Losail (Qatar) (AFP) - Spanish Ducati rider Marc Marquez won the Sprint race in the Qatar Grand Prix for motorcycles in the MotoGP category on Saturday at the Losail Circuit, and now has a first chance to clinch his eighth title in the top category on Sunday.

Published on: 07/11/2026 - 18:47

The Catalan cyclist, who started from second place, outperformed the Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati-VR46) and his compatriot Jorge Martin (Aprilia), who performed heroically despite suffering from a fracture in the radius bone of his right arm at the wrist level.

The race witnessed a horrific fall by Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who was collided with by Spaniard Fermin Aldguerre (Ducati-Gresini), which led to him collided with severe force on the track after he flew over the handlebars of his bike.

The accident, which occurred at the last turn of the first lap, caused the race to be stopped so that a second start could take place.

Marquez (33 years old), who was in second place when the red flags were announced, succeeded in starting better and seizing the lead.

For his part, Italian Marco Betsicki (Aprilia), who had won the pole position earlier in the day, fell while trying to overtake Marques on the fourth lap.

Despite contact between the two bikes, the seven-time world champion was able to maintain his balance and continue on his way to victory.

“It was a strange race because of the red flags,” Marques said. “I hope Pico (Bagnaia) will be okay. My airbag deployed in the collision (with Betsiki), which knocked me off balance a bit. But other than that, things went well for me. The points I got today are very important.”

Marquez, who is now 49 points ahead of Martin in the championship standings, will have a first chance on Sunday to win his eighth title in the senior category, and equal the achievement of Italian legend Giacomo Agostini.

To achieve this, Marquez must score 5 more points than his direct chaser Martin in Sunday's race.

“I'm proud of the work I do,” Martin said after reaching the finish line of the Sprint Race.

He added, "Competing with Mark was a wonderful thing. In the end, I no longer had the energy to keep pushing, but being here on the podium is unbelievable. For me, this is a victory in itself."

Frenchman Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR), starting from seventh place after a strong performance in the tests, achieved a remarkable result by coming in fifth place, equaling his best result in the Sprint races this season, which he achieved in mid-May in Barcelona.

© 2026 AFP

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