MotoGP Recap - Marc Marquez back on top in Aragon
02 September 2026Round Thirteen of the 2026 MotoGP season saw plenty of excitement as the paddock returned to Motorland Aragon, and “comeback” was the theme of the weekend.
There were once again changes to the MotoGP grid for the weekend, with KTM test rider Pol Espargaro continuing to fill in for the injured Maverick Viñales at Red Bull KTM Tech3, whilst Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori stepped in to ride for Superfile Trackhouse MotoGP Team, after Ai Ogura sustained a fracture close to his left thumb during training, for which he has since undergone surgery in Barcelona.
BK8 Gresini MotoGP’s Fermin Aldeguer and Honda LCR’s Johann Zarco were both back in action this weekend after long stints of recovery, with both riders putting in impressive performances on Friday to secure direct spots in Q2.
Bezzecchi sets new lap record and clinches pole position
Saturday’s Q2 session saw Marco Bezzecchi ride to pole position with a new lap record of 1.44.962, Aprilia’s first pole position at MotorLand Aragon. Marc Marquez qualified with the second fastest time, 0.089s behind the pole-setting lap, and Alex Marquez completed the front row. MotoGP Championship leader Jorge Martin qualified 5th.
Marc Marquez dominates Sprint and Grand Prix
Saturday’s Sprint saw Marc Marquez take the lead into the first corner, with Alex Marquez able to capitalise on the move to slide into 2nd, demoting polesitter Bezzecchi back to 3rd. Neither Alex Marquez or Bezzecchi were able to find anything more to launch an attack and improve their track position during the 11 laps, seeing Marc Marquez go on to take the win 1.140s ahead of his brother, with Bezzecchi joining them on the podium. Marc Marquez’s victory on Saturday means he has won every Sprint at MotorLand Aragon, and sees his total number of Sprint wins rise to 20, the highest of any rider on the MotoGP grid.
Marc Marquez then pulled off another superb ride on Sunday to take his fourth Grand Prix victory of the 2026 MotoGP season, picking up valuable points towards his fight to successfully defend the World Championship title. It was a less-than-ideal start for Marquez as he attempted to pull off the same move he’d used to get to the front at the start of Saturday’s Sprint, but forgetting to disengage his rear ride height device meant he briefly slipped behind the Aprilia Racing duo of Bezzecchi and Martin, before getting ahead of Martin at the end of the first lap.
The next few laps saw Marquez hunting down Bezzecchi, as he closed the gap to the race leader, and Lap 6 saw the two riders side by side, squeezing every last bit of power out of their bikes. Marquez emerged as the race leader, whilst Pedro Acosta seized the opportunity and also made the move on Bezzecchi, cutting in front of him into 2nd, as cheers erupted from the grandstands. Despite Acosta’s best efforts, he couldn’t get close enough to Marquez to challenge for the lead, and as the race continued, the gap from 1st to 2nd opened up further. The end of the 23 laps saw Marquez take his second win of the weekend, with Acosta 1.754s back, as Bezzecchi claimed another 3rd place finish. Acosta’s 2nd place sees him extend his record for most MotoGP Grand Prix podiums without a win to 14, as he continues to fight for his maiden MotoGP Grand Prix victory.
Lopez converts pole position to win in Moto2
After securing his first Moto2 pole position in 1162 days, Alonso Lopez got a brilliant start to Sunday’s Moto2 race, leading from lights to flag to take his first victory in 903 days, and becoming the 8th different Moto2 winner of 2026. Izan Guevara was able to successfully keep hold of 2nd at the start of the race, and spent most of the 19 laps relatively unchallenged. However the latter half of the race saw David Alonso work his way from 6th up to 3rd, before launching an attack on Guevara during the final lap, though Guevara was able to fight back, securing 2nd by 0.081s, leaving Alonso to settle for 3rd. Guevara is now 32.5 points behind Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez, who could only manage 6th in Sunday’s race.
Quiles returns from injury to take Moto3 victory
Just 21 days after surgery on his injured collarbone, Maximo Quiles came back to the Moto3 paddock ready to battle, and took his seventh Moto3 victory of the season, further extending his lead in the Moto3 Championship standings. Although it was David Almansa who secured pole position, and held onto the lead at the start of the race, the two CFMoto Aspar Team riders, Quiles and Marco Morelli were right behind him. Lap 11 saw Quiles take the lead for the first time, and whilst a mistake with five laps remaining saw Almansa back out at the front, Quiles was able to pass again during the following lap, retaking his position at the front of the field. The closing laps saw Morelli, Alvaro Carpe, and Almansa fighting for 2nd and 3rd, as Quiles attempted to use their scrapping to eke out a gap, eventually reaching the chequered flag 0.264s ahead of Almansa, with Morelli taking the final podium spot.
2027 MotoGP close to complete as new contracts announced
Further contract announcements last week mean we’re now closer to knowing the complete grid for the 2027 MotoGP season. It was announced that Enea Bastianini will be leaving Red Bull KTM Tech3 after two seasons to join the Superfile Trackhouse MotoGP team, taking the position left vacant by Ai Ogura, teaming up with Raul Fernandez. Stepping into the Red Bull KTM Tech3 garage, Luca Marini will be moving from Honda HRC Castrol, with his teammate yet to be announced. Fermin Aldeguer will be moving from one Ducati team to another, leaving BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP to join the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, whose second rider is also yet to be announced. It was also confirmed that Izan Guevara will be moving up to MotoGP next season, moving from the Blu Cru Pramac Yamaha Moto2 garage to the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team, adding another contender to the fight for MotoGP Rookie of the Year in 2027.
Marc Marquez’s stellar performance this weekend sees him move up to 2nd in the Championship standings, just 19 points behind Jorge Martin. Next up, MotoGP travels to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, for the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera. Last year’s visit saw Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi battling for the Grand Prix win, will we see a similar fight this year?
