Marc Marquez warns Qatar MotoGP title chance “still far” after Friday practice

Marc Marquez says winning the 2026 MotoGP title in the Qatar Grand Prix is “still far” because of how competitive his rivals were in Friday practice.

The Ducati rider has his first opportunity to win an eighth MotoGP world title this weekend, if he manages to outscore Jorge Martin by 30 points and Marco Bezzecchi by eight.

But doing so will not be straightforward, with Bezzecchi looking strong on his Aprilia, while VR46 Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio led the Friday times with a new lap record.

Marquez was second overall after Practice, but feels he is facing “a tricky weekend” with so much on the line.

“Championship is not done,” he told TNT Sports.

“I mean, still I feel that it’s far, especially because Bezzecchi, as we see, is pushing and riding in a very good way.

“[He has] nothing to lose; he will push all the weekend.

“Martin, even with his injury, he’s riding also in a good way.

“So, we must concentrate on our garage, try to do our job. And, from that point, let’s see. But it will be a tricky weekend because many riders are fast.”

Marquez’s day wasn’t straightforward either, after he lost track time to a broken chain on one of his bikes.

He wouldn’t reveal what the cause was, but was pleased that it happened in Practice and not later in the weekend.

“Opening day here in Qatar has been good,” he added.

“The feeling was good. This afternoon, it’s true that there are three, four riders who are very fast, very consistent.

“But I was able to ride in a good way, so we need to understand for tomorrow if we can improve in some areas.

“It’s true that we had that small problem with the chain.

“The positive thing is that it happened in Practice. I believe now Ducati will evaluate and fix it for the rest of the weekend.”