BEZZECCHI WINS IN QATAR AS INJURED MARTIN KEEPS TITLE FIGHT ALIVE

Marco Bezzecchi bounced back from his sprint crash to win the Qatar Grand Prix, delaying Marc Marquez’s chance to secure the MotoGP title until the Portuguese round. The Aprilia rider led all 22 laps in Lusail, finishing about three seconds ahead of Marquez for his sixth grand prix victory of the 2026 season.

Bezzecchi made a perfect start and he and Raul Fernandez quickly pulled clear of the field. Marquez, starting second, was passed by Fernandez and later Pedro Acosta, who briefly let him back through because of a tyre-pressure issue. Marquez then raised his pace, taking several tenths per lap from Fernandez and passing him on the start-finish straight in the closing stages. He could not catch Bezzecchi, who held on to win.

Marquez said his approach was to manage the race: “In the first five laps, it didn’t matter if someone pulled away. My race was mainly against Martin.” He said he could have pushed harder earlier but knew that would damage his front tyre. When Fernandez began to struggle, Marquez attacked: “You never know – so I attacked. Four points more.”

Bezzecchi had been fast throughout the weekend, taking pole ahead of Marquez and carrying that form into Saturday’s sprint. After a restart, he crashed on lap four following contact with Marquez. The stewards called it a racing incident, and Marquez was not penalised. Bezzecchi’s Sunday victory provided a strong response.

“It feels great, I’m very happy. It was the performance we deserved,” Bezzecchi said, thanking his team and Aprilia’s factory in Noale. He called it a fantastic weekend and said he had felt comfortable on the bike. “It’s a shame about yesterday, but that’s part of the game. To bounce back like this makes it even better!”

Marquez said Aprilia had been “super fast” but was pleased Ducati still scored 32 points and extended its advantage. “This is something amazing and it was an important weekend to not give an extra boost to our opponents,” he said. With the final two races approaching, he added that he had taken “extra risks” in recent overseas rounds and wanted to “calm down” and “step back” while continuing to collect points.

Marquez’s second place, combined with Jorge Martin’s seventh, leaves him 60 points ahead of Martin and 74 clear of Bezzecchi. Martin, who fractured his right wrist in a Phillip Island sprint crash and missed both Malaysian races, said he was still unsure about travelling to Qatar as late as Tuesday. He reported significant wrist pain in the closing laps but praised his effort and said he “could have fought for the podium” with a better qualifying position than 11th. His seventh-place finish followed a weekend in which he went from considering skipping the race to competing and keeping Marquez’s title celebrations on hold. Martin expects to be “almost 100% fit” in Portugal.

Bezzecchi remains mathematically in contention with two rounds left, but would need to win both races in Portugal and Valencia while Marquez scores no points. “I mean, I need a miracle, but it looks like this season [there have been] no miracles for me,” he said.

Marquez can clinch the championship by winning the Portimao sprint, regardless of where his rivals finish. Bezzecchi said he was looking forward to seeing his family, friends and dog before resting and travelling to Portugal.