BEZZECCHI CLINGS TO TITLE HOPES AFTER COSTLY SEPANG MISTAKE

Marco Bezzecchi insists he still believes he can win the 2026 MotoGP title, despite slipping to third in the standings and trailing championship leader Marc Marquez by 52 points.

The Aprilia rider’s deficit grew after he finished third behind Marquez in Saturday’s sprint at Sepang. Bezzecchi had qualified fifth and moved past Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura late in the race, which was run in light rain. He said the conditions made the sprint difficult, but having a rider ahead gave him a useful reference as the weather changed.

“I still believe in the title; otherwise, there would be no point in coming to the races,” Bezzecchi said when asked whether he remained confident of his chances. He described the sprint as a good performance and said he was happy with the result.

Marquez leads the championship by 19 points and could reach his first match point of the season at next week’s Qatar round if he wins Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Bezzecchi, who led the standings earlier in the campaign, is now Aprilia’s leading title contender after team-mate Jorge Martin withdrew from the Malaysian GP with an injury.

Bezzecchi did not believe he could have challenged Marquez for second once he had passed Ogura. “As soon as he had free space in front, he was slightly faster than me,” he said, adding that Marquez and Alex Marquez had been “super, super quick” throughout the weekend.

Instead, Bezzecchi used the sprint to study the championship leader ahead of Sunday’s main race. He said he tried to follow Marquez and observe his riding, hoping to take useful lessons into the Grand Prix. “It was important for me to understand something and try to copy a little bit for tomorrow,” he said.

Sunday proved far more difficult for Aprilia. Marquez dominated the Malaysian Grand Prix, while Bezzecchi could not match the pace of the Ducati riders, the other Marquez brother or Pedro Acosta. He later lost fourth place to Ogura, then ran wide on the final lap and surrendered fifth to Enea Bastianini. Martin’s withdrawal with an arm injury sustained at Phillip Island had already left Bezzecchi as Aprilia’s sole remaining title hope.

The result gave Marquez match point in Qatar. TNT Sports 2 pundit Neil Hodgson attributed Bezzecchi’s late mistake to fatigue and concentration, saying: “If anything summed up Marco Bezzecchi’s season, it’s that, and that is why he’s not going to be a MotoGP world champion.” Hodgson also pointed to a series of errors, including crashes and Bezzecchi’s suspension from the Czech GP. Despite three wins in the opening three rounds and praise from Valentino Rossi for his speed, the Italian’s season has also featured crashes at Assen, Balaton Park and Misano. The source argues that his pace has not been matched by the consistency needed to sustain a title challenge.