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Exactly one year after winning the Spanish Grand Prix, BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Márquez repeated the feat in the 2026 race, delivering a perfect ride at the Circuito de Jerez to score his first victory of the 2026 MotoGP™ and home soil glory for the second successive year. Here is all you need to know:
– After three opening races in Thailand, Brazil and the United States, Jerez marked the first of 12 successive races in Europe for the MotoGP™ riders and teams, where unexpected rain during Saturday’s Sprint race saw a number of contenders crash and register DNFs.
– Márquez, championship leader Marco Bezzecchi and second in points Jorge Martín all hit the asphalt in wild and unpredictable race where Marquez’s brother, Márc, won the race after falling in the last turn, getting up and riding straight into the pits to switch bikes for one adorned with wet tyres.
– Putting aside the disappoint of Saturday behind him, Márquez wasn’t to be denied during Sunday’s sun-drenched Grand Prix. Surging from third on the grid and past his brother to lead the race by Turn 6 of the opening lap, he was never headed again.
– Riding a perfect race, Márquez controlled his advantage perfectly for 25 laps of the Circuito de Jerez to take the chequered flag once again by almost two seconds, scoring not only his first win of the 2026 season, but also his first top three finish in the four Grands Prix to date.
– Behind Márquez, Aprilia Racing’s championship leader Bezzecchi also bounced back from his Sprint fall to maintain his perfect podium record so far this season in the main races, while Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team rider Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the podium.
– After back-to-back podiums in Brazil and the United States, 2024 world champion Jorge Mártin just missed the podium in Jerez after finishing fourth, while Johann Zarco backed up an impressive second in the Sprint with seventh on Sunday.
– Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Enea Bastianini was the top KTM rider in eighth place, while Pedro Acosta failed to match his podium pace from the USA with 10th, one position ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team-mate Brad Binder.
– MotoGP™ rookie Diogo Moreira slotted his Pro Honda LCR into 17th position while fellow rookie, double WSBK champion Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, finished 19th.
Spanish Grand Prix result
- Alex Márquez (SPA) – BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP 40m 48.861s
- Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) – Aprilia Racing +1.903s
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) – Pertamina Enduro VR46 +5.796s
- Jorge Martín (SPA) – Aprilia Racing +9.229
- Ai Ogura (JPN) – Trackhouse MotoGP Team +9.891s
2026 MotoGP rider standings
- Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) – Aprilia Racing 101 points
- Jorge Martín (SPA) – Aprilia Racing 90
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) – Pertamina Enduro VR46 71
- Pedro Acosta (SPA) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 66
- Marc Márquez (SPA) – Ducati Lenovo Team 57
