Marc Marquez produced a commanding ride to win the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano on Sunday, taking the MotoGP championship lead for the first time in 2026 as polesitter Marco Bezzecchi crashed out on the opening lap.
Bezzecchi, who had shattered the Misano lap record with a 1:29.982 in qualifying, grabbed the holeshot from pole and appeared poised to pull away. But his race lasted barely one lap before a high-speed crash at Turn 13 in front of his home grandstand ended his challenge and handed the lead to Marquez.
The Ducati rider immediately came under pressure from Jorge Martin, who worked his way through to second and overtook Marquez at Turn 4 on lap seven. Martin built a lead of over eight tenths, but Marquez's pace surged again around the midpoint of the 27-lap race. On lap 12, Marquez retook the lead at Turn 6 and never looked back.
Behind the leading duo, Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati and Pedro Acosta on the Red Bull KTM had been engaged in their own battle for the final podium spot. Alex Marquez passed Acosta and then set his sights on the front, eventually closing to within 0.657 seconds of his older brother at the chequered flag. Acosta held on to complete the podium, his second consecutive top-three finish.
The race proved costly for Martin, who faded in the closing stages and was shuffled down to fifth by Fermin Aldeguer. Martin crossed the line 14.021 seconds behind Marquez, a disastrous result for the Aprilia rider's title ambitions.
With the win — his fifth grand prix victory of the season — Marquez moves level on 274 points with Martin but leads the standings by virtue of his superior win count. The result completes a remarkable turnaround for the reigning champion, who had trailed by 102 points after the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello in late May.
"Unreal. It feels unreal," Marquez said in parc fermé. "Never give up. I will push until the end."
The attrition rate was severe: only 14 of 21 starters reached the finish. Pecco Bagnaia was among the crashers, continuing a difficult run of form on the factory Ducati. Johann Zarco, Jack Miller and Diogo Moreira also fell, while Alex Rins and Joan Mir retired in the pits.
Raul Fernandez finished a distant sixth on the Trackhouse Aprilia, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini and Fabio Quartararo.
With eight races remaining, the title fight is finely poised. Bezzecchi's Misano disaster — his tenth scoreless race of the season — leaves him 33 points behind Marquez in third, and his Aprilia team faces mounting pressure after a weekend that promised much and delivered heartbreak.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1104589/1/marc-marquez-wins-misano-motogp-take-championship-lead-bezzecchi-crashes
- https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1104605/1/marc-marquezs-first-words-new-2026-motogp-championship-leader
- https://www.the-race.com/motogp/marquez-into-motogp-points-lead-for-first-time-in-2026-amid-aprilia-disaster/
