Marc Márquez sees the Sachsenring Grand Prix as the point when the MotoGP title fight became realistic again. After a difficult opening phase, the German round gave him the first feeling that he and Ducati had recovered enough to challenge for the championship rather than simply limit the damage.

His position after Mugello had been considerably less promising. Márquez was returning from shoulder surgery, had not yet won a Sunday race and was 102 points away from the lead. A double victory followed at Balaton Park, and by the end of the Sachsenring weekend he had won five of the preceding eight races.

The shift also reflected the results of his closest rivals. Over that same period, Marco Bezzecchi failed to finish one Grand Prix race, while Jorge Martín made only one podium appearance. Márquez credits Ducati’s work on the motorcycle, the new solutions introduced during the season, a stronger feel from the bike and the rising pace he found from one round to the next.

Qatar is therefore a genuine championship opportunity, but not a simple one. Márquez must score 30 points more than injured rival Martín from a maximum 37 available, while also gaining eight points on Bezzecchi — or seven if Márquez wins the Grand Prix. Achieving both conditions would make him champion before the final rounds at Portimão and Valencia. Márquez is not treating that outcome as close, however: he says the gap still feels large and that considerable work remains.