MotoGP 2026

Round 11 – Sachsenring

Moto2

Ivan Ortola led every lap of a tyre-punishing German Moto2 Grand Prix to claim his second victory in three rounds, resisting sustained pressure from Daniel Holgado before winning by 0.614 seconds.

Holgado remained close enough to threaten throughout the 25-lap contest and set a new Sachsenring Moto2 race lap record, but a moment at the final corner ended his last opportunity to challenge.

Izan Guevara completed the podium and reduced Manuel Gonzalez’s championship advantage, while Australian Senna Agius held fourth by only 0.059 seconds after coming under enormous late pressure from Taiyo Furusato.

The closing stages illustrated just how brutally the Sachsenring had worked the rear tyres. Ortola, Holgado, Guevara, Agius and Gonzalez were all several seconds slower than their early-race pace by the chequered flag, with tyre choice proving particularly costly for the two Intact GP riders.

Ortola controls the opening phase

Ortola made full use of pole position to lead Guevara through Turn One, while Holgado settled into third.

Championship leader Gonzalez started second but was shuffled back to fifth on the opening lap as Holgado and Agius came through. David Alonso then passed Gonzalez at Turn One on lap two, relegating the championship leader to sixth.

The leaders immediately established a fierce pace.

Holgado recorded a 1m22.248 on lap two, setting a new Moto2 race lap record and lowering the previous benchmark by more than a second.

Guevara was second-fastest with a 1m22.513, Agius produced a 1m22.566 and Ortola’s quickest lap was a 1m22.602.

Only 1.234 seconds covered the first five riders at the end of lap two, while Gonzalez was already 1.871 seconds from the lead.

Holgado passed Guevara for second on lap five and began applying more direct pressure to Ortola.

The gap between the leading pair remained below seven-tenths for the rest of the race. It was down to 0.237 seconds on lap four, 0.321 on lap seven and 0.392 at the end of lap 13.

Ortola never surrendered the lead across the timing line, but he was afforded no opportunity to relax.

Leading group holds together

Guevara remained close to the leading pair through the first half of the race, with Agius and Alonso shadowing him in fourth and fifth.

At the end of lap 12, only 1.540 seconds separated Ortola from Alonso, while Gonzalez was another 1.095 seconds behind in sixth.

Gonzalez appeared to be conserving his harder rear tyre for the closing stages. Agius had made the same compound choice, with the Intact team expecting it to provide an advantage late in the 25-lap race.

That advantage never arrived.

The leading riders began slipping from the low 1m23s into the 1m24s during the middle phase, but the hard rear did not allow Agius or Gonzalez to maintain their speed any better than those ahead.

Alonso attacks before Turn Three highside

Alonso had remained patient behind Agius before making his move at Turn One on lap 17.

The Colombian took fourth and immediately began attempting to close the 1.309-second gap to Guevara.

His challenge ended during lap 18 when he lost the rear at Turn Three. He was unhurt, but the crash ended a run that had promised another strong haul of championship points.

Alonso’s retirement restored Agius to fourth and left Gonzalez fifth, but both Intact riders were coming under pressure as their rear tyres deteriorated.

Aron Canet, Celestino Vietti and Mario Aji were also among the Moto2 fallers. Canet had already crashed on the sighting lap before rejoining, only to fall again during the race and eventually retire.

Alex Escrig was handed a double long-lap penalty for a jump-start but recovered to claim the final championship point in 15th.

Holgado closes for a final attack

Holgado was only 0.360 seconds behind Ortola with three laps remaining.

That margin reduced to 0.158 seconds at the end of lap 23 and just 0.145 seconds as they began the final lap.

Both riders were struggling for rear grip, with their lap times having deteriorated by more than three seconds from their early-race bests.

Holgado searched for a way through but ran deep at the final corner and was unable to complete the move.

Ortola crossed the line 0.614 seconds clear, completing a weekend that had also included pole position and a new all-time Moto2 Sachsenring lap record.

The victory was Ortola’s second from the past three Grands Prix following his Czech success and fifth place at Assen.

Daniel Holgado – P2

“It was a very, very tough race, but I’m really happy to be back on the podium. Tyre management was the most important thing. You had to know how much to push at any given moment and stay calm even when you felt strong.

“Over the last five laps, I tried to attack Ortola because I had a bit more tyre life left than he did. He made it very difficult for me. We were both pushing the tyres to the limit, we braked very late into the final corner and I nearly crashed.

“I’m a bit disappointed not to have secured the win, but I gave it my all. The team did a great job to get us back at the front.”

Guevara secures important championship points

Guevara could not maintain contact with the leaders once tyre degradation intensified, but his early speed had given him enough of a lead over those behind.

His margin over Agius grew to more than five seconds by lap 23, allowing the Spaniard to manage the final laps and claim his fifth podium of 2026.

Guevara finished 3.229 seconds behind Ortola and took six points out of Gonzalez’s championship advantage.

Izan Guevara – P3

“It was an incredibly demanding race, probably even tougher than it looked from the outside. Physically, it was one of the hardest races I’ve had for a long time.

“In the closing laps, the rear tyre had dropped so much that the bike was sliding everywhere, both on corner entry and exit, so it was all about surviving and bringing the podium home.

“This podium allows us to head into the summer break having taken valuable points out of the championship leader. There is still a long season ahead, but if we keep working in this direction, we can continue fighting at the front.”

Agius holds fourth by 0.059 seconds

Agius had remained within 1.2 seconds of the lead for the first 16 laps but began losing ground as the harder rear tyre deteriorated.

The Australian’s pace slipped from 1m24.759 on lap 19 to 1m25.580 on lap 22, followed by 1m26.373 and 1m26.583 over the final two laps.

Furusato had managed his rubber considerably better.

The Japanese rookie passed Gonzalez on lap 24 and took more than one second out of Agius on each of the final two laps.

Agius reached the chequered flag just 0.059 seconds ahead of Furusato, just holding on to secure his fifth consecutive top-five result and strengthening third place in the World Championship.

Fifth was comfortably Furusato’s best result since moving into Moto2.

Senna Agius – P4

“It’s a bittersweet fourth-place finish because I thought I had a lot more to offer in this race.

“We opted for the harder tyre compound, assuming it would be significantly better in the later stages. I did my best to stay in the mix and give myself the best chance to take control of the race, but in the left-hand turns at full lean I didn’t have the same pace as the riders in front.

“In the end, the tyre was completely shot. Still, it’s another fourth place, we’ve finished inside the top five for five races in a row, and we head into the summer break third in the championship. That’s a huge step forward compared with last year.”

Gonzalez suffers worst result of the season

Gonzalez’s hoped-for late charge never materialised.

His lap times slipped into the 1m26s with three laps remaining before he completed the final tour in 1m27.179.

Furusato passed him for fifth on lap 24, while Filip Salac closed to within 0.265 seconds by the finish.

Sixth was Gonzalez’s lowest finishing position of the season, but his championship advantage remains greater than two full race wins.

Manuel Gonzalez – P6

“We opted for the harder tyre, but our strategy didn’t work out towards the end of the race, even though I tried to conserve the tyres in the first half.

“In the end, my tyres were more worn than those of the riders around me. That’s a shame because we worked hard all weekend to compete for the win.

“We’ll learn from this and keep working. We are still leading the championship by a comfortable margin and can be happy that we’ve had an almost perfect start to the season.”

Salac finished seventh ahead of Jose Antonio Rueda and Collin Veijer, while Luca Lunetta secured his second top-ten result of the season in tenth.

Moto2 Championship after Germany

Gonzalez heads into the summer break with 195.5 points and a 51.5-point advantage over Guevara.

Guevara’s podium moved him to 144 points, while Agius remains third on 136 – only eight points behind the Spaniard.

The battle immediately behind them tightened considerably.

Alonso remains fourth on 116 despite his crash, but Holgado’s second place elevated him to fifth on 115.

Ortola’s victory moved him from seventh to sixth on 113.5, meaning only 2.5 points now separate fourth-placed Alonso from the German GP winner.

Vietti failed to score for the second consecutive round and slipped from fifth to seventh on 109 points. Only seven points cover Alonso, Holgado, Ortola and Vietti from fourth through seventh.

Intact GP continues to lead the Teams’ Championship on 331.5 points, 100.5 clear of the CFMOTO Azul Marino Aspar Team.

Sachsenring Moto2 Race Results

Moto2 Championship Standings

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Moto3

Brian Uriarte converted pole position into his second Grand Prix victory after a tense, tactical Sachsenring contest that was decided on the final lap.

Maximo Quiles had the faster outright pace and set a new race lap record, but Uriarte led 20 of the 23 laps and reclaimed first when the championship leader had a front-end moment at Turn Three on the final tour.

Uriarte won by only 0.063 seconds.

Five seconds further back, Matteo Bertelle stole third from Marco Morelli on the run to the line by just 0.007 seconds, while Rico Salmela was only another 0.079 seconds behind in fifth.

Joel Kelso recovered from an opening-lap incident to claim two championship points in 14th.

Uriarte launches from pole

Uriarte made the ideal start and led Morelli, Alvaro Carpe and Salmela at the end of the opening lap.

Quiles started fourth but was shuffled back to fifth before beginning his recovery.

The championship leader moved past Salmela and Morelli during lap two before taking second from Carpe on lap three.

Quiles immediately demonstrated his speed by setting a 1m25.227 on lap three, establishing a new Sachsenring Moto3 race lap record.

That was 0.609 seconds quicker than Uriarte’s best lap of the race.

Remarkably, Uriarte’s 1m25.836 ranked only 11th among the individual fastest laps. His advantage came through consistency, positioning and his ability to control the race rather than outright one-lap speed.

Turn One drama costs Kelso

The second lap began with a multi-rider incident at Turn One involving Valentin Perrone, Marcos Uriarte, Nicola Carraro and Kelso.

Perrone’s race ended immediately, while Marcos Uriarte, Carraro and Kelso were able to continue.

Kelso had completed the opening lap in 16th but lost almost nine seconds in the incident, dropping to 21st.

The Australian then began a long recovery. He was 16th again by lap five and climbed to 14th during the second half of the race.

Kelso ultimately finished 30.087 seconds behind the winner and collected two championship points.

Five riders break clear

Uriarte, Quiles, Carpe, Salmela and Morelli established the leading group through the opening third of the race.

Only 0.976 seconds covered those five at the end of lap eight, with Uriarte repeatedly resisting the pressure from Quiles directly behind him.

Salmela moved into third on lap nine, while Carpe and Morelli remained firmly involved in the podium battle.

Further back, Casey O’Gorman crashed at Turn Three and Scott Ogden fell soon afterwards. Both attempted to continue, although O’Gorman eventually retired.

A more serious incident followed during lap eight, when Adrian Cruces high-sided at Turn Seven, leaving Joel Esteban with nowhere to go.

Both riders were taken to the medical centre. Esteban was subsequently declared fit, while Cruces was declared unfit with polytrauma.

Carpe’s podium bid ends at Turn Seven

Carpe had been running third when he suffered a major moment at Turn Seven during lap 12.

The Spaniard somehow remained aboard the KTM, but the save cost him more than seven seconds, dropping him from third to 11th.

Carpe recovered no further and finished in that position, collecting five points.

The mistake proved significant for the championship, as Carpe had entered the weekend as Quiles’ closest challenger.

Morelli inherited third ahead of Salmela and Bertelle.

Bertelle had started seventh and initially slipped to ninth, but methodically moved forward as the race progressed. The Italian climbed to sixth on lap 11, fifth on lap 12 and fourth on lap 18.

Quiles finally takes the lead

Uriarte made a mistake at Turn Two during lap 15, briefly opening the door for Quiles, but the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider remained in front across the timing line.

The pair continued circulating within four-tenths of each other.

Quiles closed to 0.086 seconds at the end of lap 19 and made his move on lap 20.

For the first time in the race, someone other than Uriarte led across the line.

Only 0.092 seconds separated the pair at the end of lap 20. The margin was 0.086 after lap 21 and 0.134 as they began the final lap.

Turn Three moment decides victory

Quiles led into the final lap but had a front-end moment at Turn Three.

Uriarte immediately seized the opportunity and reclaimed first.

Quiles remained attached to the rear of the KTM through the final sector but could not construct another clean passing opportunity.

Uriarte took the chequered flag 0.063 seconds ahead, securing the second victory of his rookie Moto3 season and the second Grand Prix win of his career.

He had led the opening 19 laps, surrendered the position for three and then delivered when it mattered most on lap 23.

Maximo Quiles – P2

“Today I’m a little angry with myself because I wasn’t as aggressive as I usually am. I don’t know why, but I didn’t show my usual fighting spirit.

“In the last few corners, I felt better than Uriarte, but on the final lap I lost focus a little and didn’t feel ready to fight for the win.

“I didn’t want to take any risks and throw away 20 points. I preferred to play it safe and score, and I’m saving my aggressive side for the next race.”

Bertelle steals third at the flag

The battle for the final podium place was almost as close as the fight for victory.

Morelli began the last lap in third, 0.122 seconds ahead of Bertelle and another 0.122 clear of Salmela.

Bertelle used the slipstream perfectly on the run to the chequered flag and beat Morelli to third by only 0.007 seconds.

Salmela finished fifth, just 0.086 seconds behind Bertelle, matching the best result of his rookie season.

It was Bertelle’s second podium of 2026 and lifted the Italian to ninth in the World Championship.

Adrian Fernandez was the leading Honda rider in sixth, ahead of Jesus Rios and Veda Pratama.

Ryusei Yamanaka claimed his first top-ten result of 2026 in ninth, with Eddie O’Shea completing the top ten.

New Zealand’s Cormac Buchanan finished 13th and collected three points, one position ahead of Kelso.

Moto3 Championship after Germany

Quiles extended his championship lead despite being beaten for victory.

The Spaniard now has 231 points after recording ten podiums from the opening 11 rounds.

Uriarte’s victory moved him from behind Carpe and David Almansa to second in the standings on 127 points.

Carpe’s Turn Seven moment limited him to five points and dropped him to third on 126 – only one behind Uriarte.

Morelli remains fourth on 115 points, now 12 points behind Uriarte and 11 behind Carpe.

Almansa, who missed the German GP, slipped to fifth on 109.

Quiles had entered the weekend 90 points ahead of Carpe, then his closest rival. He leaves the Sachsenring with a 104-point advantage over new second-place rider Uriarte.

Uriarte also leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 127 points, 37 ahead of Pratama and 41 clear of Danish.

Kelso’s two points take him to 40, level with O’Gorman but 18th in the championship on countback.

The CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team leads the Teams’ Championship by 93 points over Red Bull KTM Ajo, while KTM holds a 129-point advantage in the Constructors’ Championship over Honda.

Sachsenring Moto3 Race Results

Moto3 Championship Standings

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2026 MotoGP Calendar

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