2026 Qatar MotoGP, Lusail - Sprint Race Results

Marc Marquez wins a dramatic 2026 Qatar MotoGP Sprint, setting up a title chance in Sunday's grand prix.

Closest rival Jorge Martin bravely charged from tenth in the restarted race, reaching second and then briefly attacking Marquez shortly after team-mate Marco Bezzecchi crashed out.

Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez clash

Bezzecchi had dived for the inside when race leader Marquez ran slightly wide at Turn 1 on lap 4. The pair collided when the Ducati rider cut back towards the racing line. Marquez kept control, but Bezzecchi crashed after the impact.

The Stewards investigated, then declared no further action, much to Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola’s obvious displeasure.

Pole-qualifier Bezzecchi’s non-score means he is officially out of the title fight.

The injured Martin looked set to block Marquez's Sunday title chance with a runner-up finish, but lost out to Fabio di Giannantonio on the final lap, putting Marquez within mathematical range.

Red flag as Aldeguer sends Bagnaia flying

The initial start was red-flagged after Pecco Bagnaia was torpedoed by Fermin Aldeguer into the final corner at the end of the opening lap.

Bagnaia was conscious, but carried away on a stretcher. Aldeguer received a double long lap penalty for the restart.

Bezzecchi was leading from Marquez when the race was stopped.

Marquez tyre gamble:

Most riders picked the medium rear tyre, as used by the top nine riders in last year’s Sprint.

However, Ducati’s front-row starters Marc Marquez and di Giannantonio gambled on the soft rear for the initial start, joined by only Iker Lecuona, Diogo Moreira and HRC stand-in Jake Dixon.

di Giannantonio then switched to the medium rear for the restart, while Martin moved in the other direction, swapping to the soft.

* Rookie

Qualifying

Marco Bezzecchi beats Marc Marquez to pole position for the 2026 Qatar MotoGP with a new lap record at Lusail.

Title leader Marquez was first to break Fabio di Giannantonio’s Friday lap record, before Bezzecchi responded on the final run. Diggia completed the front row in qualifying.

Bezzecchi’s Aprilia team-mate and Marquez’s closest title rival Jorge Martin could only manage eleventh, waving his hands in frustration after feeling he was held up by Pedro Acosta's KTM.

Acosta kept his record of never being outqualified by a MotoGP team-mate alive by securing a Q2 place behind Iker Lecuona in Qualifying 1, then claiming eighth on the grid.

HRC stand-in Jake Dixon will start his first MotoGP race since 2021 from 17th place, outqualifying Tech3 KTM’s Maverick Vinales.

The 11-lap Qatar Sprint start at 7pm local time, 4pm UK.

* Rookie

Official Qatar MotoGP Records:

• Best lap: Fabio di Giannantonio, Ducati, 1m 50.406s (2026)
• Fastest race lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 52.561s (2025)

Saturday Practice Results:

Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia returned to the top of the timesheets during final practice for the 2026 Qatar MotoGP at Lusail.

The session saw a split in tyre choice, with the leading Ducati, KTM and Honda riders starting on the soft rear, while the Aprilias began on the medium.

Ducati title leader Marc Marquez was fastest for much of the session on the soft, before switching to a medium.

Aprilia moved in the other direction, Marco Bezzecchi slipping to sixth on the medium before fitting a soft rear and blasting to the top.

Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura then slotted into second and third, with Marquez's closest title rival Jorge Martin completing a perfect RS-GP top four sweep on the soft.

Tyres:

The top nine riders used medium tyres front and rear in both of last year’s races. However, Michelin are confident the soft rear is also a viable choice for this afternoon’s Sprint.

Qualifying 1:

Qualifying 1, for those outside the top ten on Friday, including KTM’s 2026 Sprint and Grand Prix winner Pedro Acosta, will now begin.

* Rookie

Official Qatar MotoGP Records:

• Best lap: Fabio di Giannantonio, Ducati, 1m 50.406s (2026)
• Fastest race lap: Marc Marquez, Ducati, 1m 52.561s (2025)

Marc Marquez title chance

Marc Marquez has his first chance to wrap-up the 2026 MotoGP title this weekend in Qatar

The factory Ducati star needs to outscore Jorge Martin by 30 points and Marco Bezzecchi by eight points (seven points if he wins the grand prix) to claim a tenth world crown before the season-ending rounds in Portimao and Valencia.

With 25 points for a grand prix win, Marquez needs to outscore Martin by at least five points in today's Sprint to set up a Sunday title chance. Otherwise, the championship battle will roll on to Portimao.

Yamaha out

Yamaha will not be participating in this weekend’s Qatar MotoGP due to ‘existing company-wide travel restrictions’.

The decision means Fabio Quartararo and factory Monster team-mate Alex Rins, plus Pramac riders Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez (replacing the injured Toprak Razgatlioglu) will all be missing from round 20 of the season.

A statement issued last Sunday evening at Sepang said that the decision ‘reflects Yamaha’s assessment of the information currently available and is independent of the measures implemented by MotoGP Group and the event organizer.’

Yamaha added that it ‘remains fully committed to MotoGP and looks forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix’.

Jake Dixon gets Honda MotoGP debut

The four Yamaha riders are not the only competitors who will miss the Qatar Grand Prix.

Gresini’s Alex Marquez is absent due to recent surgery, while HRC’s Joan Mir is again sidelined by fatigue-related vision issues. Marquez is replaced by Iker Lecuona and Mir by Honda WorldSBK rider Jake Dixon.

Dixon previously made a pair of MotoGP starts for Petronas Yamaha SRT in 2021, during his Moto2 career.

Back in action

Aprilia riders Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez, who withdrew from Sepang due to injuries, plus Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer, who broke his hand at Mandalika, are back on track for MotoGP’s only night race.