Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales took a stunning victory in the 2021 MotoGP season opener in Qatar on Sunday.<br /><br />The Spaniard overcame a slow start to take the lead with eight laps to go, and built up a comfortable gap of more than a second and a half going into the final lap - good enough to claim his ninth career MotoGP win.<br /><br />Behind Vinales, Ducati's Johann Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia battled for the podium with reigning world champion Joan Mir of Suzuki.<br /><br />But Mir, who came through from 10th on the grid, ran wide at the last corner and was demoted to fourth behind second-placed Zarco and Bagnaia in third.
