A smiling 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Marc Marquez achieved his goal of "fighting with the top guys" during his Gresini Ducati MotoGP race debut in Qatar on Saturday.

The former Repsol Honda rider claimed his best Qatar MotoGP result since 2019 despite being shuffled back to seventh during a poor𓃲 opening lap.

The eight-time world champion set the fastest lap of the race as he passed factory riders Jack 𝓀Miller (KTM), Enea Bastianini🔯 (Ducati) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia).

That briefly put Marquez in the wheeltracks ꦺof Ducati's reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia a🦋nd a potential podium finish. 

But thꦰe late-charging Espargaro retaliated and Marquez took the chequered flag in fifth,🐷 1.872s from race winner Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati).

On a night when the top Honda of former team-mate Joa🍰n Mir was only 15th, Marquez's result also justified his decision to leave HRC a year early.

“There was a smile [when I took off the helmet] because I was 💦a fighting with the top guys in Qatar, which is a circuit where normally I was super far in previous years,” Marquez told MotoGP.com.

“I was there fighting with the top guys💃, and even♌ catching them in one part of the race.

“My biggest mistake was the first lap, where I lost some time, but apart from that I’m happy and also we learned a few things that tomor⭕row we must improve if we want to do the🔯 second half of the race in a good way.”

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• 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Qatar Moto3: Results

Maꦉrquez explained that he doesn’t yet feel comfortable enough to attack a𓃲t the start.

“With 💞Honda, I was able to attack well in the beginning, but with this [Ducati], still I don't know the reactions of the bike and I wasn't attacking well. Many riders overtook me in the first 2-3 corners. Let's see if tomorrow we can manage better that situation and be more constant.”

Despite finishing just 1.1s from Espargaro and a podium place, Marquez inౠsists he doesn’t expect to be spraying champagne on Su♔nday.

“No, no, no, we are not🧸 ready to fight for the podium,” he said. “There are four o♋r five guys faster than us.

“Today we finished in that top five and, like I said on Thursday, I'm looking for the top six positions, and try to fight, every weekend. Then the💖re will be some days better, some days worse.

“The 🌊positi🌼ve thing is if we manage to do a good second half of the race.”

While Gresini has won the last two Qatar GPs with Bastianini and Fabio di Giannantonio, Casey Stoner is the on🌃ly ride🍸r to have won on his Ducati MotoGP debut, at Qatar in 2007.

Marc's younger brother and team-mate Alex Marquez finished 🌊seventh in the Sprint but was very impressive in the second half of the race, with only his final lap outside of thౠe 1m 52s...