Marc Marquez wins San Marino Sprint, cuts MotoGP championship gap
Marc Marquez won the San Marino Sprint at Misano on Saturday, beating home favorite Marco Bezzecchi and cutting Jorge Martin’s MotoGP championship lead from 19 points to 14. Martin finished third, keeping the title fight tight ahead of Sunday’s full Grand Prix.
- World
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 06:11 PM 12 September 2026
Defending MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez tightened the championship battle on Saturday by winning the San Marino Sprint, beating polesitter Marco Bezzecchi at the Italian rider's home Grand Prix at Misano.
Starting second, Marquez made a strong launch to pass Bezzecchi at the start of the 13-lap race and moved into the lead.
The Ducati rider remained in front despite pressure from Bezzecchi, eventually taking the chequered flag 1.068 seconds ahead of the Italian.
Championship leader Jorge Martin completed the podium after starting fifth.
Martin fought his way up to third but was unable to match the pace of Marquez and Bezzecchi, collecting seven championship points.
The result cut Martin's championship lead over Marquez from 19 points to 14, while Bezzecchi remained third in the standings, eight points behind Marquez.
Bezzecchi had earlier secured pole position with a new Misano lap record of 1 minute, 29.982 seconds, becoming the first rider to complete a lap at the circuit in under 1 minute, 30 seconds.
Marquez qualified second, while Martin will start Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix from fifth on the grid.
The full-length race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will be held Sunday.