The Qatar Grand Prix may mark a turning point in the championship, but the main protagonists did not contest the lead during the Qatar GP of Moto2Up front, Álex Escrig perfectly exploited his pole position advantage to maintain his lead at the start. Firmly in front for the first part of the race, the Spaniard nevertheless saw the two Aspar drivers close in at the halfway point. The duel between David Alonso and Daniel Holgado initially offered him some respite, but the threat soon became more pronounced.
After gaining the upper hand on his teammate, Holgado pulled away to close in on Escrig, then overtook him. He then managed his lead until the checkered flag, never to be challenged again. Behind him, David Alonso had a more difficult second half of the race. Overtaken by Iván Ortolá on lap twelve, he dropped out of podium contention and was never able to regain it, finishing fourth.
Ortolá, meanwhile, continued his climb until he caught up with Escrig. Still third at the start of the last lap, he prepared his exit from the final corner by sacrificing his entry, before snatching second place from his compatriot at the finish line.
González widens the gap with Guevara
The championship battle saw a significant shift in Qatar. For the first time in several races, Manuel González gained points on Izan Guevara at the end of the weekend. With a cautious race, the Intact GP rider finished in sixth place. Guevara, on the other hand, had a much more difficult Sunday. After a good start, he couldn't hold off the successive attacks from his rivals before a technical problem cost him points.
González now holds a 13,5-point lead over his rival. Their battle will continue at the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão on the weekend of November 22nd. The leader will have his first match point for the world title there, while Guevara will try to close the gap to keep his chances alive until the final in Valencia a week later.
Starting fourteenth, Barry Baltus had a difficult start to the race which dropped him to the back of the standings. Despite more competitive times towards the end of the event, the Belgian could only manage fifteenth place and leaves Qatar with one point.
Moto2 Qatar – Race standings:
Ranking: MotoGP.com
