaked due to various travel restrictions in place across the world.
Instead of MotoGP’s traditional trip to Argentina and the United States after the opener in Qatar, the paddock remains in the Middle East for a second race at Losail which will be called the Doha GP.
Why is it called the Doha GP?
With races not allowed to be given the same race names in the same MotoGP world championship season, Qatar’s second race has adopted a new title, the Doha GP, named after the country’s capital, with the circuit located a short trip north of the city.
It takes inspiration from the multiple double-headers MotoGP put on in the 2020 season that was severely reshuffled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included first-ever Andalucía GP, Styrian GP, Emilia Romagna GP, Teruel GP rounds plus a one-off return of the European GP used for the first Valencia race.
At the time of writing, no further alterations have been made to the 2021 MotoGP calendar, with both the Argentina and US rounds still postponed and awaiting possible new dates for this season.
What's the weather forecast for the race in Qatar?
Dry and clear conditions are forecast for the Doha Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit on Sunday night, with a very low chance of rain but moderate winds and a high of 22 degrees Celsius.
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jorge Martin | Ducati | 1'53.106 | 171.237 | |
| 2 |  Johann Zarco | Ducati | 1'53.263 | 0.157 | 171.000 |
| 3 | Maverick Viñales | Yamaha | 1'53.267 | 0.161 | 170.994 |
| 4 |  Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'53.303 | 0.197 | 170.939 |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | 1'53.469 | 0.363 | 170.689 |
| 6 |  Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'53.654 | 0.548 | 170.411 |
| 7 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'53.705 | 0.599 | 170.335 |
| 8 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'53.745 | 0.639 | 170.275 |
| 9 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 1'53.785 | 0.679 | 170.215 |
| 10 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha | 1'53.794 | 0.688 | 170.202 |
| View full results | |||||
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Martin: Doha GP “not my day to win” despite maiden MotoGP pole
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Event | Doha GP |
| Author | Haydn Cobb |
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