Lusail International Circuit

MotoGP

Ogura scores points in sprint and Chantra struggles for pace

AI Ogura came into Qatar off the back of a consistent run this season. He had a slow start in FP1 and FP2, but gradually picked up pace. The big moment came in Q1, where he stunned everyone with the fastest lap, beating second place by 0.4 seconds. That gave him a decent P7 in the sprint, but he couldn’t carry the momentum into the main race, finishing P15 and collecting just one point. 

It was a tough weekend again for Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra. He struggled with the track from the start and never found his rhythm. He ended up at the back in every session, including the race, where he finished P18 and left Qatar without any points once again.

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Moto2: Difficult weekend for Asians of Moto2 in Qatar

After a strong showing in the U.S. last round, Mario Suryo Aji started well in Qatar with a P7 in FP1. But things went downhill from there. He couldn’t keep the pace up, qualified P17 in Q2, and slipped further back to finish P23 in the race.

Japanese riders continued to have a rough time this season. Yuki Kunii and Ayumu Sasaki have yet to score a single point across all four rounds. Kunii never looked comfortable all weekend—he struggled in practice, qualified P14 in Q1, started the race from P28, and finished P24. Sasaki had a slightly better run in qualifying, managing P10, but started from P24 and crashed out during the race. Thankfully, he was unhurt, but his search for points continues.

Moto3: Furusato and Yamanaka on the podium

The story was much brighter for the Japanese riders in Moto3, with two of them landing on the podium.

Taiyo Furusato had a rocky start to the weekend, struggling in both practice sessions and qualifying P12. But come race day, he delivered a career-best performance, missing the win by just 0.009 seconds and ended in P2.

Ryusei Yamanaka bounced back after a disappointing last round. He started strong, took pole in Q2, and began the race from the front. He couldn’t hang onto the lead but still scored his first podium of the season by grabbing a solid P3, showing promise for the rounds ahead.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Tatchakorn Buasri continued to have a rough season. He looked off-pace from the start, qualified last (P18), and finished the race in P19—another point-less weekend, his fourth in a row.