Bezzecchi wins Qatar MotoGP as Marquez takes second

Marco Bezzecchi bounced back from his Sprint retirement to dominate the Qatar MotoGP at Lusail, leading from lights to flag after taking pole. World championship leader Marc Marquez passed Raul Fernandez late in the race to claim second, but the result did not secure the title, as Jorge Martin failed to score a point.

Fernandez had formed an Aprilia one-two by passing Marquez early on, before Marquez lost third to Pedro Acosta. Acosta later let Marquez back through, which was attributed to possible tyre pressure issues, and Marquez then pushed on to catch Fernandez. Martin salvaged seventh after losing ground in the opening laps.

Retirements for Diogo Moreira and Brad Binder gave Jake Dixon his first MotoGP points with 14th place. The grid was reduced to 16 riders after Luca Marini withdrew following warm-up, citing fatigue. The series now takes a weekend break before the final two rounds at Portimao and Valencia.