Italian star Valentino Rossi pipped Andrea Dovizioso to win the opening race of the 2015 MotoGP season in Qatar . Rossi , a seven-time world champion in MotoGP , had started on the third row on his Yamaha but worked his way up the grid and claimed victory by just 0.174 seconds ahead of compatriot Dovizioso . Dovizioso 's Ducati team-mate Andrea Iannone claimed third , 2.250secs adrift of the winner to make it an all-Italian podium . Valentino Rossi celebrates after winning the curtain raiser MotoGP event in Qatar . The seven-time champion takes the chequered flag just 0.174 ahead of his closest rival . Rossi 's team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished fourth , while reigning two-time champion Marc Marquz rounded out the top five after recovering from a poor start . The 22-year-old Spaniard ran wide on the opening lap and slumped to the back of the pack , but he fought his way back into contention to ensure his season did not get off to a disastrous start . Rossi pipped Andrea Dovizios ( left ) into second place with Andrea Iannone finishing third . It was later reported Marquez had set the fastest ever recorded speed in MotoGP on his charge up the grid , at one point reaching 217.66mph . His Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa was sixth , while British pair Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith finished seventh and eighth respectively .
Valentino Rossi won the the third row 's opening MotoGP race in Qatar . Seven-time champion pipped Andrea Dovizioso to win by just 0.174secs . Reigning two-time champion Marc Marquz came back to finish in top five .