San Marino Grand Prix Review

Winner

Marc Marquez won the San Marino Grand Prix.

Full classification

What happened

For twelve corners, the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano looked set to be a coronation for local hero and pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi. By the thirteenth, the race, and arguably the entire 2026 MotoGP championship, had been turned on its head. Leading into the fast, sweeping rights at the end of the opening lap, Bezzecchi lost the front of his Aprilia and slid into the gravel, his race over before it truly began. The mistake handed the lead to Marc Marquez, who navigated a chaotic and attritional race to not only take victory but also seize the championship lead for the first time this season.

The race was a story of two battles: the one for the lead, and the one simply to stay upright. Behind the Marquez brothers, who would ultimately finish one-two, the field was decimated by incidents. The highest-profile casualty after Bezzecchi was Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia, whose frustrating season continued with a crash at Turn 2 on the sixth lap while battling his ongoing mysterious lack of rear grip. According to a report from Crash.net, they were joined on the sidelines by Diogo Moreira and Jack Miller, while a number of riders retired to the pits. Joan Mir pulled in after feeling unwell, while his factory Honda counterpart Alex Rins was forced to stop on lap 17 due to a migraine and severe nausea. Johann Zarco was the final retirement, rounding out a day of high drama and attrition.

The Aprilia Challenge Falters

With Bezzecchi out, the fight was initially taken to Marquez by the other factory Aprilia of Jorge Martin. Martin made a decisive move to take the lead on lap 7 and briefly looked like he might have the pace to challenge for the win. However, his charge was short-lived. Marquez retook the lead just five laps later, and Martin's pace began to drop dramatically. He was soon passed by the charging Alex Marquez, then by KTM's Pedro Acosta for the final podium spot, and eventually by Fermin Aldeguer, falling to fifth place. It was later revealed by Martin that he had been suffering from a severe case of right arm pump, which left him struggling to control the bike. What could have been a day of championship consolidation instead became a damage limitation exercise.

This left the way clear for a remarkable family story to unfold at the front. Marc Marquez controlled the race from the front, but his younger brother Alex put on a stunning display, fighting his way from ninth on the grid to close the gap to under a second in the final laps. The elder Marquez held firm, taking the chequered flag by just 0.657 seconds to seal a famous one-two finish for the siblings. Behind them, Pedro Acosta rode a clever and consistent race to claim a strong third place, his fifth podium of the season.

A Championship Reset

For the record 184,051 fans who packed the Misano circuit over the weekend, the spectacle was a dramatic reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in MotoGP. What they witnessed was a complete reset of the title fight. Marquez’s victory, his fifth in seven grands prix, erased a deficit that stood at 102 points as recently as May and puts him level on points with Jorge Martin. He takes the lead on countback, with five premier-class wins to Martin’s one.

The implications of this weekend will ripple through the paddock as it heads to Austria. Has the momentum swung decisively in favour of the reigning champion? And with Jorge Martin now facing a potential physical issue that could require surgery, the path forward is anything but clear. The battle for the 2026 crown is, against all odds, starting anew.

Final Classification

1. Marc Marquez (Finished)
2. Alex Marquez (Finished)
3. Pedro Acosta (Finished)
4. Fermin Aldeguer (Finished)
5. Jorge Martin (Finished)
6. Raul Fernandez (Finished)
7. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Finished)
8. Enea Bastianini (Finished)
9. Luca Marini (Finished)
10. Fabio Quartararo (Finished)
11. Brad Binder (Finished)
12. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Finished)
13. Franco Morbidelli (Finished)
14. Pol Espargaro (Finished)
DNF. Johann Zarco (Retired)
DNF. Alex Rins (Retired)
DNF. Joan Mir (Retired)
DNF. Francesco Bagnaia (Retired)
DNF. Diogo Moreira (Retired)
DNF. Jack Miller (Retired)
DNF. Marco Bezzecchi (DNF)