The Márquez Brothers Test Bagnaia's Strength and Martín's Resilience

Jorge Martín is already in Qatar, where this weekend he will debut his Aprilia with the prestigious number 1, which he earned last year after winning the MotoGP title. His first action upon arriving at the Lusail circuit was to undergo a medical check-up, a mandatory procedure for riders returning from injury, as they must be declared 'fit' before riding the MotoGP. He passed the examination without issues, as confirmed by the championship's medical director, Dr Ángel Charte: "His recovery has been very satisfactory and surprising, as it was a serious injury from which he has recovered spectacularly. The rider is fit to compete. However, whether he has the strength to endure the entire weekend is another matter."

Despite his team's request to organise a pre-test for the Spanish rider to try out the MotoGP, neither the regulations allowed it, nor did the other manufacturers agree to make an exception for him. Thus, when the green light flashes in the pit lane this Friday at 14:45 and the first free practice sessions of the Qatar Grand Prix begin, it will be a leap into the unknown for Jorge Martín, who underwent surgery for the second time in 2025 six weeks ago to fix several fractures in his left wrist.

"I will go session by session, day by day. I don't even know if I'll be able to finish the weekend. Just achieving that would be a great success. I'm not at 100%, so I need time to recover and get used to the bike, and then we'll see. In two or three months, we'll be in a position to see if I can compete with these riders," commented the Madrid native at the official press conference this Thursday. The championship did make an exception here, as instead of three riders, there were four in the Lusail circuit's conference room. In this televised appearance, Martín was positioned at one corner of the stage. In the other was his rival from 2023 and 2024, Pecco Bagnaia; and in the centre, the top two in the current season, Álex and Marc Márquez.

After his fall in Austin, Marc Márquez handed the MotoGP lead to his brother Álex, who has finished second in all sprints and races held. It will be the first time the younger Márquez faces a grand prix leading the standings in the premier class, which he described as "just another normal weekend." "The others are the ones who need to make up points, I can be relaxed, but we see it as a gift both the team and I," assured Álex Márquez, who has just a 1-point lead over his brother and 12 over Pecco Bagnaia.

Everyone sees the Italian as the man to beat on a track where he already won in 2024. "This circuit suits my capabilities and riding style better," admitted the Turin rider, although he also pointed to Marc as the favourite due to his strong start to the year, where he has been superior in all circuits and conditions. "We did well in Austin, but I know I won because of Marc's fall," acknowledged Bagnaia, who had always marked this Qatari weekend as the real start of the season for him.

Meanwhile, Marc Márquez reflected on what happened in the last grand prix: "I know exactly what happened, I entered the corner slower and went down." The Cervera rider admitted to a mistake that cost him almost certain 25 points and tightened the championship. Marc's track record in Qatar is not very favourable, having won only once at this circuit, back in 2014. "This is a circuit where, theoretically, Álex and Pecco are better than me. We'll see what we can do," commented the eight-time world champion.

What is clear is that in Qatar, the bikes to beat will be the Ducatis, as it was already a track where the Italian bikes dominated even before they took over the category. What is harder to determine is who will be the favourite. For that, we'll have to wait until the sun sets and the lights of the Lusail circuit come on. Because if this grand prix is special for anything, it's because it's the only night race in the MotoGP World Championship.