Marc Márquez secured his tenth Sprint victory of the season at Lusail and followed it with second place in Sunday’s race. Ducati now takes viewers back into that Qatar weekend through a new INSIDE episode, focusing on the split-second decisions that shaped the restarted Sprint and the difficult race that followed.

The decision before the restart

The Sprint was halted by a red flag after Pecco Bagnaia suffered a heavy crash following contact with Fermín Aldeguer. During the interruption, Márquez discussed his tyre options with Ducati’s technical staff. He believed the tyre already fitted to his bike was still in good condition, but Gigi Dall’Igna directed him towards a new soft tyre for the restart.

That call was followed by Márquez’s victory after the race resumed. The Sprint also included contact between the Spaniard and Marco Bezzecchi, an incident revisited in the episode. Márquez said that the airbag in his racing suit had deployed during the contact, adding another layer of drama to a race already interrupted by Bagnaia’s crash.

Bagnaia’s injury

Bagnaia left the circuit accompanied by Davide Tardozzi after greeting his team and the spectators. On Tuesday, 10 November 2026, he underwent successful surgery in Turin. The team led by Dr Luigi Milano fitted a plate to stabilise the fourth metatarsal. His return for the Portimão round will depend on his recovery, while his own farewell left open the possibility of coming back at Valencia instead.

Márquez finished second on Sunday and described the race as extremely demanding, saying his heart rate reached 190 bpm. He also highlighted the Ducati’s straight-line performance, stating that its bike was around 10 km/h faster than its rivals on top speed.

The Qatar results strengthened Márquez’s championship position and moved him closer to a tenth world title. For Ducati, however, the weekend carried two very different developments: another major result for Márquez and an injury that now leaves Bagnaia’s next appearance dependent on the progress of his recovery.