BBC Sport1 hour agoSports1 min read

Qatar runner-up Marquez must wait for eighth title

Jorge Martin's seventh-place finish keeps title race alive ahead of Portimao

Quick Look

Marc Marquez finished second behind Marco Bezzecchi in the Qatar Grand Prix, delaying his bid for a record-equalling eighth MotoGP title.
Jorge Martin's seventh-place finish means Marquez, who leads by 60 points, will have another chance to clinch the title at the penultimate race weekend in Portimao, Portugal.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Marc Marquez won Saturday's sprint race and would have clinched a second successive title, drawing level with Valentino Rossi's record tally, had Jorge Martin finished outside the points in Sunday's grand prix. Martin returned from injury after withdrawing from the previous race with a fractured wrist to finish seventh.

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Marc Marquez will have to wait to seal a record-equalling eighth MotoGP title after finishing second behind Marco Bezzecchi in the Qatar Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old Spaniard won Saturday's sprint race and would have clinched a second successive title, drawing level with Valentino Rossi's record tally, had main rival Jorge Martin finished outside the points in Sunday's grand prix.

However, Martin - the 2024 champion - returned from injury after withdrawing from the previous race with a fractured wrist to finish seventh.

Ducati rider Marquez has a 60-point lead over Aprilia's Martin and will have another chance to clinch the title in the season's penultimate race weekend in Portimao, Portugal, in two weeks' time.

Pole-sitter Bezzecchi, Martin's Aprilia team-mate, claimed his sixth grand prix win of the season, while Spain's Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez was third.

Italian Bezzecchi can mathematically catch Marquez in the title race as he is 74 points behind him - the same number of points that remain available.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

Marquez will clinch the title at the Portimao race weekend
Likely · Within weeks

Open Questions

Will Marquez clinch the title at Portimao?
Can Bezzecchi mathematically catch Marquez given he is 74 points behind with the same number of points remaining?