Marc Marquez has admitted that Jorge Martin had the pace advantage in the Australian Grand Prix sprint, but he recognised that his title rival was “overriding” as their battle for victory intensified at Phillip Island.
The two MotoGP championship contenders engaged in their fiercest battle of 2026 at Phillip Island on Saturday, with Martin repeatedly challenging Marquez for the lead before crashing out on lap eight and handing victory to his Ducati rival.
At the start, Martin shot from fourth to second and passed Marquez for the lead on at least three occasions, but ran wide each time and dropped back to second.
The 2024 champion launched multiple attacks on Marquez on the decisive lap eight, but the latter managed to repass to his advanvces to assert his position.
Their battle came to a premature end at Turn 8 on the same lap when Martin slid into the gravel at high-speed from second, allowing Marquez to cruise to the chequered flag and take a 10-point lead in the championship.
Marquez admitted that Martin was quicker than him at Phillip Island, but he knew he could beat him once he realised his countryman was pushing beyond his limits in the race.
“[It was a] mental game. You can go in if you have the speed. And, honestly speaking, today he was a bit faster than me.
“But in the lap he did right in front of me, I understood two things, and then I saw that it was possible to fight for the victory.
“I understood that he was fast but taking a lot of risks. Because he was shaking a lot and overriding a bit.
“So at that point, I understood that, ok, it's time to take the risk.
“It's true that with13 laps on that level, it's very difficult for both of us to finish the race. But he made the mistake.
"I was close to making a mistake. But races are like this.”
THIS IS CLASSIC #MotoGP 🎞️ INCREDIBLE BATTLE 🤯 #AustralianGP 🇦🇺 https://t.co/YKgFWs6YTl
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 24, 2026
Aprilia appeared to have a clear advantage over its rivals following Practice on Friday, but overnight showers brought Ducati back into contention, with Marquez claiming a surprise pole on Saturday morning.
Ducati ultimately locked out the podium positions in the sprint, with Marco Bezzecchi ending up as the top Aprilia rider in fourth.
The Noale-based marque suffered a big blow two hours after the race, when x-ray scans revealed that Martin had suffered a fracture to his forearm, ruling him out of Sunday’s race.
Speaking before Martin’s injury was disclosed, Marquez said he had to go on the attack in the sprint, knowing there was a lot more at stake than the three-point difference between first and second.
“Title fight,” the nine-time world champion declared. “It was a very tight and difficult battle. Aggressive, but inside the limit.
“First of all, I wish that he is OK. MMy team told me that he is in a medical centre, and I wish the best for him, because it will be good for the championship.
“But today was a tight battle. Eight laps on the limit, eight laps fighting for the same - for trying to take 12 points. And it was more than that. The thing is that today there was [about] more than [three] three points difference.
“Today, it was the time to do it because he knows that it is one of my favourite circuits, and I know that it is one of the circuits where Aprilia is working well.
“So in the end, if it wasn't for Martin, I wouldn't be like this (riding aggressively). But today was the time to do it.”
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