ÁLEX MÁRQUEZ SEES HOPES ENDED EARLY AT QATAR GP

The opening race of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship came to a premature end for Álex Márquez as he slid out just before the halfway point of the Qatar Grand Prix. The LCR Honda CASTROL rider had made a superb start at the Losail International Circuit, pushing himself into the battle for a top-10 position before his crash.

Having qualified on the sixth row, Álex knew he needed a fast getaway on Sunday and produced just that as he climbed from 18^th into 11^th spot by the end of the first lap. He showed encouraging rhythm on the 2022 RC213v bike in race conditions before a freak incident saw him lose the front end at turn one under no real pressure.