We’ve had enough drama for a Hollywood blockbuster this season, and still we aren’t done. Two rounds and three contenders remain, with Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) facing another chance at match point at the Portuguese GP. 60 points is the gap back to Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), who continues to return to 100% fitness. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) is 74 points adrift, still in mathematical contention after his most recent victory in Qatar. With all of that and more, find out how we reached this point of the season.
Match point: Marc Marquez and the 102-point comeback
Remarkable. Historic. Marc Marquez has had another rollercoaster season, beginning back in Thailand where the #93 earned just nine points from the season opener after a drop one position in the Sprint and a Sunday retirement. Top five finishes followed before a crash in the Spanish GP left the #93 down and out. Then came the French GP. Arguably the moment of the season. Marquez suffered a Sprint crash, fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, undergoing surgery on his foot and also a shoulder operation for an injury sustained at the 2025 Indonesian GP. Now missing Barcelona, the Italian GP was the targeted return.
Scoring P7 at Mugello, it was a humble return, but it was clear Marquez was back! Six victories in the next nine Grands Prix followed, soon turning what was a daunting 102-point deficit into a World Championship fight. Just two points behind after Indonesia, an important Australian GP Sprint was next, with Martin crashing and Marc Marquez victorious. A 10-point advantage after Australia soon turned into 44 as Marc Marquez claimed his seventh GP victory of the season in Malaysia, then extending it further after a crucial 10th Sprint win and Sunday P2 in Qatar.
60 points is now the gap. Another chance at match point awaits in Portugal, with Marc Marquez having the opportunity to complete the biggest MotoGP points comeback in history!
60 points: Martin’s return from injury
No stranger to defying the odds, Jorge Martin started the season strong, earning three podiums in the first five rounds – including victory at the French GP. Further podiums arrived at Mugello, Assen, Silverstone and at the Red Bull Ring, where Martin picked up his fourth Sprint victory of the season. Leaving Austria, his lead sat at just 12 points, with attention turning towards the flyaways. P2 at the Japanese GP set the tone for another podium at the Indonesian GP. Although, a good start, it was even better for Marc Marquez, who kept the pressure on.
Although Phillip Island is known for delivering a twist, nothing could prepare us for what was next. Martin crashed on Lap 8 of the Australian Sprint, suffering a non-displaced fracture of the distal radius in his right wrist and increasing Marquez’s gap to 10 points following Sunday’s cancellation. The #89 tried a superhero-like return in Malaysia, but it proved to be too much – withdrawing following FP2. A return in Qatar saw positive progress, with Martin remarkably clinching bronze in the Sprint before grabbing P7 on Sunday – superhero stuff.
Martin’s brave efforts keep him in contention, with a 60-point margin to overcome and two rounds left!
74 points: Bezzecchi’s late charge
Last but definitely not least, Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian had a dream start to the season, winning the opening three Grands Prix before later earning podiums in Spain and France. Five Grands Prix in the book, five Sunday podiums in the bag – no better way to start 2026. A dream Italian victory awaited in Mugello, before a rocky mid-part of the season – beginning with a Balaton Park DNF. A tough Czech GP followed, where Bezzecchi was suspended following an altercation with a marshal.
Then two fast crashes at the Dutch GP and German GP, with the latter resulting in a collarbone break. Returning from injury after the summer break, Bezzecchi scored two consecutive podiums before his momentum was brought to a halt at the San Marino GP, crashing on Lap 1. Returning to the rostrum in Austria and Japan, Bezzecchi was back in full flow with victory at the Indonesian GP. He was once again impressive in Qatar, bouncing back from a Sprint crash to secure victory and remain within mathematical contention.
74 points back, with 74 points up for grabs. Bezzecchi said he needs a 'miracle', but as we know… Anything can happen.
Wired Different. MotoGP has delivered the goods so far in 2026, and now we're ready to write the final two chapters of the story. Round 21 is up next at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, where a potential title-deciding weekend awaits!