102 points behind seven rounds ago. Now? The title race leader. After Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) crashed out of the lead on Lap 1 at the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) capitalised to rise to the top of the MotoGP World Championship for the first time this season after collecting his 78th MotoGP victory. Down and out of contention after the Italian Grand Prix, the #93 said. Not anymore.
Second place went to Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who came from P9 on the grid to push his elder brother all the way at Misano while sporting a beautiful Marco Simoncelli tribute livery at Gresini Racing’s home race, and joining the Ducati duo on the podium was the sublime Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), as pre-race championship leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) claims fifth to see the #89 head to Austria second overall – but level on points with the reigning Champion.
IMMEDIATE DRAMA: BEZ CRASHES ON LAP 1
Unlike in Aragon, and unlike in yesterday’s Sprint, Bezzecchi fended off Marc Marquez into Turn 1 and held onto the lead. Marc Marquez kept P2 and didn’t get a sniff around the opening three quarters of the lap. That was until Turn 13, where the home hero, Grand Prix leader and championship contender, Bezzecchi, crashed on the opening lap.
Drama of the highest order. Bezzecchi’s front end cried no more, and Bez’s big chance to collect a crucial 25 points went begging. Thankfully the Italian was all OK, but it was another disastrous early crash for Bezzecchi. A monumental blow to his 2026 title hopes. And an absolute gift at Misano for Marc Marquez, who led, and teammate Martin, who was P2.
MARTIN ATTACKS
Wow. So, this left Marc Marquez fronting the field from title rival Martin, with just 0.4s splitting them on Lap 5. Acosta was embroiled in a proper ding-dong with Alex Marquez, with the latter eventually getting the better of his compatriot before setting off reeling in the top two.
Speaking of, Martin gave Aprilia something to cheer about on Lap 7. At Turn 4, Martin pounced up the inside of Marc Marquez to pinch the lead, and instead of having a bite back, the reigning World Champion now had Alex Marquez swarming all over his rear tyre. Was Tissot Sprint winner struggling in the early stages, or simply keeping a level head and remaining patient?
MARC MARQUEZ RESPONDS, MARTIN FALLS BACK
After a few laps, it looked like we had an answer. The #93 set a couple of personal best laps to claw back the disadvantage, and sure enough, at Turn 6 on Lap 12, Marc Marquez snatched the race lead baton back off Martin.
And over the next couple of laps, Marc Marquez’s lead quickly crept up to 0.7s, and it then got worse for Aprilia and Martin because Alex Marquez made a Turn 6 move stick on Lap 14. The former Grand Prix leader was suddenly shuffled back to P3, and now, Acosta was rapidly approaching the podium party.
Acosta went from approaching the party to barging his way into it on Lap 16. Turn 8 the chosen passing spot for Acosta, who surged through to P3 to demote Martin off the podium. And the news was getting better for Marc Marquez, because his lead shot up to over a second after Alex Marquez was out of the saddle coming out of Turn 6, as the second BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP machine piloted by Fermin Aldeguer began to threaten Martin’s P4.
That threat became a reality, and again it was a Ducati being chucked up the inside of the Aprilia at Turn 6. And what did this mean? Marc Marquez and Martin were level on points at the top of the championship.
THE RUN TO THE FLAG
Marc Marquez wasn’t fully comfortable at the front though. Alex Marquez chopped a few tenths off the lead to sit 0.5s off his older brother with five laps to go. Acosta wasn’t a million miles away in P3, 1.1s in arrears of Alex Marquez to be exact, and the KTM star was the fastest of the three too.
The gap with two laps to go? 0.5s. It wasn’t going to be enough for Alex Marquez to try and have a go at winning at Gresini’s home round, because the new World Championship leader, Marc Marquez, kept his cool behind enemy lines to win for the 78th time in MotoGP. A dream weekend for Ducati and Marc Marquez at Misano. And from down and out of the title race after his Le Mans crash, the reigning World Champion is back on top of the world for the first time since his 2025 title triumph. What a turnaround.
After his injury woes this season, Alex Marquez’s P2 and Sunday pace, on a day when they sported a special Super Sic-inspired livery, will feel particularly special. And what about Acosta? Riding the wheels and then some off the RC16 to back his Aragon GP podium with another at Misano, his fifth of the campaign.
YOUR POINT SCORERS AT MISANO
Another rider who's had injury trouble this year is Aldeguer, so the sophomore’s P4 at Misano was impressive. Martin crossed the line in P5 in a result that doesn’t read as a complete disaster, but it’s one that feels big in the context of the championship. Still, he’s level on points with Marc Marquez ahead of next weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, but there's not a shadow of a doubt that a response from Aprilia is needed - fast.
Elsewhere, Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) collected P6, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) clawed his way back up to P7 after a tricky opening lap, with Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) closing out the top 10.
The remaining points went to Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in P11, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) in P12, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in P13, and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in P14.
Like Bezzecchi, Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) home Grand Prix ended in the gravel, as a disappointing Sunday unravels for the home faithful. Unfortunately, another weekend to forget for Pecco.
NEXT UP: AUSTRIA
And so, heading to the stunning Red Bull Ring, we’re level at the top. 274 points plays 274 points between Marc Marquez and Martin, with Bezzecchi 33 points off the lead in third. But as we’ve seen in recent weeks, the momentum is firmly in the red camp before a wheel is turned at the Red Bull Ring.
See you there for more action from the most exciting sport on earth.
Misano MotoGP Grand Prix results!