- Bezzecchi leads the championship with just a one-point margin over teammate Martin
- Marc Marquez underwent foot and shoulder surgery and will miss Barcelona
- Toprak Razgatlioglu wants to test a Quartararo-style setup at the Catalunya GP
The Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalunya at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya promises to be one of the most exciting race weekends of the 2026 MotoGP season so far. After five rounds, championship leaders Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin are separated by just a single point. Both ride for Aprilia Racing, and both have finished no worse than fourth in any Sunday race this season. At the same time, injured defending champion Marc Marquez is absent from the field. The stage could hardly be set more dramatically ahead of the sixth round of the season.
What happened at Le Mans and why was the result historic?
The French GP at Le Mans produced several firsts. Jorge Martin celebrated his best weekend as an Aprilia rider with a sprint and Grand Prix double victory, taking the maximum points haul. It was Martin’s first Sunday win since the Grand Prix of Indonesia in 2024 – 588 days after his last triumph on a race Sunday. Together with Marco Bezzecchi in second and Ai Ogura in third, Aprilia scored a historic 1-2-3 podium sweep. Ogura became the first Japanese rider on a MotoGP podium since 2012.
Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola put the success into context with a look back at the backstory. Exactly one year ago, Martin had privately traveled to Le Mans and informed Aprilia that he wanted to activate an exit clause and leave the team. Aprilia objected, arguing the clause was invalid due to Martin’s prolonged injury-related absence. Martin eventually relented and stayed.
“It’s quite a day. My first thought goes to one year ago here in Le Mans when Jorge wanted to leave. And today is a big reward for us, together. The choice was right and super happy about that,” Rivola told MotoGP.com.
Between pre-season injuries, a crash at Motegi, and corrective surgery over the winter, Martin had not finished higher than fourth until Le Mans. In France, everything came together. Martin won both the sprint and the main race and now trails championship leader Bezzecchi by just one point.
How does the championship battle between Bezzecchi and Martin stand?
Bezzecchi continues to lead the world championship after three Grand Prix victories at the start of the season but had to concede the top spot in the day’s classification to Martin at Le Mans. The fact that neither Bezzecchi nor Martin has finished worse than fourth on a Sunday this season underscores the consistency of both riders. Aprilia has won every Grand Prix race in 2026 except for Alex Marquez’s victory at Jerez.
The rivalry gains an additional dimension through the contract situation. Bezzecchi has signed a new two-year deal with Aprilia. Martin, however, is expected to leave the team at the end of the season and switch to Yamaha. Ducati’s two-time MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia is rumored to be his replacement. Official rider announcements are currently on hold as the manufacturers negotiate the next commercial agreement with MotoGP SEG.
Rivola was relaxed about the intra-team battle. “The simple rule is that they must respect each other. If they will do that, there will be no problem,” he explained. When asked whether a renewed partnership with Martin was possible, he said he believed Martin had made his decision a long time ago. He did not blame the rider given the circumstances of the previous year, the physical issues, and the attractive offers.
Why is Marc Marquez missing from the Catalunya GP?
Defending champion Marc Marquez is absent from the Grand Prix of Catalunya. The seven-time MotoGP world champion underwent successful double surgery on his right foot and shoulder after his crash in the Le Mans sprint race. Ducati confirmed that Marquez will not be replaced by a substitute rider in Barcelona. In the championship standings, Marquez sits third but already 44 points behind Di Giannantonio, who in turn trails the two Aprilia riders by a significant margin. Marquez’s absence could further shift the championship dynamics in favor of the Aprilia-internal duel.
What is Toprak Razgatlioglu planning for Barcelona?
One of the most interesting subplots of the weekend involves reigning WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu and his Pramac Yamaha. At Le Mans, he finished 13th – a personal best in a Grand Prix. However, he was 32 seconds behind race winner Martin, far off the leading group. Even more striking was the gap to his Yamaha brand colleague Fabio Quartararo, who delivered by far the best weekend for the new Yamaha V4 with sixth place and only 7.7 seconds off the lead. The next-best Yamaha rider, Alex Rins, was 25 seconds behind Quartararo.
Razgatlioglu has drawn clear conclusions from the weekend. “We learned many things in Le Mans and in Barcelona we want to use that experience and maybe even try some different setup directions because obviously Fabio’s setup was working much better than ours,” he explained.
According to Razgatlioglu, the main problem lies in the turn-in behavior. Under braking, they are close to Quartararo, but at the apex they lose too much time. In Barcelona, a setup more closely aligned with Quartararo’s configuration is to be tested. Like Quartararo, Razgatlioglu had already fitted the older front wing from the previous year at Le Mans because he felt better braking while leaned over.
Furthermore, the Turkish rider struggles with the seating position on the MotoGP bike. He sits too high, the front wheel feels low, and the overall sensation is unfamiliar. Under current regulations, a seat adjustment would only be possible from next season. Nonetheless, Razgatlioglu looks optimistically toward Barcelona, where he brings winning experience from his WorldSBK days.
How is Joan Mir performing on the Honda and what does his future look like?
Joan Mir is one of the most conspicuous riders in the field this season, though not exclusively because of his results. The 2020 world champion has crashed six times in the first ten starts – sprints and Sunday races combined. At Le Mans, he was running in a strong sixth place on Sunday before going down again. Including a mechanical retirement in Thailand, the Jerez race is the only Sunday event Mir has actually finished in 2026.
In an extensive interview, Mir explained the situation in nuanced terms. He sees genuine potential in the current Honda package and speaks of regularly running in the top five or top six. The problem is that one has to take extreme risks to compete at that level. Teammate Johann Zarco described Mir’s braking phases as impressive but acknowledged that precisely this risk-taking leads to the many crashes.
Mir openly admitted that he needs to learn to accept a twelfth or tenth place finish. “I know what I’m capable to do with a good bike, or on a good weekend, and it’s not easy to accept that we don’t have the speed to do more,” he said.
Mental strain is a topic Mir addresses openly. In 2023, he says he came close to quitting altogether. After his title win in 2020 and a third-place championship finish in 2021 with Suzuki, the switch to Honda was a brutal cut. He has since come to terms with the situation and worked with a sports psychologist for an extended period. The tools he learned there are not ready-made solutions but aids for finding solutions himself.
Is there hope for a stronger Honda in the future?
Mir himself is skeptical on this question. When asked whether the new bikes from 2027 offer a chance to close the gap to Ducati and Aprilia, he responded cautiously. He does not believe Honda will make the big leap in the first year with a new concept. However, the personnel changes at Honda, particularly the integration of European engineers, are a step in the right direction. Mir spoke of noticeable improvements to the motorcycle that he attributes directly to these personnel changes.
Mir left his own future open. “I am in a position that I will do what my heart will want,” he explained. He cannot guarantee staying with Honda but wants to make a decision soon. What matters to him is that this decision reflects his own convictions one hundred percent.
What can be expected from the remaining riders in Barcelona?
Beyond the championship battle and the Yamaha development, the Catalunya GP offers numerous additional storylines. Fabio Di Giannantonio is a remarkable presence as the only Ducati rider in the top six of the championship standings. At Le Mans, he overtook Pedro Acosta in the penultimate corner and even looked back while doing so – something Acosta said he would not forget.
Pecco Bagnaia crashed out on Sunday at Le Mans but showed strong pace throughout the entire weekend. He won twice in Barcelona in 2024, making the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya promising territory for the Ducati factory rider. The same applies to Alex Marquez, the winner of the 2025 Catalunya GP, who also crashed out at Le Mans.
Enea Bastianini on the Tech3 KTM has stabilized with three consecutive top-eight Sunday finishes and finished third in Barcelona in 2025. Teammate Maverick Viñales returns to the field after an injury break. KTM factory rider Brad Binder’s Le Mans result was sobering with a crash at Turn 7, although he reported a performance leap on Sunday that he wants to carry to Barcelona.
Johann Zarco experienced a disappointing race weekend at Le Mans with an eleventh-place finish after leading the timesheets on Friday. Luca Marini finished the race in tenth. MotoGP rookie Diogo Moreira scored his first championship point in the sprint but retired on Sunday. Fermin Aldeguer, the 2025 Rookie of the Year, is still dealing with the aftereffects of a pre-season injury and finished ninth in France.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How big is Bezzecchi’s championship lead over Martin ahead of the Catalunya GP?
Marco Bezzecchi leads the 2026 MotoGP World Championship by just a single point over his Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin. Both riders have finished no worse than fourth in any Sunday race this season.
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Why is Marc Marquez not racing at the Grand Prix of Catalunya?
Marc Marquez underwent successful surgery on his right foot and shoulder after his crash in the Le Mans sprint race. Ducati confirmed that he will not be replaced by a substitute rider in Barcelona.
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What is the Quartararo setup that Razgatlioglu wants to test?
Toprak Razgatlioglu plans to try a setup in Barcelona aligned with Fabio Quartararo’s configuration, particularly regarding turn-in behavior. Quartararo finished sixth at Le Mans with a 7.7-second gap to the leader, while Razgatlioglu was 32 seconds behind the winner.
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How many times has Joan Mir crashed in 2026?
Joan Mir crashed six times in the first ten starts of the 2026 season. Including a mechanical retirement in Thailand, the Jerez race is the only Sunday event he has actually finished.
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Who has won the most MotoGP races in 2026?
Aprilia has won every Grand Prix race of the 2026 season except for Alex Marquez’s victory at Jerez. Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi share the wins, with Martin taking both the sprint and main race at Le Mans.
➜ This article is part of our comprehensive overview: 2026 MotoGP Season: The Complete Overview – Teams, Riders, Calendar & Championship Standings. Find all key information on this topic in one place.
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