Marc Marquez claimed victory during the MotoGP Qatar Sprint Race at Lusail Circuit on Saturday crossing the line in 18:46.452 after a turbulent weekend under the floodlights.
Fabio Di Giannantonio shattered the circuit lap record during Friday practice sessions on November 6, 2026, clocking a blistering time of one minute 50.406 seconds for Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. According to jpnn.com, that mark easily eclipsed the previous benchmark of one minute 50.499 seconds set by Marc Marquez back in 2024.
Marquez ended that same Friday practice session in second place overall despite enduring a mechanical failure when his chain snapped on track. While Marquez declined to specify the exact cause of the breakage to reporters, he expressed relief that the issue struck during practice rather than competitive racing.
“Sepertinya kejuaraan ini belum akan berakhir. Anda lihat kecepatan Digia,” Marquez told TNT Sports regarding the competitive pace shown by Di Giannantonio and his other rivals.
Saturday’s sprint victory did not come easily for the Ducati Lenovo Team rider, who engaged in a tense battle that included a notable on-track collision with Marco Bezzecchi. Website Resmi Polri reported that the incident unfolded when Marquez ran slightly wide and Bezzecchi attempted a passing maneuver up the inside, resulting in contact as the gap rapidly closed and forcing Bezzecchi into a DNF.
The physical demands of the Grand Prix weekend pushed competitors to their absolute limits under the desert lights. Crash.net said that Marquez revealed his heart rate spiked to an astonishing 190 beats per minute during the closing laps as he fought off chasers and hunted down Raul Fernandez for position.
“Pada akhirnya saya benar-benar kelelahan, sudah tidak ada tenaga lagi, tetapi jika ingin bersaing memperebutkan gelar juara, Anda harus mengerahkan segalanya – dan itulah yang saya lakukan,” Marquez told Crash.net after pushing through the exhaustion.
Following a second-place finish in the main Grand Prix on Sunday, November 8, 2026, Marquez holds 431 points atop the championship standings. Kompas reported that Jorge Martin sits second with 371 points after finishing seventh in Qatar, leaving Marquez with a commanding 60-point advantage with two rounds remaining.
/data/photo/2025/09/28/68d8f6201c9e6.jpg "Photo: Kompas")
The championship battle now shifts directly to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Kompas confirmed that the upcoming GP Portugal will take place from November 20 to November 22, 2026.
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