‘Fast Franco’ takes his first win

After qualifying was cancelled due to the weather, Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took his first pole position by virtue of topping combined practice times, and the Italian didn’t look back after storming into the lead and then disappearing for a stunning maiden win at Losail International Circuit.

Having proven a podium regular and dark horse contender for top three in the Championship last season, the former VR46 Academy rider got his 2017 title challenge off to the best possible start as the season kicked off.

Franco Morbidelli, P1: "This first victory is a great sensation after all this time, it is really amazing that I confirm that I am capable of winning races. My pace was really strong and I was pulling away from the others once I got ahead of Lüthi and had a clear track, so it did not feel like a difficult race. The main thing today was to bring to the track what I had in my mind, that I could win here after such a strong preseason of testing and practice in Qatar.”