Marquez keeps Aprilia at bay to win Qatar sprint

Marc Marquez won a thrilling MotoGP sprint race in Qatar after starting second on the grid. According to Motorsport.com, the victory followed a controversial clash with Marco Bezzecchi, who crashed out while battling for the lead and was mathematically eliminated from the championship. Al-Monitor reports that Marquez achieved the five-point margin over his closest rival, Jorge Martin, required to have his first chance at retaining his title on Sunday.

Before the sprint, Marco Bezzecchi secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix on an Aprilia, setting a new track record of 1 minute 50.028 seconds, according to Free Malaysia Today. Free Malaysia Today also noted that Martin, who is second in the standings behind Marquez, qualified 11th following a broken right wrist.

Motorsport.com reports that Martin finished the sprint in third place despite his injury. To secure the championship on Sunday, Marquez must win the Qatar Grand Prix while Martin fails to score.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Motorsport.com, Free Malaysia Today — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.