San Marino GP: Marquez Seizes Points Lead as Bezzecchi's Home Nightmare
Marc Marquez completed a stunning turnaround in his 2026 title fight, claiming his 78th MotoGP victory at the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera to move level on points at the top of the World Championship with Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) — after home hero Marco Bezzecchi's title bid suffered a brutal blow with a Lap 1 crash while leading.
Racing over 27 laps of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in dry conditions (air 27°C, track 40°C, humidity 48%), Marquez arrived at the race just 102 points behind the championship lead seven rounds ago. By the time the chequered flag fell, he was a title co-leader — a remarkable reversal of fortune for the reigning World Champion.
Unlike in Aragon, and unlike in Saturday's Sprint, Bezzecchi held off Marquez into Turn 1 from pole position and controlled the opening exchanges. Marquez shadowed him in second without finding an opening — until disaster struck for the Italian at Turn 13, barely a minute into the race. Bezzecchi's front end let go, and his home Grand Prix, along with a crucial shot at 25 points, was over just as it began. The Aprilia rider was confirmed unhurt, but it was another early-race calamity in what has become a torrid pattern for his 2026 campaign — and an outright gift to Marquez and his Ducati teammate-turned-rival Martin, who inherited the top two spots.
With Bezzecchi out, Marquez led from Martin, the gap between them just 0.4s by Lap 5. Further back, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) — the latter sporting a striking Marco Simoncelli tribute livery for his team's home round — were locked in their own scrap, with Alex eventually getting the better of the KTM rider before setting off after the leaders.
Martin made his move on Lap 7, diving up the inside of Marquez at Turn 4 to snatch the lead. Rather than hitting back immediately, Marquez appeared content to sit and observe — with Alex Marquez now closing in on his rear wheel.
The patience paid off. A string of personal-best laps clawed back the gap, and at Turn 6 on Lap 12, Marquez retook the race lead from Martin. His advantage grew to 0.7s within a couple of laps, and Aprilia's afternoon worsened further when Alex Marquez made a Turn 6 pass stick on Lap 14, demoting Martin to third.
Acosta was next to strike, surging past at Turn 8 on Lap 16 to shove Martin off the podium places entirely. Moments later, Marquez's lead stretched beyond a second as Alex Marquez ran wide out of Turn 6 — and behind him, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) began closing on Martin's fourth place. That threat materialised too, Aldeguer sending his Ducati up the inside of the Aprilia at Turn 6 to leave Martin fifth — and, in doing so, level on points with Marquez at the top of the standings.
Marquez's cushion at the front was never entirely comfortable. With five laps remaining, Alex Marquez had trimmed the gap to 0.5s, with Acosta a further 1.1s back in third and setting the fastest pace of the leading trio. The margin held at 0.5s with two laps to go, and it proved just enough — Marquez kept his composure to the flag, crossing the line to win by 0.657s over his younger brother and claim his 78th premier-class victory, his first as championship leader since his 2025 title triumph.
Acosta completed the podium in third, backing up his Aragon rostrum with a fifth podium of the season, 2.326s off the win. Aldeguer, working his way back from injury this year, impressed with fourth, while Martin salvaged fifth — a result that, while not calamitous, carries heavy championship weight given what might have been on a day Bezzecchi handed the field a golden opportunity.
Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) claimed sixth, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who recovered from a difficult opening lap to finish seventh. Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) rounded out the top 10.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took 11th, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) — who served a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits — 12th, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, who had also served an early long-lap penalty) 13th, and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) taking the final point in 14th.
It was a torrid Sunday for several other names, too. Johann Zarco crashed out with three laps remaining after running as high as the points, while Alex Rins retired from 16th. Francesco Bagnaia's home Grand Prix ended in the gravel on Lap 5, adding to a miserable weekend for the Italian faithful, and Joan Mir pitted and retired shortly after. Diogo Moreira crashed out early, while Jack Miller crashed, rejoined, then retired with a technical issue.
Full Race Classification
- Marc Marquez (SPA) — Ducati Lenovo Team — 41'13.013 — 166.0 km/h
- Alex Marquez (SPA) — BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP — +0.657
- Pedro Acosta (SPA) — Red Bull KTM Factory Racing — +2.326
- Fermin Aldeguer (SPA) — BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP — +6.027
- Jorge Martin (SPA) — Aprilia Racing — +14.021
- Raul Fernandez (SPA) — SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team — +18.252
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) — Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team — +20.581
- Enea Bastianini (ITA) — Red Bull KTM Tech3 — +20.858
- Luca Marini (ITA) — Honda HRC Castrol — +22.911
- Fabio Quartararo (FRA) — Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team — +23.229
- Brad Binder (RSA) — Red Bull KTM Factory Racing — +23.905
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) — Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP — +28.031
- Franco Morbidelli (ITA) — Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team — +28.927
- Pol Espargaro (SPA) — Red Bull KTM Tech3 — +31.792
Not Classified: Johann Zarco (3 laps down), Alex Rins (11 laps down), Francesco Bagnaia (22 laps down), Joan Mir (22 laps down), Diogo Moreira (25 laps down), Jack Miller (26 laps down)
Did Not Finish Lap 1: Marco Bezzecchi
Fastest Lap: Fermin Aldeguer — 1'30.936, Lap 22 (167.3 km/h)
Pole Position: Marco Bezzecchi — 1'29.982 (169.0 km/h)
Heading to Austria, we're level at the top: Marquez and Martin both sit on 274 points after a seismic Misano weekend, with Bezzecchi 33 points adrift in third on 241 despite scoring nothing on Sunday. Di Giannantonio (223) and Acosta (209) round out the top five, while Alex Marquez's podium hauls him up to eighth on 153.
In the teams' standings, Aprilia Racing leads on 515 points from Ducati Lenovo Team (417) and SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team (402). The manufacturers' battle has flipped, though — Ducati now edges ahead of Aprilia at the top, 412 points to 410, with KTM a distant third on 251.
Credit Photo : MotoGP
