MotoGP 2026

Round Two – Brazil – Friday

MotoGP’s second round of the 2026 World Championship got underway on Friday at the Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton Senna, with weather playing a major role from the outset as riders tried to get on top of a resurfaced circuit that was never fully dry and never fully wet. There were plenty of challenges in the pits as well, with finding a working dunny proving almost mission impossible, while the circuit surrounds had turned into a quagmire after biblical rain drenched the venue in the lead-up to the race weekend.

Heavy overnight rain had complicated the morning session, and the crucial afternoon Practice session quickly became a race against the weather. With more rain looming, riders wasted no time bolting in slicks and pushing for a lap early, knowing the top ten at the end of the session would progress directly to Q2.

It was Johann Zarco who came out best in the scramble, the Castrol Honda LCR rider laying down a 1m21.257s that remained unbeaten once the rain returned, the Frenchman again the master of mixed, sketchy conditions.

Marc Marquez was second for Ducati Lenovo Team, just 0.125s adrift, while Toprak Razgatlioglu delivered another eye-catching performance for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP to finish third and secure direct passage to Q2 in only his second MotoGP weekend.

Jorge Martin put Aprilia Racing fourth, ahead of championship leader Pedro Acosta, while Alex Marquez continued his solid start to the season in sixth for Gresini. Fabio Quartararo made it two Yamahas inside the top ten in seventh, with Fermin Aldeguer eighth despite struggling with his recently broken leg and hardly riding a bike all year before Friday. Francesco Bagnaia and Ai Ogura rounded out the top ten.

The nature of the session meant timing was everything. Once heavier rain arrived with around half an hour remaining, anyone still needing to improve was effectively stranded. Marco Bezzecchi was among the biggest losers, the Thailand winner stuck down in 20th after missing the best of the conditions, and also looking to have some problems with the Aprilia. Raul Fernandez also endured a difficult afternoon and finished outside the top 20, making it a disappointing Friday for half of the Aprilia contingent.

Yamaha had reason for encouragement. Quartararo timed his run well, banking his best lap just before conditions deteriorated again. He had struggled more in the morning but found enough in the afternoon to secure a place in Q2. On the other side of the garage, Alex Rins narrowly missed out, ending the day 13th and only 0.065s shy of the top ten after finding traffic on one of his quicker laps.

At Pramac Yamaha, Razgatlioglu was the standout. The Turkish rookie has looked increasingly comfortable since stepping into MotoGP, and on Friday, he handled the patchy grip with maturity to deliver one of the day’s headline performances. Jack Miller also looked capable of making the top ten, but a fall at Turn 4 interrupted his session, and he was left 12th, only just missing a direct route to Q2.

Turn 4 proved costly for a number of riders. Brad Binder crashed there early in the session, while Miller and Brazilian home favourite Diogo Moreira also went down at the same corner as riders searched for grip on a surface that changed lap by lap.

For Ducati Lenovo Team, Marc Marquez and Bagnaia both remained in the mix through the decisive stages of Practice. Marc looked competitive throughout and ended the day second, while Bagnaia did enough to stay inside the top ten before the rain returned and locked the order in place.

VR46 endured a more difficult Friday. Franco Morbidelli, racing at what is effectively his home round thanks to his Brazilian connection, had shown encouraging speed earlier in the day but ended up only 18th as worsening conditions disrupted his programme. Team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio was 19th after also losing valuable track time in the changing conditions.

Honda HRC Castrol likewise missed the direct cut. Luca Marini was left 11th, just outside the crucial top ten, while Joan Mir battled through the day while unwell and finished 16th. Mir said afterwards that he lacked the energy to fully exploit such demanding conditions, even though the pace itself was not far off.

Trackhouse Aprilia at least got one bike into Q2 through Ai Ogura, whose measured long-run approach in the early part of Practice paid off before the rain intensified. Ogura finished 10th and said the track was fun to ride despite the tricky surface. Raul Fernandez, by contrast, struggled to get temperature into the rear tyre and could not match the pace of his team-mate or Martin.

Friday left plenty unresolved. Riders and engineers got only limited clean running on a circuit new to the current MotoGP field, and several teams admitted they still have only a partial understanding of set-up direction for qualifying, the Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix. If the weather remains unstable, Saturday could produce another reshuffle. Many riders are actually hoping for full wet conditions as most think that will actually make for a safer race.

Brazil MotoGP Friday Practice Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap		Speed
1	J. Zarco	Hon	1m21.257		336.4
2	M. Marquez	Duc	1m21.382	+0.125	335.4
3	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	1m21.565	+0.308	330.2
4	J. Martin	Apr	1m21.566	+0.309	332.3
5	P. Acosta	KTM	1m21.750	+0.493	331.2
6	A. Marquez	Duc	1m21.795	+0.538	336.4
7	F. Quartararo	Yam	1m21.825	+0.568	330.2
8	F. Aldeguer	Duc	1m21.882	+0.625	327.2
9	F. Bagnaia	Duc	1m21.967	+0.710	334.3
10	A. Ogura	Apr	1m22.067	+0.810	333.3
11	L. Marini	Hon	1m22.088	+0.831	330.2
12	J. Miller	Yam	1m22.130	+0.873	329.2
13	A. Rins	Yam	1m22.132	+0.875	333.3
14	M. Viñales	KTM	1m22.226	+0.969	334.3
15	D. Moreira	Hon	1m22.355	+1.098	329.2
16	J. Mir	Hon	1m22.392	+1.135	333.3
17	B. Binder	KTM	1m22.692	+1.435	329.2
18	F. Morbidelli	Duc	1m22.733	+1.476	331.2
19	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	1m22.890	+1.633	335.4
20	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	1m23.300	+2.043	338.5
21	R. Fernandez	Apr	1m23.901	+2.644	327.2
22	E. Bastianini	KTM	1m25.963	+4.706	330.2

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Johann Zarco – P1

“The different weather conditions helped us better understand the bike’s behaviour here. In the afternoon, I tried to push in every condition we encountered, as they were quite tricky, and I managed well. I only did a few laps, but they were enough in the rain to set a good lap time. Finishing first is great, we’ve done a great job! However, we won’t truly know our real performance until we have regular conditions. I like the track; I believe we can do something good here.”

Marc Márquez – P2

“The track has some really nice long right-handers. It’s a short track, especially compared to Sepang and Buriram, and I like that. The conditions weren’t easy, but I think they’ll be like that all weekend. We already knew in the previous days that the track wouldn’t dry evenly and that we’d have to take some risks. The feeling is good, though, and I hope we can maintain this level. Obviously, there’s still a lot of room to see the real performance, but we’re happy with how things have gone so far.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu – P3

“I‘m really happy with my performance today and, to be honest, I was also a bit surprised when I came back to the pits and saw I was third. I had a big smile on my face. At the same time, I know it‘s only Friday, so this is not the moment to celebrate — I want to stay focused for the rest of the weekend. Still, I‘m very happy, especially for the team, because they deserved a positive result.

“I think today we made a very good decision with the front hard tyre. I believe we were the only ones to go in that direction, and it gave me a lot of stability and confidence on corner entry. It was my crew chief who suggested it, and I‘m glad I trusted that choice.

“I‘ve always enjoyed riding in wet conditions, but today was quite tricky with how mixed it was. We‘ll see what the next days bring, because the weather looks very unpredictable. Ideally, I would prefer fully wet or fully dry conditions — even if dry might be a bit more challenging for us — as it would give us clearer feedback to keep improving.”

Jorge Martin – P4

“It is always important to be in Q2, but it was even more difficult to achieve today, because with challenging track conditions, we all had to take risks. I felt comfortable with the bike from the very start and, day by day, I am getting closer and closer to where I want to be.”

Alex Marquez – P6

“We handled the weather well, and it worked out. I’m happy with this Q2 result on a circuit in really tricky conditions. There were lots of puddles. We weren’t able to draw many conclusions on how to approach the rest of the weekend, and I think most riders are in the same situation. Tomorrow we’re hoping for a dry track, but it will be a great challenge.”

Fabio Quartararo – P7

“We know what we have going for us, and we had to make use of these tricky conditions and the new layout. The wind also played a role. It was good, especially since I set my best lap with 16 laps on the tyre – so it was positive. I like the track! Of course, the lap is short, but the circuit doesn’t feel small. We couldn’t fully exploit the track layout because it was patchy out there, so it was difficult. But with the sun out and in fully dry conditions, it will be a really fun track.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P8

“Today was a great day to get back to enjoying myself and my bike. The conditions weren’t the best, but we managed to get into Q2, which was something I hoped for but definitely didn’t expect. The pain is minimal, even though we didn’t do many laps today. We’ll need to manage our energy well, but it was certainly a positive Friday and important for morale. We’re starting again on the right foot, and mentally that was crucial.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P9

“The track is really beautiful: small, fast, and very technical. It’s important to link the corners well and go in very hard. It’s a shame we only managed to do a few laps in the dry, but I have to say that the little I felt was positive. I like the bike and it gives me a good feeling. I felt good both in the mixed conditions this morning and in practice. We got straight into Q2, and that’s the most important thing.”

Ai Ogura – P10

“This Friday was good. The conditions were really tricky, so tomorrow is going to be a busy day and we have a lot to do. In the first run of the Practice, this afternoon, we had been planning to do a long run of about 10 laps, so I was building the confidence, getting the feeling from the tyre, and managed to do a lap that was just enough to be in the top 10. Then the rain started to be stronger and at the end the conditions didn’t allow improvements anymore. Anyway, I like the track – it’s really fun to ride. It’s quite tight, but it’s also important to have these kinds of circuits and not only big ones. I’m having fun.”

Luca Marini – P11

“Not as many laps as we would have liked today! I have to say that the tarmac, even though it is very fresh, has very good grip in all conditions. The quality of the circuit is very good; MotoGP Sports and the circuit have done a great job from what we saw just one year ago. Let’s hope for better weather tomorrow to really understand the circuit, these mixed conditions are tricky. Missing Q2 directly is tough, with the conditions we had today a lot is still possible because we are very far from the limit of the riders and the bikes.”

Jack Miller – P12

“From this morning I felt we had the potential to do well. In the afternoon I made a couple of mistakes on what could have been good laps — first when I tried to pass Jorge into the last corner, and then with the crash when I hit a wet patch and lost the front. Before that, every time I was trying to put a proper lap together, I either made a small mistake or got caught in traffic.

“So overall, not ideal, but I‘m looking forward to tomorrow because I believe we can be competitive, especially if the conditions are a bit more consistent. I enjoy riding in the wet, but today it was neither properly wet nor dry, which makes things tricky.

“That said, I think we‘re in a decent place. The bike is working well here and we have the potential to do a good job. I also like the track — the layout is nice — even if today we were all forced to take different lines just to avoid the wet patches rather than focusing purely on the fastest way around.”

Alex Rins – P13

“The track is super nice – I really like the layout. In FP1, I was able to be quite fast from the beginning, so that was quite great. In the afternoon, I was so close to entering Q2. On one lap I was quite fast, but I found another rider on track, though he was pushing too. So, it was just unlucky that because of this we couldn’t enter Q2. But tomorrow we have another chance!”

Maverick Viñales – P14

“I had a good feeling on the bike. The traction was good, and I recovered the sensation I had at the Sepang test. Of course, I’m not happy with the result, but I’m happy in the sense that I feel the bike working again, which is the most important thing. I just couldn’t push to the limit in the wet parts of the circuit on slick tyres – I didn’t feel too comfortable in those conditions – but in the dry sections, I feel very strong. I don’t think we’re going to see a fully dry track – it looks like the mixed weather is here to stay – but I’m really excited to keep pushing and keep building.”

Diogo Moreira – P15

“It’s been a positive day overall. In the first practice session, it was fantastic to see so many fans at the track. We’re approaching it in the same way as any other race weekend, even though it’s my home Grand Prix, which gives me extra motivation. We’re in a strong moment, so it’s important to stay focused. In the afternoon, I had a crash and couldn’t improve my lap time, but that can happen when you’re pushing to the limit. We’re looking forward to the Sprint”.

Joan Mir – P16

“Today was a difficult one, I am quite sick and lacking energy to really move with the bike when the conditions are tough like this. Our partials are good, so the speed is there but I don’t have it in myself today to put every part together and that’s why we missed the chance to go to Q2 today. When conditions are like this you need to really be 100% so it’s a shame, because we could have been there. Learning the circuit, hopefully everything is more stable tomorrow to enjoy Brazil more!”

Franco Morbidelli – P18

“Today it was amazing to ride on this track for the first time with a MotoGP bike. I really like this circuit, the layout is unique and we’ll see what we can do. It’s going to be a very exciting GP, we’re ready and enthusiastic. It’s a home race for me and I’m very proud to represent Brazil. This morning was positive and I immediately had a good feeling in FP1. It’s a pity about the unstable weather during Practice, we were unlucky with the timing in the afternoon. The goal for tomorrow is to do well, but that’s always our aim everywhere. We’ll work to get through Q1 and a Top5 finish in the race. We’ve shown we have the potential to be there, the Ducati package is excellent. We’re also working on making some changes to the bike that I think could help us improve at the start, we’ll see.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P19

“This morning we had a few things to try at the start of FP1, but they didn’t work as we wanted and we lost some time. Despite the conditions not being perfect, the feeling with the bike on wet was good. In Practice, intermittent rain affected the work plan. When I was on track, I lost a lot of time in a couple of corners that were very wet, so I couldn’t find the rhythm to push. Even when the track starts to dry, there are still some wet patches and it’s difficult to ride on slick tyres. But it’s also a new circuit, so it’s normal to have to adapt. We need to work to understand how to improve in these particular conditions, but the track is fantastic.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P20

“The morning went well – I managed to put together a good FP1, even though the conditions were a bit tricky. We still need to understand what happened in the afternoon, especially in the first run. Unfortunately, the rain intensified, and we were unable to improve”.

Raul Fernandez – P21

“I like the track, it’s super nice and I enjoyed it a lot on the bike. This means the guys here did a really good job with the track – it’s small but very fast and I like it. In practice, we haven’t been in the position we want to be and for some reason, I couldn’t warm up the rear tyre well; this was my main issue. We have the data from Jorge (Martin), who was fast and also Ai and I need to understand what I have to do on the bike to warm up the tires better. In this kind of situation with a new track, it’s hard to understand it well and I need more time to see the data to understand what I have to do if we have a similar situation tomorrow. Maybe Saturday can be a good opportunity if it’s dry because if you go from Q1 to Q2 you have 15 minutes more, which overall might be helpful during the weekend. We will try again tomorrow.”

Enea Bastianini – P22

“We spent this morning trying to learn the track. It was fun to ride – really compact, but cool. In the afternoon, though, I couldn’t push – the front of the bike felt light, which was strange. It was the first time I’ve ever experienced that, so we need to understand what happened, but we’ll check over all the data to resolve the problem, and we’ll improve tomorrow.”

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	P. Acosta	32
2	M. Bezzecchi	25
3	R. Fernandez	23
4	J. Martin	18
5	A. Ogura	17
6	B. Binder	13
7	F. Di Giannantonio	12
8	M. Márquez (Marc)	9
9	F. Morbidelli	8
10	F. Bagnaia	8
11	L. Marini	6
12	J. Zarco	5
13	E. Bastianini	4
14	D. Moreira	3
15	J. Mir	3
16	F. Quartararo	2
17	A. Rins	1
18	M. Viñales	0
19	T. Razgatlioglu	0
20	J. Miller	0
21	M. Pirro	0
22	A. Márquez (Alex)	0

Moto2

Tony Arbolino (REDS Fantic Racing) led a Moto2 pack of surprises. Behind him, Buriram winner Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) completed the top three in what turned out to be a Friday that featured all four seasons. A wet but drying morning followed by wind, spots of rain but overall dry running in the afternoon, Goiania’s unpredictability was mirrored by the weather.

An array of fresh names and faces made it into Q2 straight away, but it was Arbolino who surprised the most by topping the day’s running. The Italian led the combined times courtesy of the afternoon’s Practice being the only dry track time, but nonetheless, made the most of the evolving conditions to lead the Moto2 charge. Championship leader Gonzalez was right behind him, 0.170s off the #14, whilst it was Alonso who rounded out the top three.

David Alonso – P3

“After the crash in Thailand, I’m feeling physically fine; there’s been good progress over the last few days and I didn’t have any discomfort today. I’ve been able to ‘dance the samba’ freely, so I’m happy. In the afternoon we had to dodge the patches of water and play around to see where it was dry. I struggled a bit at the start, but in the end I managed to turn it around to set a good time. It’s going to be a very physical race because there will be a lot of laps, so we’ll have to stay very focused. We’re still working on improving a few things: the Friday afternoon session always gives me a bit of trouble, but we’re on the right track. Moto2 is a class where you have to work hard; you have to push really hard to stay at the front. I really liked the circuit: it has some very fast sections and other slower, kart-track-style parts. I would have loved it to be a bit longer because it’s great fun.”

Onto the surprises, and it’s fair to say that Angel Piqueras (QJ MOTOR – PONT GRUP – MSI) was a headline-grabber in fourth as he took top rookie honours whilst Mario Aji (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was fifth, repeating his efforts from Friday afternoon in Thailand. Celestino Vietti (HDR SpeedRS Team) rounded out the top six but suffered a late technical issue.

Notable names not in the top 14, such as Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), who was 16th, Aron Canet (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in 18th and Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) in 20th, with the Spaniard struggling on day one in Goiania after his podium from Buriram. There was a late crash for Zonta Van den Goorbergh at Turn 13.

Brazil Moto2 Friday Practice Times

Moto3

David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) went quickest in Friday Practice at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Brazil, but it’s just 0.050 covering the top three at the end of both the day and session. Second goes to New Zealand’s Cormac Buchanan (CODE Motorsports), just 0.003 off the top, with Indonesian rookie Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia) 0.047 further back in third.

Almansa’s 1:30.260 to go quickest in the afternoon is down from a 1:32.812 set by rookie Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in FP1, with conditions improved by the time practice rolled around for it to be officially classed as dry. Uriarte was nearly four-tenths clear at the top in the morning and P7 in the afternoon.

Joel Kelso (MLav Racing), rookie Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Joel Esteban (LEVEL UP – MTA) trailed Pratama in the afternoon overall, slotting in ahead of Uriarte in P7.

Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), Leo Rammerstorfer (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completed the top ten, with some of the less experienced riders finding plenty of space to shine at a track that’s brand new for all on the grid.

Brazil Moto3 Friday Practice Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap		Speed
1	D. Almansa	KTM	1m30.260		227.8
2	C. Buchanan	KTM	1m30.263	+0.003	233.2
3	V. Pratama	Hon	1m30.310	+0.050	234.2
4	J. Kelso	Hon	1m30.371	+0.111	230.7
5	R. Salmela	KTM	1m30.481	+0.221	230.2
6	J. Esteban	KTM	1m30.560	+0.300	231.7
7	B. Uriarte	KTM	1m30.601	+0.341	232.7
8	M. Morelli	KTM	1m30.770	+0.510	234.2
9	L. Rammerstorfer	Hon	1m30.797	+0.537	230.2
10	C. O’Gorman	Hon	1m30.943	+0.683	228.3
11	G. Pini	Hon	1m30.978	+0.718	230.7
12	H. Danish	KTM	1m30.989	+0.729	231.7
13	V. Perrone	KTM	1m31.134	+0.874	228.8
14	M. Quiles	KTM	1m31.138	+0.878	235.8
15	S. Ogden	KTM	1m31.252	+0.992	230.7
16	M. Bertelle	KTM	1m31.351	+1.091	230.7
17	A. Fernandez	Hon	1m31.418	+1.158	231.7
18	N. Carraro	Hon	1m31.700	+1.440	225.4
19	A. Carpe	KTM	1m31.880	+1.620	231.7
20	J. Rios	Hon	1m32.137	+1.877	226.4
21	A. Cruces	KTM	1m32.178	+1.918	230.7
22	R. Moodley	KTM	1m32.218	+1.958	232.7
23	R. Yamanaka	KTM	1m32.535	+2.275	232.7
24	Z. Mitani	Hon	1m32.994	+2.734	225.0
25	E. O’Shea	Hon	1m33.157	+2.897	231.7

Brazil MotoGP Schedule AEDT

Friday
Time	Class	Event

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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