MotoGP: Bezzecchi denies Marquez world title as motorsport returns to Qatar

Bezzecchi takes Qatar victory

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi won the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, with Ducati’s Marc Marquez finishing second. Bezzecchi started from pole and secured his sixth Grand Prix win of the season.

The result means Marquez must wait another two weeks for a chance to claim his eighth MotoGP title. Bezzecchi’s win reduced the points gap between them to 74.

A strong return for Bezzecchi

Bezzecchi said he was pleased with his performance after recovering from the previous day’s disappointment. “It feels amazing,” Bezzecchi said. He added that bouncing back made the victory even better, while acknowledging that the earlier setback was part of racing.

Martin remains in contention

Jorge Martin, Bezzecchi’s Aprilia teammate, returned to racing after suffering a broken right wrist and finished seventh. His team applauded him warmly after the race. Martin is 60 points behind the leader, but remains in the title contest with two race weekends left.

Marquez explains his approach

Marquez said his plan was to manage the opening five laps. He said third place would have been acceptable, but he attacked after seeing Raul Fernandez struggle. Motorsport returned to Qatar after the event had been delayed because of the United States-Israel war on Iran.