Winner of 3 out of 4 races at the start of last season, Lorenzo Baldassarri fina💧lly returned to the Moto2 podium during the 2020&n🦹bsp;opener in Qatar.

Althoℱugh he has remained on a Pons-run Kalex, much has changed for Baldassarri since a year ago, most notably a departure from the VR46 Riders Academy.

After 🍸a modest pre-season, the I𝄹talian began the Losail race in ninth place, but rose steadily through the field to reach the podium battle just after mid-distance.

Baldassarri eventually finished just 1.3s fro𝔉m race winner Tetsuta Nagashima after an intense duel&n✃bsp;with countryman Enea Bastianini

"I'm very happy because after a tough winter, to come here, stop thinking and just try to enjoy riding the bike was great," said B💮aldassarri, also now working with꧅ Remy Gardner's 2019 crew chief Alfred Willeke.

"I was very confident with my rhytꩲhm for the race. But congratulations to Nagashima, who at the end overtook us and then escaped because we were fighting."

Baldassarri, linked to a satellite Ducati MotoGP seat after his stunning ear💙ly run a year ago, must now try to mount a sustained challenge.

"Last year many changes happened so from there I learned a lot for the future 🌱as a person and a rider. The biggest changes were the bike and tyre, but also when you are not quiet outside the track it seems for the head it's also difficult," he said.

"I've changed many things around me. The support I h♑ave is great and I like the people I have around me now. It's important because I feel quite quiet and my preparation🔯 is a bit different.

"Now I still train in a group, but a di𝓀fferent group, with motorbikes. For example motocross with Dovi and Petrux and sometimes Dovi is also helping me. And when I ca🎐n, I train alone at the gym. So it's different."

The Italian added:🐲 "I feel strong, but also last year I felt very strong. I won three of the first four races so I was feeling great. Then many different things happened, it wasn't easy to manage.

"I hope I've learned from that and for me the target is the same; always give the maximum and get my best result at each raᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚce. I think I had a good lesson last year."