MotoGP Recap - Marquez takes lead of MotoGP Championship as Bezzecchi falters
15 September 2026After last year’s battle at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the stage had been set for an epic showdown between Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi, and Round Fourteen of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship gave us plenty of drama as the on-track action unfolded at the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, with first lap crashes in each class shaking up all three Championship battles.
The weekend saw further changes to the regular rider lineup, with Pol Espargaro was working with Red Bull KTM Tech3 again this weekend as he continues standing in for Maverick Viñales, who is still recovering from his corrective shoulder surgery, and it was announced prior to the race weekend that Superfile Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Ai Ogura would miss his second consecutive race weekend due to a thumb injury sustained during training. With the team not using a replacement rider over the weekend, the grid was reduced to 21 riders.
Saturday sees Bezzecchi storm to pole but Marquez victorious in the Sprint
Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi set the first ever 1.29 lap during Saturday’s Q2 session, with an astonishing 1.29.982s seeing him take pole position, ahead of Ducati Lenovo Team’s Marc Marquez. BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Fermin Aldeguer qualified 3rd and completed the front row, an impressive feat for his second race weekend back in the paddock since fracturing his T7 vertebra back in Assen.
But despite Bezzecchi’s incredible pole lap, it was Marc Marquez who took the Sprint victory on Saturday, resisting early pressure from Bezzecchi, to achieve his sixth Sprint win of 2026. With Marquez out front attacking each lap, there was little Bezzecchi could do to challenge the defending MotoGP World Champion, and he settled for a strong 2nd place finish, with teammate Jorge Martin joining him on the podium in 3rd after making his way past Aldeguer and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Marc Marquez does the double with Grand Prix win
Any hopes of a battle between Marquez and Bezzecchi during Sunday’s race were quickly dashed, as a costly mistake on the first lap saw Bezzecchi crash out from the lead, ending his Grand Prix at Turn 13. With Bezzecchi out, Marc Marquez led the field until Lap 7, when Martin slipped past Marquez and hit the front, leaving Marc to tag along as his brother Alex attempted to catch the leading duo. By Lap 12, that duo was firmly a trio, and Marc took back the lead, with Alex following soon after. Arm pump issues meant Martin dropped further down the order, being passed by both Pedro Acosta and Fermin Aldeguer, eventually finishing 5th, 14 seconds behind Marc, who took his fifth Grand Prix victory of the season, and now sits at the top of the Championship standings, equal on points with Martin. Despite their best efforts, Alex Marquez and Acosta were unable to challenge and finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, a remarkable effort by Acosta, with the next best KTM rider, Enea Bastianini, finishing 8th, over 20 seconds after the race winner.
Bagnaia’s suffers third consecutive non-scoring weekend
Whilst one side of the Ducati Lenovo Team’s garage had plenty to celebrate, Francesco Bagnaia’s recent issues with grip continued in Misano. The two-time MotoGP World Champion was visibly frustrated as he failed to set a lap time to get him out of Q1, ending the session with his career-worst MotoGP qualifying position at the circuit. Bagnaia went on to finish 13th in Saturday’s Sprint, before suffering his third consecutive Grand Prix DNF on Sunday, marking another weekend in 2026 without scoring points.
Gonzalez back on the top step in Moto2
Manuel Gonzalez took his first victory since the Grand Prix of Hungary in Sunday’s Moto2 race, claiming important Championship points as he tries to maintain his position at the top of the standings.
There was drama on the opening lap, as all three riders from the front row were out at the first corner after rookie Angel Piqueras was late on the brakes at Turn 1, clipping the rear wheel of Daniel Holgado’s bike, sending them both into the gravel, and bringing Senna Agius with them. The incident saw Colin Veijer emerge as the race leader, but once Manuel Gonzalez got past him on Lap 5, there was no stopping the Championship leader, who rode tirelessly to reach the chequered flag 2.451 seconds ahead of Veijer in 2nd, with Barry Baltus securing 3rd, despite serving a long lap penalty for exceeding track limits during the race.
Gonzalez’s win sees him extend his lead in the Moto2 Championship to 47.5 points, ahead of Izan Guevara, who could only manage 6th in Sunday’s race. The opening lap incident moved Agius down to 4th in the standings, as Ivan Ortola’s 4th place finish moved him up to 3rd.
Quiles pips Almansa to Moto3 victory
Sunday’s Moto3 race win looked to be heading the way of David Almansa, with the polesitter leading the way for almost the entirety of the 20 laps, but it was Maximo Quiles who emerged victorious, taking win number eight of the season.
Quiles, who lined up on the grid in 5th, was already riding in a podium position by Lap 3, after passing Joel Kelso and Valentin Perrone, and after a brief back-and-forth with Brian Uriarte, Quiles made the move stick on Lap 13, and began closing on race leader Almansa. The last lap began and Almansa displayed brilliant defensive riding, blocking Quiles as he attempted to setup a move. Coming out of the final corner, the two riders were side by side, but Quiles got slightly better drive and reached the chequered flag just 0.021s ahead of Almansa, with Uriarte taking another podium in his rookie season with a 3rd place finish.
2027 MotoGP rider contract announcements continue
There’s now only one rider left to confirm before we know the full grid for the 2027 MotoGP season, as it was announced on Wednesday that current leader of the Superbike World Championship, Nicolo Bulega will be moving to the MotoGP paddock for 2027, racing with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. A former member of the VR46 Riders Academy, and current Ducati test rider, Bulega is following in the footsteps of Toprak Razgatlıoğlu by moving across from WorldSBK to MotoGP.
Misano also gave us information regarding the future of several riders confirmed to be leaving MotoGP at the end of the current season, with Brad Binder and Jack Miller both heading to the Superbike World Championship paddock in 2027. Binder will be riding for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, whilst Miller keeps his Yamaha connection as he joins Pata Maxus Yamaha next season. Alex Rins, who leaves the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team at the end of 2026 was rumoured to also be moving across to the Superbike World Championship with Team GoEleven. However Thursday saw Rins confirm that he is not only leaving the MotoGP paddock at the end of 2026, but that he will be stepping away from two-wheel racing.
MotoGP is back this weekend for Round 15, the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Austria. With Marquez and Martin currently tied on points, who will leave the Red Bull Ring at the top of the Championship standings?
