Fabio Quartararo completed a second Yamaha comeback, claiming a breathtaking MotoGP victory after falling to ninth in the opening laps.

Jorge Martin dominated the majority of the 22-lap race before conceding the lead to the M1 in the final trio, battling with his Pramac teammate for position in the closing stages before losing out on the line by just 0.043s.

The concluding battle in the Doha desert saw rookie standout Martin head the grid on pole, fellow Pramac rider Johann Zarco sitting alongside with Maverick Viñales in third. As the lights went out the Ducati’s maintained their lead but it was the KTM of Miguel Oliveira who had the best start as he briefly hit third before the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro slid through to claim the position. Disaster off the line for the factory Ducatis and Yamahas saw the Suzukis come through to sit fourth and fifth as the opening lap concluded. Quartararo bettering his teammate for seventh as Miller sat eighth, Viñales dropping down to 10th behind Pecco Bagnaia as lap two began. Franky Morbidelli got off to another difficult race as he circulated in 13th with Valentino Rossi failing to advance from 21st.

Despite not expecting to lead for long, Martin was still out in front as the fourth lap got underway. Zarco three-tenths behind as he battled with Alex Rins and the eldest Espargaro, while Oliveira was doing battle with the second Suzuki for fifth. It was a factory affair further back as Miller and Bagnaia headed the Monster Energy M1’s with Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro sitting on the outer fringes the top-10.

Rins began to threaten the Frenchman ahead, finally making the move stick for second at the end of lap five before heading straight for the race leader. Just over a tenth the gap as the next lap counted down before Zarco dispatched his rival back to third. Bagnaia bested Miller for sixth as Viñales did likewise on Oliveira for ninth, before the Ducati rider set his sights, successfully, on Joan Mir.

Pecco was seemingly on a charge as the eighth lap unfolded, Espargaro’s Aprilia the next under threat from the Desmosedici powerhouse, as Rins once again took his shot at second. The position change holding for two laps before Zarco clapped back and the Suzuki’s work began again.

10 laps complete and both Ducati’s flew through to fourth and fifth as Mir and Espargaro were dispatched down the straight, the Aprilia losing three places after going wide at turn 16, with the top-nine separated by just 1.5 seconds.

The halfway stage saw a big moment for Rins just as Quartararo made a move stick on the Aprilia, the Spaniard falling backwards as he looked to struggle but it was delight for Ducati as Bagnaia advanced to podium contention. Miller likewise looked to be gaining ground, but he had a pair of Suzuki’s to deal with first. Contact for Miller and Mir allowed the Frenchman’s M1 through to fifth, Espargaro taking the opportunity to follow as he recovered to sixth, with Miller sitting seventh as Mir dropped to ninth.

With eight to go Quartararo was continuing his climb in fourth, just two-tenths now keeping him from the podium as Espargaro’s Repsol was picking up pace in 10th. Viñales advanced to seventh on the next revolution as the Suzuki/Yamaha battle carried on ahead.

Six to go and Quartararo pushed his way onto the podium as Miller blasted past Rins for fourth. Bagnaia slid wide and dropped to seventh as Pol Espargaro also fell down the standings, landing in 13th.

The podium fight continued as Miller again looked to challenge but the Frenchman was defiant, so much so that he dug deep to steal second from Zarco as his teammate replicated the move on Miller moments later. Quartararo took the lead as lap 19 began but the rookie was not giving up that easily and Martin came back, the duo bickering as the lap played out with the M1 back on top in the closing stages. It was a Yamaha in first and third as the lap drew to a close before Zarco spoiled the party on the straight, demoting Viñales back to fourth as the number 20 broke free out front.

Two laps to go and Quartararo held just over a half a second gap to Martin and Zarco, Viñales holding off Rins and Bagnaia with Miller dumped down to seventh ahead of Mir, Espargaro and Binder. The charging Suzuki regrouped in the final lap as he struck back at the second Yamaha for fourth, Zarco lining up his teammate in the dying seconds as the leading Frenchman looked to collect debris on track, seemingly unmoved.

Quartararo claimed the impressive victory as the Pramac riders battled behind for honours - Zarco inching past across the line to see the scintillating rookie performance rewarded with just a third place finish.

Rins held fourth from Viñales with a photo-finish 0.022s gap, as Bagnaia secured sixth, half a second behind. Mir and Binder beat out Miller with Espargaro concluding the top-10, five-seconds from the lead. Enea Bastianini had another stellar ride in his debut season, seeing the Avintia home in 11th from Morbidelli, the younger Espargaro, Stefan Bradl and Oliveira. Rossi completed the race just outside of the points ahead of Takaaki Nakagami, Luca Marini and Danilo Petrucci, while Lorenzo Savadori came home as the final finisher, 38 seconds from the lead and 21 from the next best rider. Alex Marquez and Iker Lecuona having fallen on lap 13 lap.