In what was a dramatic finish, Niccolo Antonelli claimed the full 25 points and the lead in the 2016 Moto3 Championship by taking the victory in Qatar.
Sky Racing VR46 Team rider Romano Fenati got the best start on his KTM from his pole position on the grid, RW Racing GP BV Livio Loi looked as if he was going to cut in front of him on his Honda before Fenati cut across him to regain the lead.
In true Moto3 fashion, it was a mad dash around the first lap led by Fenati. Most of the overtaking took place at turn one throughout the race where the leader into Turn 16 tended to end up last by the end of the turn. All of the riders chose to ride on the medium front and rear Michelins. Brad Binder had to start from the second row because if a penalty from qualifying.
Fenati soon got swallowed up as Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Brad Binder took the lead followed by Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Francesco Bagnaia (ASPAR Team Moto3) on his Mahindra. Navarro took the lead with 16 laps to go but it was short lived as Binder reclaimed it.
A small group of five started to break away with a half second gap forming between them. Ongetta-Rivacold Team rider Niccolo Antonelli (who has been ill recently and suffered a broken collar bone) made up the rest of the lead pack and they all continued to switch places during the whole race.
The second group was led by Leopard Racing Team rider Fabio Quartararo. Sky Racing VR46 Team rider Nicolo Bulega soon got past Quartararo and focused on chasing the lead pack. Gresini Racing Moto3 Team rider Enea Bastianini soon took the lead of this pack and they began to chase after Livio Loi who had broken away after Bulega.
Fenati soon reclaimed the lead at the end of the start-finish straight where the slipstream provided clean air for anyone behind the leader and allowed them to get past with ease. Riders tried to stay out wide to avoid giving followers a tow. The battle continued and throughout the race it was too hard to determine who would win. Antonelli and Binder came into contact at one point as Binder went round the outside in order to take the inside of the next corner, but both riders seemed un-phased. Binder soon made his way through the front of the pack to lead.
Rookie Bulega had started to move up the pack with fourteen laps to go. Loi soon followed in the tyre tracks of Bulega who was lapping four-tenths faster than the leaders who were lapping in the mid 2:06 range.
Bulega was on the back of the pack with eleven laps to go after setting the fastest lap of 2:06.33 and ended up fifth with nine laps to go. He stood out amongst the front riders, as he soon made his way to fourth on a slightly different line, looking slightly uncomfortable on his KTM.
Bagnaia attempted to get past round the outside of Bulega at one point but Bulega was too strong.
Further down the pack Schedly GP Racing Team rider Phillip Oettl also gradually crept up the places and was ninth with seven laps to go. Maria Herrera made her way up to fifteenth from nineteenth with ten laps to go on her MH6 Laglisse that recently had to be funded by her father two days previous to the race. Aron Canet the best rookie in qualifying slipped to fifteenth but finished in twelfth on Estrella Galicia 0,0.
Brad Binder led the race for the longest amount of time whilst constantly being stalked by Fenati who sometimes claimed it from him. Antonelli overtook Bagnaia with 5 laps to go but Bulega took the lead at the end of turn one. Binder soon claimed it back but Bulega lay in second ahead of his teammate Fenati.
The two Sky Racing VR46 riders led in the third to last lap, but Binder who led over the line briefly, soon came in between. Bulega reclaimed his lead and looked almost as if he was going to break away creating a small gap between him and Fenati. His unique lines kept the pack behind him until the start-finish straight where he ended up in sixth.
People then spent the last two laps positioning themselves for the last chance to cross the finish line at the front. Fenati spoiled his own chances when exiting turn one for the last time where he went wide. Bagnaia came through to third and Navarro tried to challenge back not wanting to lose out on his position so easily.
Antonelli was the eventual winner after narrowly beating Binder to the line. He stayed in the slipstream of Binder and then came across the track to make it over the line just ahead of him indicated by the camera. They were followed by Bagnaia, Fenati and Bastianini ahead of rookie Bulega.
Controversially back in the Sky Racing VR46 team garage, Bulega went to shake the hand of teammate Fenati who refused much to the shock of Bulega and the team – Fenati did not look happy.
