Doha, November 07 (QNA) - Spanish rider Marc Marquez claimed victory in the Tissot Sprint on Saturday at the 2026 MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar, the 20th round of the 77th World Motorcycle Championship season, cementing his command of the premier class ahead of Sunday's main race.
Riding under the floodlights at the Lusail International Circuit, Marquez secured his second straight sprint win at the venue. Completing the 10-lap, 53.8-kilometer race in 18 minutes, 46.450 seconds, the seven-time world champion finished 0.862 seconds ahead of Italy's Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who took second in 18:47.312.
Spain's Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), winner of the first two sprint events held in Qatar, placed third with a time of 18:47.969, despite battling a wrist fracture. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) finished fourth in 18:49.150, and Johann Zarco (Honda) rounded out the top five in 18:50.170.
With Saturday's win, Marquez added 12 points to his tally, extending his championship lead to 411 points - 49 points ahead of his closest rival, Martin, who sits second with 362 points.
The 10-lap dash was marked by high drama, most notably a contentious on-track contact between Marquez and Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) while the pair battled for the lead. The collision resulted in Bezzecchi's crash and subsequent retirement from the sprint, mathematically ending his championship hopes.
Marquez now has a clear path to secure his eighth world title during Sunday's main Grand Prix. To clinch the championship a round early, Marquez must win the race while Martin fails to score any points. (QNA)