Bezzecchi wins Qatar as Márquez stretches his championship lead
Marco Bezzecchi led the Qatar Grand Prix from the start to give Aprilia victory at Lusail. Marc Márquez recovered second place late in the race and extended his lead over Jorge Martín to 60 points. The championship remains open, with the next round taking the contest to Portugal.
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A start-to-finish win at Lusail
Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi finished the 22-lap Qatar Grand Prix ahead of Marc Márquez and Raúl Fernández. The Italian converted pole position into his 12th MotoGP victory, keeping the title contest alive after a weekend in which he had crashed out of the sprint.[1], [2]
Fernández overtook Márquez on the first lap. Pedro Acosta also passed the championship leader on lap three, briefly dropping the Ducati rider outside the podium places. Márquez regained third on the sixth lap.[1]
Márquez recovers second late on
At halfway, Bezzecchi held a 1.2-second advantage over Fernández. Márquez was 3.9 seconds off the lead alongside Acosta, before increasing his pace in the second half. He caught Fernández and took second with four laps remaining. Ai Ogura finished fourth, Enea Bastianini fifth and Acosta sixth.[1]
The title fight moves to Portugal
Márquez collected 20 points and extended his lead over Jorge Martín to 60. Martín finished seventh, two weeks after breaking his wrist in Australia, and earned nine points. Bezzecchi took 25 for the win and remained 74 behind, with 74 still available. Fernández reached the podium while nursing two broken fingers in his right hand.[1]
