MotoGP 2026

Round Two – Brazil

Marco Bezzecchi underlined both his own form and Aprilia’s growing strength with a commanding victory in MotoGP’s return to Brazil, leading every lap of a shortened and heat-affected Grand Prix at Goiânia from Jorge Martin and Fabio Di Giannantonio. For Australian fans, however, it was a tough afternoon, with Jack Miller’s milestone 200th premier class start ending in an opening-lap fall.

MotoGP’s first Grand Prix in Brazil for 22 years delivered a proper event atmosphere at Goiânia, with a packed crowd, a weekend attendance of 148,384, Gresini Ducati carrying a commemorative Alex Barros-inspired livery, and local hope Diogo Moreira wearing a Senna tribute helmet. But by the time the premier class race rolled onto the grid, the biggest talking point was how the track was faring…

Track temperatures were nudging towards 60 degrees, and after surface concerns emerged in the Moto3 and Moto2 races, officials cut the MotoGP distance from the scheduled 31 laps to 23 just before the start. The call came too late for tyre changes on the grid, fuel loads were already set, and electronic strategies had been prepared for a longer race. Tyre preservation still mattered, but the shorter distance suddenly gave some riders more freedom to attack.

When the lights went out, it was Marco Bezzecchi who made the decisive launch. Although Fabio Di Giannantonio had started from pole, the Italian Aprilia rider snatched the lead immediately and was already in front at the end of lap one, ahead of Marc Marquez and Di Giannantonio, with Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta tucked in behind. Most of the leading group opted for the hard front and medium rear combination, while Acosta was among those gambling on a soft rear.

Bezzecchi wasted no time building control. Di Giannantonio ran wide at Turn 1 on lap two, handing second to Marc Marquez, but the leader was already stretching clear. By lap five, Bezzecchi’s advantage had grown beyond a second, and soon after the race’s shape changed again as Martin and Di Giannantonio both found a way past Marc, promoting Aprilia into a 1-2.

From there, the 27-year-old Roman rode with authority. Martin and Di Giannantonio briefly chipped away at the margin once they found clearer air, but every time the gap looked as though it might come down, Bezzecchi had a response. His fastest lap of the race, a 1m18.654s on lap 11, stood as both race benchmark and further proof that nobody had anything for him on Sunday.

Behind him, Martin’s ride was almost as significant. The 2024 world champion looked increasingly like himself again as he climbed to second and then kept a cool head while the battle for third ebbed and flowed behind him. He crossed the line 3.231s behind Bezzecchi for his first Sunday podium since the 2024 Solidarity GP, and his first Grand Prix podium for Aprilia.

Di Giannantonio completed the podium a further half-second back after fending off Marc Marquez in one of the best fights of the race. That fight for third became one of the defining features of the closing stages. Marc twice looked close to forcing the issue, twice came perilously close to folding the front, and on lap 19 briefly did get through before Di Giannantonio reclaimed the place a lap later. In the end, the VR46 Ducati rider held on by just 0.309s, with Marc responding on the final lap with a 1m18.679s, only 0.025s slower than Bezzecchi’s best of the day and his own best lap of the race.

The other major story was Aprilia’s depth. Ai Ogura came through to steal fifth from Alex Marquez late in the race, making it three Aprilias in the top five once again, while Raul Fernandez brought the second Trackhouse machine home 10th to ensure all four RS-GPs finished inside the top ten. That translated directly into the points tables, where all four Aprilia riders now sit inside the top seven in the riders’ standings, while Aprilia Racing and Trackhouse occupy first and second in the teams’ championship.

Acosta’s soft-rear gamble helped him early, and he briefly rose to fourth before Martin repassed him, but the KTM man eventually had to settle for seventh behind Alex Marquez and ahead of Fermin Aldeguer.

Johann Zarco continued Honda’s difficult weekend in ninth, while Moreira rewarded the home crowd with 13th after a combative ride on the LCR Honda.

There was disappointment elsewhere. Francesco Bagnaia crashed out from 11th at half distance, Joan Mir followed him into the gravel moments later from seventh, Brad Binder was an early casualty, and for 31-year-old Australian Jack Miller, becoming only the 10th rider in history to make 200 Grand Prix starts ended almost immediately with a lap-one crash.

The bigger picture, though, belonged entirely to Bezzecchi and Aprilia. The Italian’s victory was his fourth successive Sunday Grand Prix win, making him the first Aprilia rider to achieve that feat and only the fifth rider in the modern era to win four MotoGP Grands Prix in a row, alongside Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Pecco Bagnaia. It also made him the first Aprilia rider to lead the MotoGP World Championship since Aleix Espargaro in 2022.

Bezzecchi led every lap, with Martin moving into second on lap six and never giving it back.

After two rounds, Bezzecchi now leads the title race on 56 points, 11 clear of Martin on 45, with Acosta third on 42. Di Giannantonio moves to 37, Marc Marquez to 34, Ogura to 33 and Raul Fernandez to 29, underlining just how powerful the Aprilia package looks right now. Aprilia also leads the constructors’ championship on 64 points, with Aprilia Racing on 101 and Trackhouse on 62 in the teams’ table.

MotoGP now heads straight to COTA next weekend, which means another round of early mornings for Australian fans. On the evidence of Brazil, they may also be getting an early-season title fight with a very different shape to the one we may have expected.

Brazil MotoGP Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	30m19.760
2	J. Martin	Apr	+3.231
3	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	+3.780
4	M. Marquez	Duc	+4.089
5	A. Ogura	Apr	+8.403
6	A. Marquez	Duc	+8.918
7	P. Acosta	KTM	+10.687
8	F. Aldeguer	Duc	+11.359
9	J. Zarco	Hon	+12.907
10	R. Fernandez	Apr	+16.370
11	L. Marini	Hon	+18.529
12	F. Morbidelli	Duc	+19.980
13	D. Moreira	Hon	+21.322
14	A. Rins	Yam	+22.699
15	E. Bastianini	KTM	+23.840
16	F. Quartararo	Yam	+26.403
17	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	+30.287
18	M. Viñales	KTM	+36.397
Not Classified
DNF	J. Mir	Hon	DNF
DNF	F. Bagnaia	Duc	DNF
DNF	B. Binder	KTM	DNF
DNF	J. Miller	Yam	DNF

Brazil MotoGP Top Speeds

Pos	Rider	Bike	Average	Top
1	M. Marquez	Duc	344.6	346.1
2	F. Bagnaia	Duc	340.4	343.9
3	A. Marquez	Duc	343.1	343.9
4	A. Ogura	Apr	341.3	343.9
5	J. Mir	Hon	342.1	342.8
6	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	341.9	342.8
7	L. Marini	Hon	340.2	341.7
8	E. Bastianini	KTM	340.3	341.7
9	R. Fernandez	Apr	340.8	341.7
10	P. Acosta	KTM	341.7	341.7
11	A. Rins	Yam	339.4	341.7
12	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	340.7	341.7
13	J. Martin	Apr	341.1	341.7
14	J. Zarco	Hon	339.9	340.6
15	F. Morbidelli	Duc	340.0	340.6
16	F. Aldeguer	Duc	340.6	340.6
17	D. Moreira	Hon	337.7	339.6
18	F. Quartararo	Yam	338.3	339.6
19	M. Viñales	KTM	336.0	338.5
20	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	334.9	336.4
21	B. Binder	KTM	–	330.2
22	J. Miller	Yam	–	285.7

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	56
2	J. Martin	Apr	45
3	P. Acosta	KTM	42
4	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	37
5	M. Marquez	Duc	34
6	A. Ogura	Apr	33
7	R. Fernandez	Apr	29
8	A. Marquez	Duc	13
9	B. Binder	KTM	13
10	F. Morbidelli	Duc	12
11	J. Zarco	Hon	12
12	L. Marini	Hon	11
13	F. Bagnaia	Duc	10
14	F. Aldeguer	Duc	8
15	D. Moreira	Hon	6
16	F. Quartararo	Yam	6
17	E. Bastianini	KTM	5
18	A. Rins	Yam	3
19	J. Mir	Hon	3
20	M. Viñales	KTM	0
21	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	0
22	J. Miller	Yam	0
23	M. Pirro	–	0

Moto2

Holgado turns Q1 gamble into Brazil glory and championship lead

Daniel Holgado completed a superb Sunday at Goiânia, converting a Q1-to-pole effort into victory in the Moto2 race and leaving Brazil as the early championship leader. The Spaniard beat fellow countryman Daniel Muñoz by 1.226s, with Manuel Gonzalez salvaging third after a late pass on Alex Escrig.

With Saturday’s schedule disruption forcing Moto2 qualifying into Sunday morning, Holgado had already done the hard work before the lights went out, digging himself out of Q1 and then securing pole. But the 26-lap race in 30-degree air and 51-degree track temperatures still demanded a different skill set, with tyre management and race control just as important as outright speed.

Alex Escrig initially made the best start, but Muñoz was immediately in the mix after charging forward from 11th on the grid. By the second lap, Muñoz had worked his way to the front, and a lap later Holgado had picked off both Escrig and Muñoz to seize control. The pace at the front was fierce from the outset, with Muñoz posting the first benchmark lap of the race on lap two before Izan Guevara briefly lowered it on lap three. Holgado then delivered the decisive response with a 1m21.920s on lap five, which stood as the fastest lap of the race.

From there, the CFMOTO Inde Aspar rider did what good title contenders do. He controlled the lead without quite being able to shake Muñoz completely. Escrig remained in the podium fight for much of the contest, while Thailand’s winner, Manuel Gonzalez, took a little longer to arrive but became a genuine threat in the closing stages.

At the flag, it was Holgado from Muñoz, Gonzalez and Escrig, while David Alonso ensured both Aspar bikes featured prominently by bringing the sister machine home fifth ahead of Guevara and Tony Arbolino.

The decisive moment came late. Muñoz finally found a way through with just a few laps to run, but Holgado refused to let the race get away. He answered almost immediately, reclaimed the lead and then had enough in reserve to edge clear again. Behind them, Gonzalez closed on Escrig and snatched the final podium place on the last lap, a cruel finish for Escrig but still his strongest Moto2 result to date.

Collin Veijer, Celestino Vietti and Ivan Ortola completed the top ten, with Australian Senna Agius 19th for Intact GP.

For Holgado, the bigger gain was in the standings. His win lifts him to 33 points, 4.5 clear of Gonzalez, with Muñoz up to third on 24. It also puts CFMOTO Aspar on top of the Moto2 teams’ table after a weekend that saw Holgado take pole, fastest lap and the win.

Dani Holgado – P1

“I’m absolutely delighted with how the day finished. We went from Q1 to securing pole position, and then the win. I really enjoyed myself on the bike today; whenever I saw my mechanic on the pit wall, I pushed harder and harder and didn’t give up, even though the race was getting tougher and tougher. I feel great about being the Moto2 leader, but also because my Moto3 teammates are leading their class. I love that we’re performing so well because it gives me extra motivation to see that we’re all doing so well. I’m very proud of myself for not giving up when things go wrong. I always try to have the mindset of not throwing in the towel and giving it my all right to the end. On the first day, I found it a bit hard to adapt to the conditions; I’m not using that as an excuse, but rather as another learning experience.”

The loss of Senna Agius’ mechanic weighed heavily on him, and the constantly changing track conditions posed a major challenge for the 20-year-old Australian rider. Agius had to start Sunday’s race in good weather from the back of the field and finished 18th after 26 gruelling laps.

Senna Agius – P19

“It was a long and tough day. Qualifying did not go according to plan, but I got off to a decent start in the race and was able to make up a few positions. I worked my way up the field a bit, but then I made a mistake in the chicane, and all my progress was lost. After that, I just tried to understand the bike better, get a feel for it, and find a decent pace to finish the race strong. I did what I could, but the tyre started to fade pretty early. So, I had to deal with that. Since I did not feel comfortable on the bike, it turned into a physically demanding race. So, we need to keep our feet on the ground and pull together, because we need to understand why we had such a hard time this weekend. It gives me extra motivation for Austin to get things right from the start and do the work needed so we will be in a better situation soon. A big thank you to the team. Jürgen and all my guys are doing a really great job. Unfortunately, Brazil was a really tough weekend for us, but I am confident we will come back stronger soon. It was also strange that Roby was not here. Even though Roby’s passing is a heavy blow for all of us, we must somehow carry on and stay strong — for his sake as well. He will always be in our hearts. My deepest condolences go out to his family, his daughter, and his friends.”

Brazil Moto2 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	D. Holgado	Kal	35m46.382
2	D. Muñoz	Kal	+1.226
3	M. Gonzalez	Kal	+3.916
4	A. Escrig	For	+4.497
5	D. Alonso	Kal	+8.652
6	I. Guevara	Bos	+8.778
7	T. Arbolino	Kal	+9.683
8	C. Veijer	Kal	+11.198
9	C. Vietti	Bos	+11.890
10	I. Ortola	Kal	+12.718
11	A. Lopez	Kal	+16.218
12	A. Huertas	Kal	+18.439
13	M. Aji	Kal	+18.932
14	B. Baltus	Kal	+19.696
15	F. Salac	Kal	+19.697
16	S. Garcia	Kal	+20.722
17	A. Ferrandez	Bos	+24.717
18	J. Roberts	Kal	+24.880
19	S. Agius	Kal	+27.250
20	D. Öncü	Bos	+28.303
21	J. A. Rueda	Kal	+31.633
22	A. Canet	Bos	+33.355
23	D. Foggia	Bos	+38.931
24	Z. Vd Goorbergh	Kal	+40.307
Not Classified
DNF	T. Furusato	Kal	DNF
DNF	A. Piqueras	Kal	DNF
DNF	J. Navarro	For	DNF
NS	A. Sasaki	Kal	NS

 Moto2 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	D. Holgado	33
2	M. Gonzalez	28.5
3	D. Muñoz	24
4	I. Guevara	20
5	A. Escrig	15
6	C. Veijer	13.5
7	I. Ortola	12.5
8	C. Vietti	12
9	D. Alonso	11
10	T. Arbolino	10.5
11	A. Lopez	9.5
12	A. Huertas	4
13	D. Öncü	3.5
14	A. Sasaki	3
15	M. Aji	3
16	B. Baltus	3
17	A. Canet	2.5
18	F. Salac	1
19	A. Ferrandez	0.5
20	T. Furusato	0
21	S. Garcia	0
22	J. Navarro	0
23	S. Agius	0
24	J. Roberts	0
25	J. A. Rueda	0
26	D. Foggia	0
27	Z. Vd Goorbergh	0

Brazil Moto2 Qualifying Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap		Speed
1	D. Holgado	Kal	1m20.711		280.5
2	D. Alonso	Kal	1m20.728	+0.017	284.9
3	A. Escrig	For	1m20.754	+0.043	282.7
4	M. Gonzalez	Kal	1m20.790	+0.079	283.4
5	A. Piqueras	Kal	1m20.803	+0.092	287.2
6	C. Veijer	Kal	1m20.946	+0.235	282.7
7	A. Lopez	Kal	1m20.949	+0.238	283.4
8	C. Vietti	Bos	1m20.970	+0.259	281.9
9	M. Aji	Kal	1m20.982	+0.271	279.7
10	T. Arbolino	Kal	1m21.025	+0.314	282.7
11	D. Muñoz	Kal	1m21.058	+0.347	276.2
12	I. Ortola	Kal	1m21.071	+0.360	283.4
13	I. Guevara	Bos	1m21.168	+0.457	279.7
14	B. Baltus	Kal	1m21.216	+0.505	281.2
15	S. Garcia	Kal	1m21.269	+0.558	279.7
16	J. Roberts	Kal	1m21.298	+0.587	279.0
17	F. Salac	Kal	1m21.327	+0.616	279.0
18	D. Öncü	Bos	1m21.558	+0.847	281.2
19	A. Sasaki	Kal	1m21.476	+0.602*	281.9
20	T. Furusato	Kal	1m21.494	+0.620*	282.7
21	A. Huertas	Kal	1m21.508	+0.634*	283.4
22	Z. Vd Goorbergh	Kal	1m21.565	+0.691*	279.7
23	D. Foggia	Bos	1m21.652	+0.778*	285.7
24	A. Ferrandez	Bos	1m21.663	+0.789*	284.9
25	A. Canet	Bos	1m21.686	+0.812*	280.5
26	J. Navarro	For	1m21.765	+0.891*	281.2
27	J. A. Rueda	Kal	1m21.976	+1.102*	283.4
28	S. Agius	Kal	1m22.049	+1.175*	276.2

Moto3

Quiles wins bizarre two-part Brazil race as Morelli and Pratama make history

The official Moto3 result in Brazil came from a five-lap restarted second part, and it was Maximo Quiles who emerged on top for CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar. The Spaniard beat team-mate Marco Morelli by just 0.143s, with Indonesia’s Veda Pratama taking a landmark first Grand Prix podium in third.

The result sheet only tells half the story. Before the red flag, the original 14-lap first part had already been a race full of swings. Joel Esteban started from pole, Marco Morelli and Valentin Perrone both spent time at the front early, and championship leader David Almansa had charged from 14th on the grid to take over at the head of the field. But when Almansa crashed out, Quiles inherited the lead and looked increasingly in control. At the stoppage, the Spaniard led by 4.133s from Adrian Fernandez, with Perrone third, Alvaro Carpe fourth, Rico Salmela fifth and Morelli only seventh. Australian Joel Kelso was 11th at that point.

The red flag came after Scott Ogden’s crash, with officials confirming a five-lap restart. Almansa, Esteban, Ogden and Leo Rammerstorfer were all ruled out of the restart, changing the complexion of the Grand Prix completely. That mattered enormously because Quiles had already done the hardest part in race one, while riders like Morelli suddenly got a second chance.

When the short second part began, Quiles again put himself in the right place and refused to blink. Morelli, the Argentine teenager on the other Aspar KTM, was much more threatening in the restart than he had been at the red flag and chased all the way to the line, eventually falling just 0.143s short.

Pratama completed the podium for Honda Team Asia, a result made even bigger by the fact it was his first podium in Grand Prix racing and the first for an Indonesian rider in any world championship class.

Bertelle and Jesus Rios crashed out on the opening lap of the restart, while Ruche Moodley was later sidelined by a technical issue.

Behind the podium, Carpe and Guido Pini filled fourth and fifth, with Salmela an impressive sixth to score his first world championship points. Perrone, who had been a genuine contender before losing time in the first part while avoiding Esteban’s crash, came home seventh ahead of Adrian Fernandez, Casey O’Gorman and Hakim Danish.

Kelso slipped one place from his ranking from the interruption to finish 12th in the official result.

There was also a strong human angle to the Aspar success. Quiles’ win came on his 18th birthday, while Morelli celebrated his first Moto3 podium as the team sealed a one-two and moved to the top of the Moto3 teams’ standings.

Quiles now leads the championship on 45 points, with Morelli second on 28 and Pratama third on 27. Almansa, who had looked capable of limiting the damage before his crash, dropped to fifth on 25 after failing to restart.

Máximo Quiles – P1

“It’s been a really good weekend. I’m leaving Brazil on a high note and there’s no better birthday present than celebrating with a win. It’s been a perfect Sunday. I was a bit disappointed with the red flag, but in the second race I decided to go flat out from the start. I’m really happy with the win and my teammate’s first podium. Marco showed me the victory dance all weekend. He never told me what it was for, though I could guess, but I didn’t want to jinx it. It was brilliant.”

Marco Morelli – P2

“I went all out and tried to catch Máximo; we were both riding very fast and he made it very difficult for me. He’s a top-class rider and I’m really happy to share my first podium with him. I’m close to home, so it’s been even more special. I want to dedicate this to my family, but especially to my dad because it was Father’s Day this week, although I would have loved it to be a win. It was a brilliant sprint race. In the first race I didn’t feel comfortable with the tyres, although I got out in front at the start. I tried to push, but from the third lap onwards I didn’t have good grip and I started losing positions. I was very lucky with the red flag, because in the second race, with different tyres, I was able to make the most of the pace I’d had all weekend. I started seventh and found it a bit hard to overtake other riders because there were so few laps.”

Brazil Moto3 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	M. Quiles	KTM	7’19.821
2	M. Morelli	KTM	+0.143
3	V. Pratama	Hon	+1.650
4	A. Carpe	KTM	+1.741
5	G. Pini	Hon	+1.786
6	R. Salmela	KTM	+1.842
7	V. Perrone	KTM	+1.949
8	A. Fernandez	Hon	+2.522
9	C. O’Gorman	Hon	+2.894
10	H. Danish	KTM	+3.083
11	B. Uriarte	KTM	+3.158
12	J. Kelso	Hon	+3.791
13	A. Cruces	KTM	+4.001
14	R. Yamanaka	KTM	+4.374
15	E. O’Shea	Hon	+4.750
16	Z. Mitani	Hon	+6.438
17	N. Carraro	Hon	+6.595
18	C. Buchanan	KTM	+12.823
Not Classified
DNF	R. Moodley	KTM	DNF
DNF	M. Bertelle	KTM	DNF
NS	J. Rios	Hon	DNF
NS	J. Esteban	KTM	NS
NS	D. Almansa	KTM	NS
NS	L. Rammerstorfer	Hon	NS
NS	S. Ogden	KTM	NS

Moto3 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	M. Quiles	45
2	M. Morelli	28
3	V. Pratama	27
4	A. Carpe	26
5	D. Almansa	25
6	V. Perrone	25
7	A. Fernandez	18
8	B. Uriarte	14
9	C. O’Gorman	12
10	G. Pini	11
11	R. Salmela	10
12	J. Esteban	7
13	H. Danish	6
14	D. Muñoz	6
15	J. Kelso	6
16	A. Cruces	6
17	S. Ogden	4
18	R. Yamanaka	2
19	E. O’Shea	2
20	Z. Mitani	0
21	L. Rammerstorfer	0
22	J. Rios	0
23	N. Carraro	0
24	C. Buchanan	0
25	R. Moodley	0

2026 MotoGP Calendar

Rnd	Date	Event	Circuit
1	01 Mar	Thai	Chang International Circuit
2	22 Mar	Brazil*	Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
3	29 Mar	US	Circuit of the Americas
4	26 Apr	Spain**	Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
5	10 May	France	Le Mans
6	17 May	Catalonia	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
7	31 May	Italy	Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
8	07 Jun	Hungary	Balaton Park Circuit
9	21 Jun	Czech	Automotodrom Brno
10	28 Jun	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
11	12 Jul	Germany	Sachsenring
12	09 Aug	GB	Silverstone Circuit
13	30 Aug	Aragon	MotorLand Aragon
14	13 Sep	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
15	20 Sep	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
16	04 Oct	Japan	Mobility Resort Motegi
17	11 Oct	Indonesia	Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
18	25 Oct	Australia	Phillip Island
19	01 Nov	Malaysia	Petronas Sepang International Circuit
20	08 Nov	Qatar	Lusail International Circuit
21	22 Nov	Portugal	Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
22	29 Nov	Valencia	Circuit Ricardo Tormo

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