The 2026 MotoGP season heads into its final two rounds in Portugal and Valencia with Marc Marquez closing in on an eighth premier-class world championship.
The Ducati rider leads Jorge Martin by 60 points after the Qatar Grand Prix, with Marco Bezzecchi a further 14 behind. With 74 points still available, Marquez needs 14 more to guarantee the title on countback, regardless of his rivals’ results. Victory in either remaining Sprint would also settle the championship.
It was a different picture when Martin arrived at Phillip Island leading Marquez by two points, only to fracture his right wrist in a Sprint crash while fighting for victory. The Aprilia rider then missed both races in Malaysia before returning to finish third in the Qatar Sprint and seventh in the Grand Prix, keeping his title hopes alive but leaving Marquez firmly in control.
Martin’s late-season injury helped Marquez extend his championship lead, but all three contenders have missed races during the season.
Marquez fractured his foot in the French Sprint and missed the French and Catalan Grands Prix, while Bezzecchi lost opportunities at Brno and Sachsenring. The Italian was suspended from the Czech Grand Prix following an altercation with marshals after his Sprint crash, then missed both German races after breaking his collarbone in qualifying.
So how would the title fight look if we counted only Sprints and Grands Prix all three started? Marquez would still lead the Aprilia duo, but the gaps would be much smaller.
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Across 14 Grands Prix and 17 Sprints from Thailand to Qatar, including races in which at least one of them later retired, Marquez scored 335 points, ahead of Martin on 324 and Bezzecchi on 306. That puts Marquez 11 points clear of Martin and 29 ahead of Bezzecchi.
Marquez collected another 96 points in races where at least one of his two rivals did not start, compared with 47 for Martin and 51 for Bezzecchi. Those differing returns account for the wider gaps in the championship standings. Within their shared starts, however, the results show contrasting strengths.
Bezzecchi had the strongest Sunday results, winning six Grands Prix and collecting 234 points. Martin scored 209 without a victory in those meetings, while Marquez took four wins and 192 points. Bezzecchi also finished ahead of both rivals in seven of the 14 Grands Prix, compared with four for Marquez and three for Martin.
Martin’s only Grand Prix victory of the season came in France, where Marquez did not start.
The balance shifted in the Sprints, where Marquez won nine of their 17 shared starts and collected 143 points. Martin took four victories and 115 points, while Bezzecchi scored 72 without winning.
Marquez finished ahead of both Aprilia riders in 11 Sprints, compared with five for Martin and one for Bezzecchi. His 71-point Sprint advantage over Bezzecchi outweighed the Italian’s 42-point lead in Grand Prix scoring, putting Marquez ahead on combined points.
In conclusion, while Marquez’s championship cushion grew during his rivals’ absences, he also outscored both across the sessions all three started.
Here is how their results compare from Thailand to Qatar.
| Sessions all three started (14 Grands Prix, 17 Sprints) | Marquez | Martin | Bezzecchi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total points | 335 | 324 | 306 |
| Race points | 192 | 209 | 234 |
| Race wins | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Races finished ahead of both rivals | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Sprint points | 143 | 115 | 72 |
| Sprint wins | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| Sprints finished ahead of both rivals | 11 | 5 | 1 |
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