Rins proved to be an early threat to victory as he worked his way up from seventh on the grid to podium positions on lap three before tackling Pramacs Johann Zarco in second.
Zarco was able to use the brute force of the Ducati to keep Rins in check while the Suzuki rider was forced to make up for time through the twisting sections of the Losail circuit.
One of those places was the right turn at Turn 9, but the Suzuki rider went over the limit and almost fell out of the race – he kind of stayed upright and held onto third place.
“It was super scary,” he said afterwards. “For the next two or three laps, I drove like a meter or two from that line.
“It was a corner that I could take fast to make up for the gap to the Ducatis up front a bit. It was a moment where I pushed the body a lot and I hit the white line, it was so scary . ” the bike.
“I do not know [what it looked like] outwardly, but on the bike it was scary. “
Also read:
Rins eventually missed a podium after a late fight with Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales, the Suzuki rider prevailing and finishing fourth.
But given the Ducatis’ unstoppable speed on the straight, Rins admits that fourth place was “my best result”.
“It was good, I had a good race,” he added. “I’ve got the tires under control quite well. At one point in the race, when I saw that it was impossible to lead the race and go, I was trying to manage the tires, I was trying to study the other guys .
“But in the end I gave my maximum, that was P4. It was impossible and I say impossible because it is so difficult to overtake the Ducatis on the straight.
“For me it was my best result. I pushed the whole preparation for the season to get more points in order to get on the podium.
“But if we balance the races, I think we’re going to Europe well, fifth place” [in the championship].
“So let’s keep pushing. We made a mistake in the first race when we forgot to put the launch control on and I’m paying for the whole race.
“Let’s see if she [Suzuki] Bring this rear-mounted device to get the more speed we need on the straight. “