---
title: "Vinales fends off Dovizioso in Qatar thriller"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2017/03/26/vinales-fends-off-dovizioso-qatar-thriller/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "MotoGP News"
published: "2017-03-26T19:50:55Z"
modified: "2017-03-26T20:11:16Z"
---

# Vinales fends off Dovizioso in Qatar thriller

Maverick Vinales held Andrea Dovizioso at bay in a thrilling Qatar Grand Prix to take victory on his maiden Yamaha outing.

A sprinkling of rain moments before the race was due to get underway caused a lengthy delay whilst the situation was assessed.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/03/652554802.jpg)

The race, shortened from 22 to 20 laps, got underway 45 minutes later than scheduled, and it was second-placed man Andrea Iannone who led rookie Johann Zarco, whilst Jorge Lorenzo dropped to the rear of the field courtesy of a mistake at Turn 4.

Iannone’s time at the front was short-lived, however, as Tech 3 rider Zarco seized the lead into Turn 6.

The French rider was running the softer rear tyre, and used his early grip advantage to maximum effect to eke out a gap of over one second over the following few laps, whilst Iannone, Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso squabbled over second.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/03/657436840.jpg)

Zarco’s sensational run came to a heartbreaking halt on lap seven when he slid off at the tricky Turn 2. This released Dovizioso into the lead, who had used the grunt of his Desmosedici to effortlessly scythe past Marquez a lap prior.

The Ducati rider was also running the soft rear tyre, and stayed in the hunt for the victory right up until the final few corners.

Behind, Marquez hit grip issues with the medium front tyre he was forced to run due to the cooler temperatures, having spent practice on the hard. This made him an easy target for pole man Maverick Vinales.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/03/657423644.jpg)

Once in clear air, Vinales carved into Dovizioso’s lead, dragging Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi along in the process, and took the lead with seven laps left.

Despite his best efforts, Vinales’ superior edge grip proved too much for Dovizioso, and the Spaniard was able to build up enough of a barrier to keep the the Ducati rider at bay for his second premier class win.

Rossi dropped off the pace in the dying stages, so settled for a third that seemed massively unrealistic across the entire weekend. Several seconds adrift was Marquez, who very nearly lost fourth to his charging Honda team-mate on the run to the line.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/03/652586756.jpg)

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro fought hard with Dani Pedrosa over fifth, and missed out on the spot by just a couple of tenths. Nonetheless, sixth is still the Noale factory’s best result in their comeback.

Pramac Racing’s Scott Redding led home Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Jonas Folger, with Lorenzo 20 seconds off of the lead in 11th. The Avintia duo, Karel Abraham and Tito Rabat completed the points paying positions.

Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith got their KTM RC16s to the chequered flag in 16th and 17th respectively, with Aprilia’s Sam Lowes bringing up the rear of the field.

![](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/03/2017-03-26-2-904x528.png)