Pol Espargaro looked to be on for his first MotoGP victory in Qatar on Sunday before tyre life and Enea Bastianini spoiled the Honda riders run.

Lining up fourth on the grid for Lusail International’s opening premier class race of 2022, Espargaro had two Ducati’s and his Repsol Honda teammate in front as the lights went out. While famed for lighting starts, the Ducati’s failed to control the holeshot with Espargaro jumping to the front, initially behind his more experienced cohort before he took charge over Marc Marquez and didn’t look back.

What appeared to be the perfect race began to fade in the final stages as his soft option tyres struggled in the desert heat. Five laps before the flag, Bastianini breathed through down the home straight, Espargaro running wide as he attempted to control the RC213V with KTM’s Brad Binder sealing his fate and capitalising on the open opportunity at the first corner.

A victory instantly turned to third place but the Spaniard was far from disappointing having proved his worth, in style, across the 22-lap race.  

“It's very nice,” Espargaro said as the dust settled on the Doha celebrations. “Honestly speaking, at the end, you know, I finished third when I lead almost all the race. To finish third, sure it's not, when you're leading all of the race what you want to get at the end but overall, I think we, Honda and myself, we send the message tonight that not just Marc Marquez is able to win with Honda. This is great after many, many years of Honda just having one guy winning. I think for the all Honda group this is great.

“This means that the bike is able to win with another different rider, with different riding style, coming from a different place and this for one manufacturer is amazing. So I think most of the glory of that race is for Honda because they have worked amazing to do it and finally they get it.

"I ran out of tyres,” he explained simply. “I mean, that race was not planned. Strategy was not that one. I tell you, it was opposite! We expect a big group of riders. I wanted to stay on the back as possible till the end of the race. Just to keep the tyres cool, just to keep the fuel consumption in a good place.

“I faced a different race. I was leading, I was fast. I was burning the fuel. I was burning the tyres but I was comfortable.

“I was fast and I felt like 'Okay, I don't care what's going to happen, I want to lead till something explode! I want to show that I'm fast. I want to show that I can be there. I can show that I have talent and I can be a factory Honda rider.’ So today was about that. About enjoy the race, about show to the world that Honda is back and myself as well.

“At the end of the day, when it was seven laps by the end, I knew my tyres were finished. I start to lose the right side of the rear tyre in the entry of the corners, then the front start to lock. My riding style is quite based on the rear brake on the entry, to try to take some stress out from the front tyre and as soon I started to use the rear brake and the rear was locking then I knew it was done for me. So Enea overtook me and then I catch up his slip stream and my speed increase so much in that brake that I thought I would end up in the gravel. Finally I could stop just from out of the track and just Brad overtook me. I need to take that third position but at the end of the day, I'm happy. This is a clear message that Honda is back and not just with Marc, also with me!”

With Espargaro showing impressive pace during preseason testing, a return to Indonesia’s Mandalika Circuit which saw him top the times thanks to a 1’31.060 lap just three weeks ago, is an ominous thought.

“Yeah, I'm excited to go but you know, I'm not thinking about what's gonna happen tomorrow in Mandalika,” he admitted. “I'm thinking about tonight, I'm gonna enjoy that, I'm gonna review the race. We are gonna try to fix the problems I had, to be even faster next one. Everything is set for another great weekend, but not just in Mandalika.

“I want to be in that position every single weekend and fight for the title at the end of the year.

“I was with a good position and good pace in Malaysia on the preseason. I was first in Mandalika and with a good feeling on the race pace, quite fast. Then I was saying 'Okay, just wait for the first race and let's see what happens there.' So we are in the first race, I lead almost all the race and I've been powerful and I feel powerful on the bike. I feel that I can do that in all the races.

"We start from Qatar, the feeling and the position is nice. We take 16 points here, we move on to Mandalika which is a place where I'm fast and you know, why not? We can finally achieve what I'm dreaming every time I wake up, is be world champion. I'm going to fight for it for sure with Honda.

“I'm glad finally that not just Marc is fighting for the podium in Honda,” Espargaro continued, reflecting on the importance of this podium compared to last year’s visit to Misano. “This is something great for Honda in general, that has been working so much this winter. They have changed the bike from the bottom to the top to try to achieve the group goals, which I think is the best to keep improving everyone.

“Finally I'm here so it means that the bike is not as hard to ride as last year and we can be fast enough to be fighting for the podium, both of us. This is a place where normally I struggle quite a lot and also the bike is not the best one here, with long corners, fast ones. The grip is not amazing. So I want to see myself and Honda in a place where the grip is high and I can use my riding style with the rear brake and the tyres feel a little bit better on the track. I think both of us, Marc and myself, we can fight for the podium, fighting this whole time with the same bike, this will be great for the people.”

The inter-Honda battle isn’t the only podium fight ramping up this season, Espargaro’s elder brother Aleix was firmly on his tail, in fourth, as the race counted down. The Aprilia having taken its own steps forward during the winter. It’s a prospect the Spaniard is relishing.

“I was praying to see my brother close to me, to have a nice fight,” he admitted. “I think today was not the good day for me because I was fighting with not the correct weapons at the end of the race, my tyres were completely finished. I was not able to fight with nobody, I think, so it was good to keep him at two seconds. But I don't remember the last time two brothers are third and fourth. I think it was maybe in Silverstone, last year but as Aleix is fast with Aprilia and I can be fast with the Honda I think this is going to happen soon, to fight for the podium with my brother and this is beautiful.”

While the signs have been positive in testing, and on show for the first race of the season, Honda’s radical shift remains in it’s infancy.

“The bike is super, super new,” the 30-year-old confirmed. “It's everything new and sure many things we need to figure out how to improve, from electronics, the traction, the front side of the bike. I mean today also we choose a different [tyre] options on them. I think it was the right one but it was on the limit, also Marc suffer quite a lot with the front and myself as well. But I think we were not able to use the medium front, which I think would be the tyre for us. So we need to keep discovering these kind of things. Also, I think this place is not an easy one for us and we were in the middle of some tyres. Before the race, we didn't know which one to choose so it will come. I think this was one of the most difficult places for us and the next ones coming, I think everything is going to be a little bit clearer.

“Here in this place, there is a problem that, it's even more than what is going to happen in the next ones. You don't have a real session when you can work so much with the tyres because the other sessions are with more than 10 degrees on the asphalt, at 1pm. You cannot really understand the bike and you cannot really predict what is going to happen on the race. So it's difficult to think about what's going to happen on the race with 20 or 15 degrees more on the track. So we are trying to discover. Today I think we took the most safe decision about the tyres. We knew I would have some problems at the end of the race, but I knew I was fast with it. So I think at the end of the day, it was the right choice. I'm here, third, leading the race most of the race with a nice pace. These guys choose something different that maybe in the future we will choose but right now I think, for the first race of this bike, it was needed to save this place. Then with the normal programme coming in the next races, we are going to go in the races more prepared and ready for what is coming.

“Marc, maybe with his riding style, maybe he need to ride the bike smoother, for me is different. I can ride the bike more aggressively because we gain much more rear grip, much more rear traction. This generate that the bike is more stiff, so I can push more the front, I can push more the rear. Sure the front is a little bit, we can say lighter, or we can say less grippy than before but as I ride with the rear, the bike becomes more stable and when it shakes is not a soft shake, it's more aggressive shake, which I like. I normally used to ride like this. I really like the bike that Honda bring in the preseason and the Honda we have now but sure is just the beginning of this bike. It needs to get developed and improve, but I'm very pleased with it.

“Definitely this is the bike I was looking for. I don't know if I say 'expecting' when I started at Honda but this sure was the bike I wanted.

“A bike that's more clean to ride, you don't need to force so much to get the results, you don't need to risk so much to get the results. I didn't crash yet. I didn't crash even once with this bike. It shows that with five days of testing, putting a lot of tyres to make lap times with used ones, here in Qatar pushing for the time attack, full race. I didn't crash yet. So it means that the bike is faster, because I show it but also safer. This was something very important for us and finally I have it. I feel strong and I feel ready to achieve what Honda was looking for when they took me in the team. Hopefully I can keep this pace till the end.”