​Motorsport photoMarco Bezzecchi may have only himself to blame for his title challenge falling apart midway through the 2026 MotoGP season, but the Aprilia rider certainly knows how to dominate a grand prix.His remarkable run of five consecutive victories, spanning the final races of 2025 and the opening flyaways of 2026, should have given him a significant advantage in the title race.But a disastrous summer began to turn the tide away from him, before a broken collarbone at the Sachsenring left him facing an uphill battle to get his campaign back on track.Despite that setback, the points cushion Bezzecchi had built earlier in the season meant he remained firmly in the title fight after the summer break. A consistent run of results in August further helped his cause.But a crash while fighting for the lead in Misano proved to be the final nail in the coffin, leaving his championship hopes effectively at the mercy of his rivals. Even when Bezzecchi returned to the top step of the podium in Indonesia, his victory owed more to Raul Fernandez’s physical limitations than his own pace.The impression was that the Italian was slowly chipping towards the front while recovering from the injury, but was still some way off the level that had made him the early favourite for the 2026 crowd.The Qatar Grand Prix, however, showed that he had lost none of his outright speed, and he can still leave his rivals in his wake when he is comfortable on the bike. Perhaps not coincidentally, Bezzecchi failed to score in the restarted sprint after making a poor launch from pole and later colliding with Marc Marquez at Turn 1. The same sprint weakness that had plagued him early in the season resurfaced, even if neither rider was to blame for the incident that left Bezzecchi on the ground.But, much like in the opening rounds of the year, the 27-year-old showed he could immediately bounce back from a disappointing Saturday and claim maximum points in Sunday’s grand prix.“On Saturday, when I was still sliding on the gravel, I was already thinking that Sunday is my day. I have to do it because it’s impossible to not do it when you are so good,” said the Aprilia rider.“But we’ve been working super well  all weekend and Saturday’s was a nice race till that moment. So taking the positive was anyway nice because it’s always a lesson when you fight with Marc. “But on Sunday, I wanted to stay in front, I wanted to win. I needed it for me, for my family that is not going through an easy moment. So I tried my best and I did it. So very happy.” Having developed a reputation for throwing away strong results with mistakes at crucial moments, Bezzecchi also showed greater maturity at Losail, controlling the full-distance race from pole position.“I was confident on the bike and I felt good through all the race. I never had a moment where I panicked,” he said.“I tried to stay calm, to always put one tenth more, one tenth more and manage everything well. It’s a trac