How Marc Marquez can still win the 2026 MotoGP Championship

Despite a string of sub-par results in the opening rounds for the reigning world champion, his sprint performances have still brought home a solid number of points. Before his win in Hungary, Marquez had failed to reach the podium in any of the opening seven rounds, two of which he had to withdraw from due to injury. Nonetheless, the Spaniard still had two sprint wins to his name as well as a further P2 in Thailand after being forced to give up a position to Pedro Acosta on the final lap.

Meanwhile, Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi had five race wins to his name but suffered DNFs in three of the opening four sprints. Going into Hungary, the gap between the two was over 100 points. Following Marquez's dominant weekend in Hungary, during which both Aprilias crashed out on the opening lap of the Sunday race, the gap between Marquez and Bezzecchi is now down to 72 points, which could take less than three Grand Prix weekend to overturn if results went entirely in Marquez's favour.

With 14 rounds remaining and 72 points separating the pair, Marquez only needs to outscore Bezzecchi by an average of 5 points per weekend in the remaining races.

From another perspective, the challenge becomes clearer. Marquez needs to win 12 of the remaining 14 races, assuming Bezzecchi finishes 2nd, in order to overturn the gap. The title race, then, is as much about how well Bezzecchi is able to withstand the pressure of attaining his first title, as it is about how well Marquez can secure yet another historic comeback.

It is, of course, highly unlikely that such a scenario would occur when both riders suddenly hit a run of consistency which makes the outcome so predictable, in all likelihood both will drop points at various rounds throughout the remainder of the year. But the chart shows just how difficult the challenge could potentially be for Marquez, and every single win for Bezzecchi is now a giant step towards securing the championship crown.

Marc Marquez is by no means the only threat to Bezzecchi's championship lead. Jorge Martin will also be gunning for the title and sits just 20 points behind the Italian in the overall standings after Hungary.

Martin has also been solid in the sprint races this year with several wins, all the while picking up consistent podiums on Sundays to keep himself in touch. Another factor which became clear in Hungary is that Martin can pose more dangers than one. After a first-turn error, he cleaned out his teammate and handed over a massive points haul to Marquez.

The 2024 World Champion will be keen to maximize his opporunity in his final year with Aprilia before the teams are set for a dramatic shakeup in 2027.