Marc Marquez moved within touching distance of a record-equalling eighth world title after winning a dramatic, sprint race at the MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar at the Lusail International Circuit on Saturday.
Starting from second on the grid, Marquez needed to outscore his closest title rival, Jorge Martin, by at least five points in the sprint to earn his first opportunity to clinch the championship. The Ducati rider achieved the target what was required.
The Spaniard victory, his latest step towards the championship, came ahead of Fabio di Giannantonio, while title rival Jorge Martin put in a spectacular effort to ride to third place just two weeks after breaking his wrist.
“It was a strange sprint race, especially with the red flag. We hope and wish that Pecco is okay because it was a nasty crash,” Marquez said.
The sprint was red-flagged on the opening lap following a heavy crash involving team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, who suffered a fractured left foot after contact with Fermin Aldeguer. The Two-time former world champion was taken away on a stretcher.
On the restart, Marquez made a superb getaway to take the lead from polesitter Marco Bezzecchi. Martin also produced a strong recovery, climbing from 11th on the grid to fourth by the end of the second lap.
Bezzecchi, who posted a record lap time in qualifying, challenged Marquez on lap four, but the pair made contact, sending the Aprilia rider sliding out of the race and ending his title hopes. Stewards took no action over the incident.
Marquez had little time to regain his composure after the collision with Martin immediately launching an attack. The pair exchanged positions in a fierce battle, but the Ducati rider managed to hold on to the lead.
“When I had the impact, even my airbag deployed. For that reason then, Jorge attacked me because it takes some time to return to normal,” Marquez said.
Martin looked to be tiring and dealing with the pain from his injury as he lost ground to Marquez, soon finding himself battling for second with Di Giannantonio, who overtook him at the end of the sprint.
With a 49-point championship advantage, It’s a long shot, but there’s a chance, Marquez can clinch his eighth crown on Sunday if he wins the Grand Prix and Martin fails to score.
Martin only needs to finish 15th or higher to deny his compatriot for at least another fortnight, and his performance on Saturday showed how much he's willing to fight on.
“I'm really proud of the work I'm doing,” said Martin.
“When I was fighting with Marc it was really nice, finally I didn't have the power to keep pushing but to be here on the podium is incredible. For me it’s already a victory.”
