Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) got a good start from the front row in the #QatarGP, beginning to stake his claim on a fight for the win early on until key rival Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took him back and started to pull away. Lüthi, recognizing the Italian’s speed, pushed to stay with him – but in the end was forced to settle for second as the EG 0,0 VDS rider’s pace proved too much.
The Swiss rider was runner-up in the title last year after winning the first race – so a podium makes a solid start to what is sure to prove another push for the crown in 2017.
Tom Lüthi, P2: “In the beginning I saw that Franco took it quite easy and I thought, ‘Ok I have to try and see what speed I can go’. But he took me back and I saw he had better speed than me. So I couldn’t stay with him, but I tried and fought to. He was just faster today, but second is really good – big thanks to the team, really, we had some crashes and problems in preseason and it wasn’t easy with me, so to start the season on the podium is a good base to look forward to the next round.”