Bezzecchi wins Qatar GP after sprint setback

Marco Bezzecchi took victory in the Qatar Grand Prix, returning to the top step of the podium after a difficult sprint. His 2026 title challenge had been hit by a disrupted summer, a broken collarbone at the Sachsenring and a crash at Misano that left his championship hopes dependent on his rivals.

Bezzecchi had won earlier in the season and had built a points cushion that kept him in the title fight after the summer break. His win in Indonesia had owed more to Raul Fernandez's physical limitations than to his own pace, but Qatar suggested he had lost none of his outright speed.

The Aprilia rider failed to score in the restarted sprint after a poor launch from pole and a collision with Marc Marquez at Turn 1. He bounced back on Sunday, saying he had wanted to win for himself and his family, and he claimed maximum points in the grand prix.