Marc Márquez is set to compete in the Qatar Grand Prix on the weekend of 8–9 November, a race that could be decisive for the championship. The Spanish rider, who has won only twice at Losail – in 2014 with Honda and last year from pole ahead of Francesco Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli – is currently 10th in the standings, 67 points behind the leader. Valentino Rossi, who won the Malaysian GP on 1 November, has reached 399 points, 44 points ahead of Jorge Martín, who is now 332 points. Rossi’s victory has pushed him further ahead of the title contenders. The 67‑point gap between Rossi and Márquez means that Márquez would need to finish 30 places ahead of Martín and eight places ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, the two riders from the official Aprilia Racing team, to secure the title. The Qatar GP is the third-to-last race of the season. Ducati and Yamaha have alternated the top podium positions in the last ten editions of the event, with Ducati winning six times and Yamaha four. The 2024 edition of the Qatar GP, the first of its kind, has nine wins for Yamaha, eight for Ducati and three for Honda. Yamaha has announced that it will not field its factory riders, Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, in the race due to the situation in the Middle East. The team’s customer riders, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernández of Prima Pramac, will also be absent; Fernández was scheduled to replace the injured Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. Alex Márquez, who finished third in Sepang behind Marc and Acosta, will not be able to celebrate in Losail after returning to Spain for shoulder surgery following a fracture sustained in Barcelona last spring. The status of teammate Fermín Aldeguer remains uncertain, while Gresini Racing still has Iker Lecuona available and Ducati’s supersub Michele Pirro is on standby. The outcome of the Qatar GP will be crucial for the championship, with Márquez needing a strong finish to close the points gap to Rossi and secure his tenth title.
Article source: Sport Mediaset | Image credit: Sport Mediaset