Sam Lowes capped off a perfect weekend by winning the first Moto2 race of the 2021 season in Qatar. Augusto Fernández scored important points and gained valuable experience by finishing 14th.
- The 2021 season got off to a superb start under the lights of the Losail International Circuit with a 2-lap Moto20 race which saw Sam Lowes showcase his talent by taking a brilliant victory.
- On Sunday evening, the track temperature (23 degrees) was nine degrees colder than qualifying (32 degrees) and the wind had picked up considerably, adding an additional challenge for the two Elf Marc VDS Racing team drivers Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernandez.
AUGUSTO FERNÁNDEZ, 14th, + 17.540 seconds
- After a difficult qualifying and a 21st place on the grid, Fernandez made radical changes to his bike's settings before the race. He validated these improvements on Sunday afternoon by placing eighth in the warm-up.
- The Spanish driver was then involved in an epic battle between six drivers for eleventh place for most of the race. He maintained a strong pace until the end, crossing the line in 14th position, 17.540 seconds behind the winner.
“I’m happy with what we changed on the bike”
« I'm happy because we worked a lot all weekend. Yesterday we completely changed the settings of the bike. So today was like a test. The warm up was fast, a new setup and we had to try to understand as much as possible before the race. Starting from the back of the grid is always difficult, so I'm happy with the performance. We need to improve some things, especially in sector 3, where I struggled a lot. But we will analyze everything because I am happy with what we have changed on the bike. If we can improve sector 3, we will take a big step forward. My last two laps were fast – top 7 or top 8. I'm looking forward to next weekend to try to improve. »
SAM LOWES, Winner
- After dominating pre-season testing, leading FP2 and taking pole position, Lowes started the race as favorite. Despite a crash in the second turn during warm-up, he handled the pressure perfectly, getting off to a solid start before overtaking Marco Bezzecchi at the start of the third lap to take control of the race.
- From there, the 30-year-old Briton controlled the proceedings, gradually increasing his lead over Rémy Gardner to win with a 2.26 second lead at the finish. This is Lowes' seventh win in the Moto2 class and fourth in his last seven starts.
- Lowes becomes the first British driver to win the first race of the season in any category since Barry Sheene at the 1979 Venezuelan Grand Prix.
“Winning the first race is a mega start”
« Honestly, the first race is always difficult because you have the whole winter to think about it. Every time we train, or when we can't sleep at night, we think about it! This all weighs a lot. In addition, I crashed in the warm up, and the wind was different from what we had experienced at the start of the weekend. That added to it… So I’m very proud of this race because it was solid. Getting pole position and winning the first event is a good start. My team did a fantastic job. We had some interesting tests and built a good base for the season. Winning the first race is a mega start. »
