Marc Marquez vows no change in “strategy” despite Qatar MotoGP title chance

Marc Marquez’s seventh win of the season at Sepang last week means he goes to Qatar this weekend with a title chance, but that won’t change his approach, he says.

Marquez has largely been in some form of ‘management mode’ throughout 2026; only in Malaysia did he decide to push at his maximum effort from FP1.

Despite that, he has a 44-point championship lead.

At round 20, Marquez’s focus is back on Sunday and maximising his points haul in the main race, when with the right results he could win his eighth MotoGP title.

“Qatar is a great track, but not one of my favorites, and in the past, in some years, I've really struggled a lot here,” said Marc Marquez.

“Last year, on the other hand, we were really fast and competitive. 

“In Malaysia, we managed the weekend in the best way possible; especially on Saturday, it was easy to make mistakes. 

“The strategy won't change here: we work day-by-day and aim to give our absolute best in Sunday's race.”

Bagnaia: Qatar “very tough” at the end of the season

While Marquez is closing in on his second title with Ducati, Francesco Bagnaia is entering his final three races with the Ducati Lenovo Team before moving to Aprilia for 2027.

The Italian has been victorious at Qatar before, back in 2024, and the high-grip surface there could be to his advantage, but he also goes there in dire form, having not been in the top-six since Germany.

“Qatar is another really nice track, but very tough in this final stretch of the season,” said Bagnaia.

“A circuit that has always brought out the best in the Desmosedici GP and where I have always been very competitive. 

“We continue to work hard to get closer to the front group.”