Closest top 15 ever recorded at MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix

8.928 seconds from first to 15th place

History was once again written in Doha, Qatar, as the Tissot Grand Prix of Doha recorded the closest-ever top-15 finish in MotoGP history. Riders from first to 15th place finished the race within 8.928 seconds of each other.

That means that the gap between race winner, Fabio Quartararo of Monster Energy Yamaha, to 15^th placer Miguel Oliveira of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was only 8.9 seconds.

That 8.9 seconds gap easily beats the previous record of 15.09 seconds at the Losail International Circuit in 2019. It was a thrilling end to 42 minutes of racing to see the point scorers flash across the line in under nine seconds. The tight gaps between riders showcases just how competitive each rider and bike is in this series, this 2021.

_{When you see it: the Philippine flag is proudly displayed on Maverick Viñales' YZR-M1}

Besides the close competition between riders, it was also tight between manufacturers. Every manufacturer was inside the top 15. In fact, it was even tighter with 6.063 seconds being the gap between Yamaha, Ducati, Suzuki, KTM, Aprilia and Honda in Doha. All six manufacturers have built very competitive machinery for the best riders in the world to challenge each other with, creating an even greater spectacle than we had before. And that’s saying something.

At the opening two Grand Prixes this year, we’ve been treated to the first and fifth closest top 15 finishes in history. The gap between Qatar GP winner Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was 16.422 seconds, just under fourth tenths bigger than the 2018 Dutch GP won by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team).

Current five closest top 15 finishes in history:

1. 2021 Grand Prix of Doha (8.928 seconds)
2. 2019 Grand Prix of Qatar (15.093s)
3. 2020 Aragon Grand Prix (15.941s)
4. 2018 Dutch Grand Prix (16.043s)
5. 2021 Grand Prix of Qatar (16.422s)

The close finish proves MotoGP is sure to keep things competitive and unpredictable this 2021 season.

The next MotoGP race is the Portuguese Grand Prix, happening at the Portimão circuit, in the Algarve on April 18, 2021.