Qatar star Joe Roberts may have 'missed out' on vi♓ctory at the season-opening Moto2 Grand Prix, but 't🔯icked another box' by leading the race and beat his previous best finish by six places.

Fast during pre-season testing after switching from 🌌the KTM to Kalex frame, Roberts nonetheless caused a stir by leading Friday practice at Losail.

The American Racing rider then proved it was no fluke by seizing a debut p🔯ole position the following day and was no lower than fourt👍h throughout the 20-lap grand prix.

"In the first🅺 part of the race I was behind Bastianini and Martin, but when I got in front of them and behind Marini I felt quite comfor☂table with the pace," Roberts said.

"Just we gambled with the hard-front tyre and I had to save a coupl♐e of mo🌟ments and then play it a little safe in the left corners."

When Marini began to lose pace, Roberts led across the ⛎start-finish line for the first time as a world championship rider on lap 15 of 20.

But the charging Tetsuta Nagashima, Lorenzo Baldassarri and Enea Bastianini🐈 would prove impossible to coꦡntain in the closing stages and Roberts crossed the line in fourth place, just 1.5s from victory and 0.131s from a debut rostrum.

"To h𒈔ave a pole💖 position and fourth place - it's the best result in my career so I can't be upset with that," Roberts said.

"Also I'd never been up front with those♑ guys before and even led a lap, so I can tick that box.

"But I really waꦕnted to get the win, especially for the guys back home and all the support I've had over the weekend was driving me for that win and🌱 I was pushing so hard for it.

"We just 𒉰missed out, but it's a long season and I think we've proved we're a frontrunner and can do this again… maybe in our home GP!"

The US round should be next on the sch🏅edule, at COTA from April 3-5, but that will very mꦿuch depend on any further coronavirus restrictions.

Roberts' previous best grand prix finish was tenth place on his 🍬Moto2 debut for AGR (Kalex) at a wet Brno in 2017. The Californian then rode an NTS for RW Racing during 2018 (best finish 13th) before a peak of 14th place last season at the American Racing (KTM) team.