Marquez at 190 bpm, Viñales facing the end: What Qatar cost the riders

• In a race lasting just over 41 minutes, Marquez spent more than 29 minutes above 175 beats per minute
• Viñales will have his left shoulder examined in the coming days and wants to retire if something is broken
• Diogo Moreira retired due to a nerve problem in his elbow, Fabio Di Giannantonio was slowed by vibrations

The Qatar Grand Prix was the final part of a triple-header for MotoGP, the third race weekend in a row after Australia and Malaysia. On top of that came conditions that offered hardly any relief even after sunset. What this did to the riders is only becoming clear now, during the break, as the first figures and statements come in. For Marc Marquez, it is heart rate values he has not seen in years. For Maverick Viñales, it is the question of whether he will carry on at all. And further down the field, too, there were riders whose bodies or bikes let them down on this Sunday.

How high was Marc Marquez’s heart rate in the Qatar race?

Towards the end of the Grand Prix, Marquez reached a heart rate of 190 beats per minute. The Ducati factory rider published the data himself on his social media channels.

By his own account, it has been more than ten years since he recorded such a value in a race. In the last two laps, his heart was practically pounding in his throat, the 33-year-old wrote. That was exactly the phase in which he attacked Raul Fernandez, taking second place from him on the home straight. On the onboard footage after crossing the line, the strain was clearly visible on him.

Even more striking than the peak value is how long the strain lasted. Of the roughly 41 race minutes, Marquez spent more than 29 minutes at over 175 beats per minute. In heart rate training, this corresponds to so-called Zone 5, the highest of five exertion zones. In this zone, the body works close to its maximum capacity. In endurance sports, such intensity can normally only be sustained briefly. Marquez held it for large parts of a Grand Prix.

Why was Lusail so demanding?

Several factors came together. Even at race time in the evening, the air temperature was still 31 degrees Celsius, with humidity at 61 percent. Added to that was the fatigue from the triple-header with Phillip Island and Sepang. And finally, Marquez is still riding with an injured right shoulder.

He had already mentioned his exhaustion immediately after the race. With the published figures, it is now measurable how close he was to his limit. He was rewarded nonetheless: with 32 points from the Sprint and the Grand Prix, he once again scored more points than any other rider over a weekend.

Why has Marquez’s heart rate been higher since his injury?

Marquez compensates for missing strength in his right arm and right shoulder with other parts of his body. This drives his heart rate up on the bike.

The Spaniard had already explained this before the summer break at the Grand Prix in Brno. Since his return from injury, his heart rate in races has been higher than ever before, while at home at rest it has been lower than ever before. After surgery on a trapped nerve in his arm, he no longer has numbness or pain. But he lacks muscle strength, and that leads to general fatigue. He therefore wanted to use the summer break to rebuild the muscles in his right arm. At the time, he called his right arm the only area where he still needed to improve.

The figures from Qatar fit this picture. They show the price Marquez is paying for his path to the top of the 2026 MotoGP season. After the Grand Prix, he leads the championship with 431 points ahead of Jorge Martin (371) and Marco Bezzecchi (357).

Is Maverick Viñales retiring from racing?

That is still open and depends on an examination in the coming days. Viñales wants to have his left shoulder checked with every possible test, including an MRI. If it turns out that something is broken and no improvement is possible, he wants to stop.

After the weekend in Lusail, the 31-year-old spoke about his situation more openly than ever. According to him, the pain is not getting less but more. From race to race, he feels no progress. For him, it is therefore clear that something is wrong inside the shoulder. Riding a motorcycle at 50 percent makes no sense to him. He hates every lap in which he has to trail behind like that, and he lacks the motivation to carry on.

Viñales sees three possible paths: another operation, a slow recovery with rehab at home, or the end of his career if the problem cannot be fixed.

How did the Qatar weekend go for Viñales?

The Tech3 KTM rider was already at the end of his tether on Saturday. In the Sprint, he finished 15th and second to last, 13 seconds behind. Afterwards, he considered skipping the Grand Prix on Sunday. He said the situation was now also weighing on him mentally and that his patience had long since run out. It had nothing to do with the bike or the team, he stressed. The problem lay with himself.

Nevertheless, he lined up on the grid in the evening and completed all 22 laps. He finished 13th, second to last among the riders who reached the flag, only around a second behind Franco Morbidelli and Fermin Aldeguer. By mid-race, his pace was better than he had expected. But the race had a catch: because he protects his left shoulder, he has to use his right arm extremely hard. There he developed problems reminiscent of arm pump. This refers to compartment syndrome, in which the pressure in the forearm muscles rises so much that strength and feeling in the hand fade.

Viñales also cited the three race weekends in a row as a burden that was too much in his condition. He would have preferred to take a break earlier in order to be fit for Portimão, he said.

How long has Viñales been struggling with his shoulder?

The injury dates back to the German Grand Prix in July 2025. In the crash at the Sachsenring, he injured his left shoulder, which was subsequently fixed with a screw.

Since then, he has not really got back on his feet. Several comeback attempts in the second half of the 2025 season brought no improvement. In April 2026, it emerged that the screw had shifted. Viñales withdrew after the first free practice session in Austin and had it removed. In the summer he missed another four races and only returned in Motegi. Even then he said that the problem had not been solved. To date, he has collected 17 championship points this season.

What does this mean for Portimão, Valencia and 2027?

Whether Viñales will compete at the last two race weekends in Portimão and Valencia depends on the findings. By his own account, he does not know how things will continue in 2027. He does not have a new contract so far. He has the backing of Tech3: the team fully supports him and understands that he is injured and still giving everything not to get off the bike.

Why did Diogo Moreira have to retire in Qatar?

Moreira was in severe pain due to a nerve problem in his elbow. The cause is a crash at the Sachsenring last year, back then still in Moto2.

The symptoms had appeared earlier. In Malaysia, the 22-year-old Brazilian was in pain on Saturday but still finished the race. In Qatar, the pain started as early as Friday. In qualifying, he only managed 16th on the grid, and he finished the Sprint in tenth. In the final Sprint laps, he was already clearly feeling the pain.

In the Grand Prix, the LCR Honda rider initially fought his way up from the fifth row to eleventh place. From the sixth lap onwards, he dropped further and further back. On lap 14 he was in 15th place, and shortly afterwards replacement rider Jake Dixon also passed him. On lap 16 of 22, Moreira pulled into the pits. He had been very tense on the bike, and towards the end it got worse and worse, he explained.

The rookie also cites the calendar as a reason. Many days on the bike in a row and two tracks with lots of right-handers took their toll on his arm. Lusail is considered a physically demanding circuit anyway. Moreira wants to use the break to recover and is convinced he will be fully fit again in Portimão.

What went wrong for Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Grand Prix?

Di Giannantonio experienced strong vibrations on his bike as early as the second lap. That ended his race, even though he had previously been considered one of the favourites for victory.

The signs could hardly have been better. Lusail is a special track for the VR46 Ducati rider, because this is where he celebrated his first Grand Prix win in 2023, which secured his future in the premier class at the time. In 2026, too, everything initially went according to plan: fastest time in practice on Friday, third in qualifying, second in the Sprint and the fastest lap in the warm-up on Sunday morning. By his own account, he had the best feeling in two years on the medium tyre.

In the race, he came out of the first corner badly and dropped back. But he did not want to blame the start. The vibrations were so strong that he could not get his knee or elbow down to the asphalt in the corners. There had been no warning. More than 15 seconds behind, he finished eighth, behind the injured Jorge Martin.

What makes it particularly bitter for him is that it keeps happening. According to him, it was the third or fourth race in a row in which something outside his control happened. Since his win in Barcelona 14 races ago, he has not stood on the podium on a Sunday, while in the Sprint he has done so five times. He takes comfort in the fact that the data will confirm his statements. In 2027, Di Giannantonio will switch to KTM.

Aprilia still unhappy with the Sprint decision

Apart from the physical consequences, the collision between Marquez and Bezzecchi in the Sprint continued to occupy the paddock. Aprilia racing boss Massimo Rivola stood by his criticism of the stewards, who had ruled the contact at Turn 1 on the fourth lap a racing incident.

What is new above all is how clearly Rivola addresses the question of blame. In his view, there is one simple question with an accident like this: who could have prevented it? He leaves the answer to everyone, but makes it clear that, for him, it was not Bezzecchi who rode into Marquez, but the other way round. Marquez did what he always does, only this time someone was in the way. In his view, a penalty could also have been imposed for the Grand Prix the following day after hearing both riders. Bezzecchi delivered the sporting answer himself and won the Grand Prix on Sunday.

What happens after Qatar?

MotoGP now has a break of almost two weeks. The Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão takes place from 20 to 22 November, followed a week later by the season finale in Valencia from 27 to 29 November.

For Marquez, Portimão is about his eighth title in the premier class. If he wins the Sprint there on Saturday, he is world champion. For Moreira and Di Giannantonio, the break is a chance to put the botched weekend behind them. For Viñales, it may decide far more than the last two races: the results of his examination will show whether his career continues.

Frequently Asked Questions