Alex Marquez Wins MotoGP in Jerez: World Champion Marc Marquez Crashes Out Early

• Alex Marquez wins at Jerez ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio
• Marc Marquez crashes at Turn 11, Bagnaia retires with a technical problem
• Bezzecchi extends his championship lead over Jorge Martin to eleven points

Alex Marquez has won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix. At the Circuito de Jerez, Ángel Nieto, the Gresini Ducati rider crossed the line 1.903 seconds ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) after 25 laps, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) in third. For the 30-year-old it was his first win of the season and, after 2025, his second home victory at Jerez in a row. The Ducati factory team, by contrast, came away empty-handed: world champion Marc Marquez crashed early, and Francesco Bagnaia parked his bike with a technical problem.

How did Alex Marquez win the race at Jerez?

Alex Marquez took the lead on the second lap and did not give it up again until the finish. Early on, Bezzecchi stayed around half a second behind him; from mid-race onwards the gap was about two seconds.

The Spaniard had started from the second row. On the opening lap he passed Bezzecchi at the Angel Nieto corner, and one lap later he outbraked his brother Marc at the Dani Pedrosa corner. After that, by his own account, he lapped consistently in the 1:37 range right to the end.

The win came one day after a setback. In Saturday’s Sprint, Alex Marquez had crashed while leading when rain set in. Sunday, by contrast, was dry and sunny, and every rider chose the medium compound front and rear. After the race, Marquez talked about his difficult start to the season. This weekend and the break before it had given his team new momentum, he said.

What happened in Marc Marquez’s crash?

Marc Marquez lost the front end on lap three in the fast right-hander at Turn 11 and was out of the race. The world champion was unhurt and got straight back up.

Saturday’s Sprint winner had started from pole position and led the opening lap. Shortly after his brother passed him, he went down in the corner in the fourth sector, which is taken at around 200 km/h. His Ducati GP26 rolled over several times in the gravel. With no points from Sunday’s race, Marc Marquez sits fifth in the championship after four Grands Prix, 44 points behind Bezzecchi.

Why did Bagnaia retire at Jerez?

Francesco Bagnaia had to retire because of a technical problem. On lap 13 he suddenly slowed, dropped from ninth to last and pulled into the pits.

This meant neither rider of the Ducati Lenovo Team reached the finish. The factory team from Borgo Panigale has now gone nine Grands Prix without a podium. For Ducati as a manufacturer, however, it was the first Grand Prix win since October 2025, when Alex Marquez had also won, in Malaysia.

How did the race go for Bezzecchi and Aprilia?

Marco Bezzecchi finished second and extended his championship lead over teammate Jorge Martin to eleven points. His run of five consecutive Grand Prix wins, which began at Portimão in 2025, is over, though.

A second streak also ended: Bezzecchi had previously led 121 consecutive laps in Grand Prix races. He had scored no points in Saturday’s Sprint. After the race he said a good result had therefore been important, especially as his team had been struggling with problems all weekend. Alex Marquez had been too fast for him on the day, and he congratulated the winner.

All four Aprilias finished inside the top six. Martin was fourth, even though a three-place penalty meant he had to start from tenth on the grid. Behind him, the Trackhouse pair only settled their duel on the final lap: Ai Ogura passed Raul Fernandez at the Pedrosa corner to take fifth.

Di Giannantonio takes his second podium of the season

As in Brazil, Fabio Di Giannantonio stood on the podium in third place. He had passed Martin in the early stages and held that position all the way to the finish.

The VR46 rider was pleased because his team had been this competitive at Jerez for the first time. At the same time, he believes a little more would have been possible with the setup. He took part of the blame himself: he had misjudged the conditions and chosen the wrong option.

Who else scored points at the 2026 Spanish GP?

Behind the six Aprilia and Ducati riders at the front, Johann Zarco finished seventh on the LCR Honda. He had started from the front row and ran fifth for a long time, but had to let the two Trackhouse Aprilias through in the closing stages.

The best KTM rider was Enea Bastianini (Tech3) in eighth. Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) was ninth, and Pedro Acosta (KTM) tenth despite damage from early contact with Raul Fernandez. The remaining points went to Brad Binder (KTM), Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati), Luca Marini (Honda), Fabio Quartararo as the best Yamaha rider, and Joan Mir (Honda). Mir had to serve a double long-lap penalty for ignoring the black-and-orange flag in final practice.

Alex Rins, Diogo Moreira, Jack Miller, Toprak Razgatlioglu and wildcard Augusto Fernandez finished outside the points. Razgatlioglu had to take a long-lap penalty for causing an accident with Lorenzo Savadori in the Sprint and finished 19th. Savadori, who like Fernandez started as a test rider on a wildcard, retired as a result of that collision. Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM) was absent following shoulder surgery.

What comes next for MotoGP after Jerez?

An official test day was scheduled at Jerez on the Monday after the race. The next Grand Prix follows on 10 May at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, where Johann Zarco won his home race last year.

A total of 224,627 spectators attended the Jerez race weekend, 96,540 of them on Sunday.

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➜ This article is part of our MotoGP 2026 Complete Overview with current championship standings, race calendar and all teams.