MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix starting grid after Bagnaia withdrawal, Digi Mart USA News (Lusail, Qatar): Francesco Bagnaia has been ruled out of the rest of the Qatar weekend after suffering fractures to his right foot in a collision during the Sprint race at Lusail. His absence leaves a vacant place on the grid and moves every qualified rider behind him up one position.
The biggest beneficiary among French riders is Johann Zarco. Starting seventh on the third row, the rider from Cannes now inherits sixth place and will line up on the second row aboard his Honda LCR machine.
Zarco finished fifth in the Sprint, and the grid promotion gives him an opportunity to build on that pace in Qatar.
Zarco has never finished better than seventh this season, though he was in contention for the podium at the Catalan circuit before his crash in Barcelona. The team noted his Sprint result on social media, with Diogo Moreira finishing tenth in the same race.
The official revised starting grid for the Qatar Grand Prix places Marco Bezzecchi on pole from the first row, followed by Marc Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Raúl Fernández, Ai Ogura and Zarco make up the second row, and Pedro Acosta, Fermín Aldeguer and Enea Bastianini start from the third row.
Jorge Martín, Brad Binder and Franco Morbidelli are on the fourth row, followed by Luca Marini, Iker Lecuona and Diogo Moreira on the fifth. Jake Dixon, substituting for the Honda HRC team, and Maverick Viñales start from the sixth row.
