Forget Marco Bezzecchi, Jorge Martin is going to win the MotoGP title after Marc Marquez injury

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Jorge Martin is going to be the MotoGP world champion this year, and his comeback win at the French Grand Prix proves it.

Martin started from seventh on the grid but followed up his Sprint success on Saturday with a first Grand Prix win since the 2024 Indonesian GP. He completed his charge with a brave move on teammate Marco Bezzecchi into turn two in the final laps.

The Spaniard’s perfect weekend sees him close the gap on Bezzecchi to just one point at the top of the standings. With Marc Marquez currently out, it’s shaping up to be a two-horse race between the two Aprilia riders.

Jorge Martin is a superior rider to Marco Bezzecchi

Bezzecchi has effectively been Aprilia’s number one rider since the start of last season due to Martin’s injury absences. When the 2024 world champion has been fit, he has suffered from his mileage deficit.

But Martin has slowly chipped away at Bezzecchi’s advantage. He outraced him for the first time in the Brazil Sprint, when he finished third, and then followed that up with a Saturday win in Austin after his teammate went down.

A thrilling win for Jorge Martin at Le Mans, as Marco Bezzecchi misses out to his teammate! But what stood out to you at the French Grand Prix?

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And while Bezzecchi was quicker over one lap at Le Mans, this is the first weekend where Martin has beaten him in both races. Rider #89 appears to be back to his best.

The bottom line is that Martin is a superior rider to Bezzecchi, as shown by his superior record in every Grand Prix class. Now that he’s fully fit again, it’s his championship to lose unless he suffers another injury.

Marc Marquez is out of the 2026 title race

Marquez entered the season as the overwhelming favourite to retain his crown, but this was predicated on the assumption that he had recovered from his 2025 shoulder injury.

The Ducati rider looked out-of-sorts in the early rounds, and it emerged this weekend that a loose screw from his shoulder surgery was pressing against his nerve and weakening him.

Already facing the most difficult title comeback of his career, Marquez’s absence from at least two races is likely to end his title hopes for good.

This presents a golden opportunity for championship leader Bezzecchi, but Martin will be the rider to capitalise by taking his second premier-class title.