If Marc Marquez wants to win the 2026 world championship, he will have to do something unmanageable in his MotoGP career. The Ducati rider crashed at Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez.
Marquez won the dry/wet sprint Although he fell short on Saturday, his second win of the year, the problems continued on Sunday. The reigning champion has yet to score a podium since returning from injury.
Marco Bezecchi’s five-race winning streak has come to an end Alex Marquez wonBut the Aprilia rider took second place to open a 44-point and four-place lead on the mark.
Marc Marquez is out! Big crash for Ducati rider at Spanish Grand Prix 😲 What does this mean for his 2026 title hopes?
Marc Marquez never came back from a deficit greater than 37 points
Marquez’s biggest championship came back in 2011. After finishing sixth at the Italian GP in 2017, he finished 6 out of 18, 37 points behind Maverick Vinales.
He didn’t make it to the checkered flag in Argentina or France and missed out on the stage in Qatar. Marquez won in Austin but it was an inconsistent start to his title defense.
He capped his season with five consecutive podiums, including back-to-back wins in Germany and Chechnya. That saw Viñales crash out to take the lead ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and ultimately seal Valencia’s season finale.
Marc Marquez never came back from a deficit greater than 37 points
Now 44 years old, the gap with Marco Bezecchi, is his title hopes over?
Looking back at his rookie season, Marquez He was 30 points behind his Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa after the Spanish GP, the sixth race. He then won four of the next five, a crucial purple patch.
What’s clear from the preview is that Marquez needs to quickly take control of the championship before the gap gets too big. Otherwise, barring Aprilia’s collapse, winning the title may be unrealistic.
Marco Bezecchi is keeping Marc Marquez in the race for the win.
Bezecchi’s advantage could be huge. The Italian has crashed in three of the four sprint races this season.
Marquez has scored 33 points this year on Saturday, while Bezcicci has just six. That keeps the Spaniard in contention for the win.
A tire failure in Thailand and a penalty in Austin meant Marquez’s points may not fully reflect his overall pace, although he is not in good shape.
If the 33-year-old pressure is too much for Bezechi and Aprilia, it should be for Abiy, who is an unknown position. If Ducati can improve their bikes, Marquez’s experience could be their biggest asset.
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