News Summary
- Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali praised Marc Márquez’s determination and said the rider was still dealing with the effects of injury early in the season.
- Márquez trailed Marco Bezzecchi by 102 points after Mugello and now leads Jorge Martín by 44 heading into Qatar.
- The reigning champion can clinch an eighth premier-class title at Lusail, with two rounds still to come after Qatar.
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali has urged his team to guard against mistakes at the Qatar Grand Prix after Marc Márquez turned a season compromised by injury into a chance to clinch the 2026 MotoGP title. Márquez goes to Lusail 44 points clear of Jorge Martín, having trailed the championship leader by more than 100 points after the Italian Grand Prix.
Speaking to GPOne at EICMA during Ducati’s centenary celebrations, Domenicali described the turnaround as “an incredible comeback”. He pointed to Márquez’s determination, skill and experience, and acknowledged that luck had played a part. The CEO said Márquez was still feeling the effects of a serious injury in the first part of the season and had been competing below his best.
“But the championship isn’t over yet,” Domenicali said. Asked whether a MotoGP title would complete Ducati’s centenary celebrations, he said the team’s immediate job was to stay focused and avoid mistakes. There would be time to celebrate once it had secured the result.
How Márquez went from 102 points down to 44 clear
At Mugello, the gap was to Marco Bezzecchi, who led Márquez by 102 points after the Italian Grand Prix. By the end of the Australian round, it was Bezzecchi’s Aprilia teammate Jorge Martín who was closest to Márquez in the standings. Márquez won the Phillip Island sprint, in which Martín crashed and fractured his right arm. Sunday’s Grand Prix was cancelled, leaving the Ducati rider 10 points ahead going into Malaysia.
Martín travelled to Sepang but missed both points-scoring races after he was withdrawn on medical grounds. Márquez finished second to Pedro Acosta in the sprint to stretch the lead to 19 points, then won the Malaysian Grand Prix by more than four seconds. He took the lead on the opening lap and managed his tyres in the heat as Acosta moved into second. It was Márquez’s seventh Grand Prix win of the season and his 80th in the premier class.
The 34 points Márquez scored at Sepang took him to 399. Martín stayed on 355, with Bezzecchi third on 332. That leaves both Aprilia riders in mathematical contention with three rounds to go.
What Ducati needs from the Qatar weekend
Márquez must outscore Martín by at least 30 points and Bezzecchi by at least eight across the sprint and Grand Prix to clinch the title at Lusail. Even a Sunday victory would leave him short of the required gain on Martín if he finished outside the top five in Saturday’s sprint.
Márquez has won twice at Lusail in the premier class, in 2014 and 2025. A title there would be his eighth in the premier class, drawing him level with Giacomo Agostini, and his tenth across all Grand Prix classes. If either Aprilia rider keeps the contest alive, the next opportunity comes in Portugal.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Qatar Grand Prix in MotoGP.
