News Summary
- Marc Márquez said he would prefer to be elsewhere when asked about safety at Thursday’s Qatar Grand Prix press conference.
- The Ducati rider said he had kept his stay in Qatar as short as possible and was fully focused on racing.
- Márquez leads Jorge Martín by 44 points and can secure his eighth premier-class title at Lusail on Sunday.
Marc Márquez arrived in Qatar with his first chance to win the 2026 MotoGP championship and a plan to spend as little time in the country as possible. At Thursday’s press conference in Lusail, a reporter from La Gazzetta dello Sport asked whether he was worried about being in Qatar amid the conflict in the Middle East. Márquez’s answer began with a simple admission.
“I mean, I would like to be in another place,” he said. The Ducati rider explained that he had taken the latest flight he could into Qatar and would take the earliest one available out.
“But we are here, ready to race and fully concentrated.”
A late arrival after weeks of safety questions
Márquez had already said after winning in Malaysia that he would return to Spain first and travel to Qatar as late as possible. The timing became part of the weekend’s organisation. With several riders expected to arrive later than usual, MotoGP moved Thursday’s press conference back four hours to 20:00 local time. Márquez and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi were the two riders featured in the official session.
The Qatar Grand Prix was originally scheduled for April and moved to November because of the regional conflict. Riders have since sought assurances about evacuation, insurance and what would happen if airspace closed. MotoGP kept the race on the calendar after reviewing information from Qatari authorities, the circuit, embassies and independent experts. Yamaha withdrew both its factory team and Pramac under its company travel restrictions.
Ahead of the first track session, Lusail also reportedly circulated a seven-point emergency shelter guide for riders and paddock personnel. It sets out where to take shelter if an alert is issued at the circuit, at a hotel or while travelling.
Márquez needs a top-five sprint finish to keep his Qatar title chance alive
Márquez’s win in Malaysia took his lead to 44 points over Jorge Martín and 67 over Bezzecchi. To clinch the championship at Lusail, he needs to outscore Martín by at least 30 points and Bezzecchi by at least eight across the sprint and Grand Prix. Fifth in the sprint is worth five points. A finish any lower would leave him short of the 30-point gain even if he won on Sunday and Martín failed to score.
Martín’s participation in the points-scoring races is still to be settled. The Aprilia rider withdrew in Malaysia while recovering from a fracture near his right wrist and has another medical assessment scheduled before Friday’s FP1. For Márquez, a title at Lusail would be his eighth in the premier class and his tenth across all Grand Prix classes.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Qatar Grand Prix in MotoGP.
