-Marc leads the World Championship for the first time in 2026
-Marco Bezzecchi crashes out of the lead on Lap One
-Jorge Martin suffers arm pump issues
Ducati Lenovo Factory Team’s Marc Marquez has taken the lead in the 2026 MotoGP championship after winning the San Marino GP at Misano, Italy. He secured his 78th MotoGP victory after championship rival Marco Bezzecchi crashed out on the opening lap. Alex Marquez finished second, while Pedro Acosta completed the podium in third.
Bezzechi’s blunder
As the lights went out, pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi on the factory Aprilia made a great start and initially held off Marc Marquez into Turn One. He pulled out a decent gap on Marquez as he knew he had to build an early lead. In that attempt, however, the Aprilia rider crashed at Turn 13 on Lap One. Bezzecchi was able to walk away from the incident, but the crash cost him a potential 25 points and significantly affected his championship challenge.
Marc keeps it in control
Marc Marquez inherited the lead, but Jorge Martin soon put pressure on the reigning champion. Martin moved ahead of Marquez at Turn 4 on Lap 7, before Marquez responded five laps later to retake the lead. Jorge Martin said that he was suffering with arm pump issues in the latter half of the race, making it difficult to ride the bike.
Meanwhile, Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati then moved past Martin for second, while KTm Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta overtook the Aprilia rider on Lap 16 to claim the final podium position.
Marc Marquez maintained his advantage in the closing stages despite pressure from his younger brother. Alex Marquez reduced the gap to around half a second with five laps remaining, but the Factory Ducati rider held on to claim victory.
Martin eventually finished fifth, behind Fermin Aldeguer, while Raul Fernandez, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini and Fabio Quartararo completed the top ten. Francesco Bagnaia's difficult home weekend ended with a crash.
Marc on top
The result moved Marc Marquez to the top of the championship standings. He is level on points with Martin heading into the Austrian GP, while Bezzecchi has lost valuable ground after his early retirement. Marc Marquez had been 102 points behind the championship lead seven rounds ago, but is now back at the top of the standings.
The 2026 MotoGP championship will now head to Austria that will be held from 18-20 September.
