Marco Bezzecchi won the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail on Sunday, leading from pole position to finish 3.083 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez. The result denied Marquez the MotoGP title as his second-place finish left him 60 points clear with two rounds remaining.
Marquez’s lead over Martin now stands at 60 points with 74 still available across the final two rounds, according to series records. Bezzecchi, who trails Marquez by 74 points, remains mathematically alive for the championship but would need Marquez to score no points in the remaining events, officials said.
Marquez won the sprint, his record 25th sprint victory.
Marquez entered the Qatar round needing a victory combined with Martin scoring no points to clinch the title Sunday. He finished 3.083 seconds behind Bezzecchi after leading the chase from the opening lap, according to race results.
The championship scenario now shifts to the season’s next stop at Portimao, where a sprint race win would secure the title for Marquez. A sprint victory is worth 12 points, which would leave Marquez at least 63 points clear with only 62 available in the final two rounds, records show.
Bezzecchi’s victory was his sixth grand prix win of the season and 12th of his MotoGP career, according to series statistics. He led all 22 laps from pole position, with Raul Fernandez finishing third, 0.531 seconds behind Marquez. Ai Ogura placed fourth, Enea Bastianini fifth and Jorge Martin seventh.
The race featured an early challenge from Pedro Acosta, who passed Marquez for third on lap three before dropping back due to tyre pressure issues. Marquez reclaimed second at the start of lap six and set the fastest lap of the race on lap 14, according to timing data.
Saturday’s sprint race included a collision between Bezzecchi and Marquez on lap two that sent Bezzecchi crashing. Stewards ruled the contact a racing incident with no further action, according to officials.
The sprint also saw Francesco Bagnaia crash on lap one when Fermin Aldeguer struck his Ducati, sending it airborne. Aldeguer received a double long lap penalty for the restart. MotoGP’s medical director confirmed Bagnaia suffered two fractures in his right foot involving the fourth and fifth metatarsals, according to a statement. Bagnaia was ruled out of the Grand Prix and taken to a Doha hospital to determine whether surgery is needed.
Bagnaia sits ninth in the championship with 173 points. Ducati has not said whether he can ride at Portimao.
Martin finished third in the sprint after starting 11th, two weeks after breaking his right wrist in Australia, according to race reports. He lost 11 points to Marquez on Sunday.
Brad Binder and Diogo Moreira retired from the Grand Prix with separate issues, officials said. Franco Morbidelli, Fermin Aldeguer, Maverick Vinales and Jake Dixon were the final classified finishers. Dixon, substituting for the injured Joan Mir at Honda, took 14th and scored his first MotoGP points.
Bezzecchi’s win came for Aprilia, gaining five points on Marquez in the standings. The result does not change the title picture, as Martin remains the only rider within mathematical reach of Marquez and needs the leader to falter in the final two rounds.
The series moves to Portimao for the penultimate round, where the sprint race could decide the championship.
