Marc Marquez (Ducati) on Qatar: “I’d rather be somewhere else!”

Marc Marquez travelled to Qatar with a 44-point lead over Jorge Martin. The 33-year-old is ready to capitalise on his first chance to clinch the title there. The Spaniard could clinch his eighth MotoGP title early this weekend, thereby overtaking Valentino Rossi (seven titles in the premier class).

“I’m closer, but at the same time I’m still a long way off,” MM93 said modestly at the opening press conference on Thursday. “There are only three race weekends left, but there are still plenty of moments to come. We’ve got the same mindset here as we did in Malaysia – we’ll try to attack and give it our all. Then we’ll see where we stand over the course of the weekend.”

The Lusail International Circuit isn’t one of Márquez’s favourite tracks, yet he has managed to secure three GP victories there across all classes so far – one in the Moto2 World Championship and two in MotoGP. In 2025, the Ducati-Lenovo rider won both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.

“I felt very comfortable on this track last year,” confirmed Márquez, before turning his attention to the upcoming race weekend. “I’ll be trying to find my rhythm from FP1 onwards – that’s where we’ll build our weekend from. Finishing both races will be key.”

Marc Marquez is well acquainted with this situation – he has battled it out for many world championship titles throughout his career. Is it any different this year? “No. I feel exactly the same,” smiled the nine-time champion. “Of course, every year is different. I’ve fought for championships in the final rounds for many years – it’s much harder and more demanding on the nerves. Some people might think I’m close, but in my mind it’s still a long way off. We’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us.”

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MotoGP World Championship

06.11.2026 - 10:55

Marc Marquez: “At the Sachsenring, I thought for the first time that we were back in the title race”

After Mugello, where Aprilia had secured two one-two finishes, Marc Marquez trailed by 102 points in the World Championship standings. After that, the Ducati rider staged an incredible comeback. At what point in the season did he start believing he could win the title again? “It was at the Sachsenring that I first thought we were back in the title race. After Mugello I was a long way off, but then my rivals gave me the chance to fight for the championship again,” said the veteran, referring to Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martín. “In the second half of the championship, everything clicked better. We were able to increase our pace from race to race. Ducati helped me with new developments and my feel for the bike improved. Then we got faster.”

Given the ongoing instability in the Middle East, nobody in the MotoGP paddock actually wanted to fly to Qatar – especially the riders. “I’d rather be somewhere else, which is why I came here on the very last flight available – and I’ll be leaving on the very first flight back,” Marquez clarified. “But we’re here – ready to race and fully focused.”