Marquez in Qatar has the first world championship match point for the MotoGP title

Marc Marquez arrives at Lusail with the first chance to clinch the World Championship. After his success at Sepang, the Ducati rider leads the standings by 44 points over Jorge Martin and 67 over Marco Bezzecchi. Qatar, Portimão and Valencia remain, three rounds that still put 111 points up for grabs in total.

In Qatar, 37 points are on offer: 12 in Saturday's Sprint and 25 in Sunday's Grand Prix. The certainty of the title cannot come before the long race. To take his tenth world crown, his eighth in MotoGP, Marquez must leave the weekend with at least 30 points more than Martin and 8 more than Bezzecchi. With Martin, thanks to the greater number of wins, the useful margin rises to 74 points.

The number 93's comeback has come from a very different moment, the one at Mugello, when he was still at -102. Since then he has raced twelve Grands Prix, winning seven of them and finishing five weekends with the maximum of 37 points between Sprint and race. Only Martin managed to stay attached to his pace, before the injury in Australia changed the picture again and left the rider from Madrid in doubt for Qatar. His presence remains possible, but not yet certain.

The weekend is also affected by an external factor, given that the GP was moved from April to November because of the crisis in the Middle East. In the background there is also a circuit that Marquez does not feel entirely his own, although he pointed out that last year he was fast and competitive there. At Lusail, he explained, the aim is to reach Sunday with the work built day by day, without forcing the pace and without taking the result for granted.

The words ahead of the weekend

Speaking to Moto.it, Marquez said: «I am getting closer and closer, but still far from this result». The Spaniard made it clear that the preparation for the weekend will go through free practice, rhythm and race pace, with the idea of building everything from the Sprint and then the long race.

Marquez himself added: «I would like to be elsewhere, this is the reason why I arrived at the last available moment and will leave on the first available flight». A message that perfectly captures his approach on the eve of the race: presence in Qatar, maximum focus and no rush to turn the first match point into an already-announced celebration.