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Brit boys done good
The Ducati rider was never seriously challenged after taking the lead on lap eight and cruised home ahead of Spanish duo Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.
Valentino Rossi finished back in fifth place, one ahead of British debutant James Toseland.
It was Toseland's first race after his move from World Superbikes last year.
I felt it would be a hard race - I didn't have a lot of grip at the rear and people were bashing fairings and knocking each other out of the road
Toseland finished just 0.7 seconds behind Rossi and admitted he had been "amazed" by his own performance. "When the new engine comes we can be more competitive.
"I'm still learning. I made a couple of hard moves but that was a lack of experience at this level on my part.
"I passed Jorge hard and we touched but fortunately he was OK and went on to finish second."
Pedrosa was the race leader in the early stages before Stoner, who started fourth on the grid, managed to impose himself.
The style of his victory was reminiscent of his dominance last season, but the Ducati rider told BBC Sport his work had been cut out securing the win.
"It's been a hard weekend for us," said Stoner.
Qatar MotoGP result:
1 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati 42:36.587
2 J Lorenzo (Sp) Yamaha at 5.323
3 D Pedrosa (Sp) Honda 10.600
4 A Dovizioso (It) Honda 13.288
5 V Rossi (It) Yamaha 13.305
6 J Toseland (GB) Yamaha 14.040
7 C Edwards (USA) Yamaha 15.150
8 L Capirossi (It) Suzuki 32.505
9 R de Puniet (Ff) Honda 33.003
10 N Hayden (USA) Honda 38.354
Bradley Smith failed to capitalise on his pole position, finishing 16th in the 125cc race at the Qatar Grand Prix.
But fellow Brit Scott Redding, 15, was fifth on his debut, with Danny Webb in sixth behind winner Sergio Gadea.
On Saturday, Oxfordshire teenager Smith, 17, became the first Briton to take a 125cc pole in 36 years.
But after a good start he encountered mechanical problems and dropped back through the field before rallying to finish just outside the points.
Qatar 125cc Grand Prix result:
1 S Gadea (Sp) Aprilia 38 mins 09.444 secs
2 J Olive (Sp) Derbi 38:10.376
3 S Bradl (Ger) Aprilia 38:11.104
4 M Di Meglio (Fr) Derbi 38:11.215
5 S Redding (GB) Aprilia 38:11.263
6 D Webb (GB) Aprilia 38:17.133
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