Marc Marquez seized the moment in a dramatic San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, capitalizing on an opening-lap crash by Marco Bezzecchi to claim his fifth win of the 2026 season and take the lead in the MotoGP standings.
Starting from pole, Bezzecchi aggressively defended the inside line to prevent Marquez from repeating his sprint race move. But his overzealousness proved costly when he lost the front at Turn 12 on the opening lap, throwing away a golden opportunity.
Marquez inherited the lead, with Jorge Martin quickly dispatching the Ducatis of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Fermin Aldeguer to give chase. The two engaged in a fierce battle, with Martin briefly snatching the lead at Turn 4 with a stunning late-brake move. However, Martin's pace soon faded as his rear tyre grip dropped, and he tumbled down the order to fifth.
Meanwhile, Marquez managed the gap at the front, while his brother Alex Marquez, running a special Marco Simoncelli tribute livery, recovered from a poor sprint to challenge for the win. The younger Marquez closed to within 0.4s in the closing laps, but the reigning champion held his nerve to take the chequered flag by 0.657s. It was the first 1-2 for the Marquez brothers this season.
Pedro Acosta impressed again on the factory KTM, rising from seventh on the grid to complete the podium. Francesco Bagnaia finished fourth after struggling to match the leaders' pace. With the win, Marquez now has 274 points, level with Martin but ahead on race wins. The championship battle is heating up, with Bezzecchi's DNF dealing a severe blow to his title hopes.
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Marc Marquez wins the 2026 San Marino GP, taking the MotoGP championship lead from Jorge Martin. Bezzecchi crashes, Bagnaia DNFs again.
Marc Marquez wins the San Marino GP to take the MotoGP 2026 points lead for the first time. Read the full race analysis and results from Misano.
Marc Marquez wins San Marino MotoGP 2026 after Marco Bezzecchi crashes on lap one. Marquez now leads the standings with 274 points, tied with Jorge Martin.
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