Some unbeatable late-race pace from MotoGP-bound Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) saw the #96 power to a second victory of the season by 2.2s at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar, as Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – MSI) - from P14 on the grid - and polesitter Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team) treat us to a tight fight for P2 that was won on the run to the line by the rider third in the standings.
Meanwhile, in the championship chase, drama unfolded. Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) suffered a problem with his bike to see the Spaniard suffer his first DNF since the 2025 Japanese GP, and with Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) finishing P6, it means the gap between the pair sits at 13.5 points with two to go. Match point ManuGas in Portimao.
From lights out, Gonzalez got a great launch from the middle of the second row to immediately climb into P3, as Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) tagged Celestino Vietti’s (BETA Tools SpeedRS Team) Boscoscuro and crashed at the opening corner from the top six. Meanwhile, Gonzalez was demoted to P4 by a hard-charging Daniel Muñoz (Italtrans Racing Team), with the latter soon slotting himself into P2 behind leader Escrig after carving past Holgado on Lap 2.
On Guevara watch, the rider second in the title race made a promising getaway from 10th on the grid. The #28 was up to P7, as David Alonso (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) then shoved Gonzalez back to P5 at the start of Lap 3. And talking of being shoved back, Guevara lost a spot to Ortola at the beginning of Lap 4 – the title contender was now P8.
On Lap 8, Ortola then sailed past Gonzalez for P4, with Guevara now behind Gonzalez’s teammate Senna Agius in P9. Both of the title chasers were going the wrong way in Qatar, while the Aspar duo of Alonso and Holgado began to reel in Escrig. 0.5s split the trio at the halfway point, before it became a quartet as Ortola dragged himself into the podium places, with Alonso the one slipping back to P4 – and Holgado shadowing Escrig.
Then, a couple of laps later on Lap 14, huge title race drama unravelled. Guevara was cruising. There was a problem with the Spaniard’s bike going into Turn 1 and for the first time in 13 months, Guevara was out of a Grand Prix. Cruel in the extreme.
Up front, Holgado stole P1 from Escrig and immediately put 1.2s, then 1.6s, into Escrig. And in terms of the title fight, Muñoz re-passed Gonzalez to see the latter drop to P6, but at this stage, it was all about bringing his Triumph-Kalex to the finish.
The late race pace from Holgado was unrivalled. After finishing P2 last weekend in Malaysia, the #96 went one better in Qatar to notch up his second win of the season, while Ortola dished out some late heartache to Escrig to win the photo-finish run to the line after getting a brilliant launch out of the final corner to grab P2.
In the end, Alonso finished 1.8s away from the Ortola-Escrig scrap in P4, as Muñoz rounded out the top five. Then came a frustrated Gonzalez in P6, but once the dust settles, the #18 will realise he’s now 13.5 points clear of Guevara, meaning outscoring his rival in Portugal by 12 points next time out will see him clinch the 2026 crown.
Agius was 0.6s away from his teammate in P7, as Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) earned an equal-best Moto2 finish in P8. Closing out the top 10 were Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) and Vietti, the latter unable to fight his way back through the pack after the early contact with Veijer.
And so, onto Portimao we go, with the title-chase momentum swinging right into the hands of Gonzalez.
Moto2 race results from Qatar!