Qatar runner-up Marquez must wait for eighth title

Marc Marquez will have to wait to seal a record-equalling eighth MotoGP title after finishing second behind Marco Bezzecchi in the Qatar Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old Spaniard won Saturday's sprint race and would have clinched a second successive title, drawing level with Valentino Rossi's record tally, had main rival Jorge Martin finished outside the points in Sunday's grand prix.

However, Martin - the 2024 champion - returned from injury after withdrawing from the previous race with a fractured wrist to finish seventh.

Ducatti rider Marquez has a 60-point lead over Aprilia's Martin and will have another chance to clinch the title in the season's penultimate race weekend in Portimao, Portugal, in two weeks' time.