RACE REPORT | MotoGP Catalonia 2026

The Catalunya Grand Prix turned into one of the wildest races of the 2026 MotoGP season, with crashes, tyre failures, three race starts, and drama right to the final corner. Fabio Di Giannantonio eventually claimed victory after a late pass on Pedro Acosta, while Joan Mir and Fermín Aldeguer completed the podium.

Pedro Acosta made a strong start and led the early stages ahead of Raul Fernandez and Alex Márquez. Several battles behind allowed Acosta to build a small gap, while Jorge Martin, Johann Zarco, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Alex Márquez fought intensely for the top positions.

Raul Fernandez briefly took the lead on lap 5, but Acosta soon responded. Alex Márquez then joined the fight at the front before the race was dramatically interrupted on lap 12. Acosta suffered a rear tyre explosion, which caused heavy crashes for both Alex Márquez and Di Giannantonio, bringing out the first red flag.

The race was restarted for 13 laps, but another major incident at Turn 1 involving Francesco Bagnaia, Luca Marini, and Johann Zarco caused a second red flag almost immediately.

After a third start, Acosta again held the lead, while Jorge Martin crashed after contact with Raul Fernandez. Joan Mir moved into second place ahead of Bagnaia, with Di Giannantonio charging through the field.

Di Giannantonio overtook Bagnaia and then passed Mir before closing in on Acosta. With just a few laps remaining, the Italian finally made his move for the lead and pulled away.

On the final lap, Mir and Aldeguer attacked Acosta, while Ai Ogura also joined the fight. Acosta then crashed after contact with Ogura at the final corner, ending his hopes of victory. Ogura later received a three-second penalty for causing the collision.

Di Giannantonio crossed the line to win the Catalunya Grand Prix ahead of Joan Mir and Fermín Aldeguer after an unforgettable and chaotic MotoGP race.

UPDATE:

Joan Mir crossed the finish line in second place and appeared to secure Honda’s first podium result of the season. However, MotoGP stewards later handed him a 16-second penalty after his tyre pressure was found to be below the minimum limit set by the regulations. The penalty dropped Mir from second to 13th place. Four other riders were also penalised for tyre pressure infringements, with Alex Rins, Jack Miller, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Raul Fernandez all losing positions in the final results.

As a result of the penalties at the front, Fermín Aldeguer inherited second place for Gresini Ducati. Francesco Bagnaia was promoted to third, securing his first podium finish of the 2026 MotoGP season.

2026 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix: race results

1st – Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati)
2nd – Fermín Aldeguer (Ducati) +1.466
3rd – Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +4.320
4th – Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) +4.679
5th – Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) +4.876
6th – Luca Marini (Honda) +4.971
7th – Brad Binder (KTM) +5.137
8th – Ai Ogura (Aprilia) +5.377
9th – Diogo Moreira (Honda) +6.839
10th – Franco Morbidelli (Ducati) +7.160
11th – Maverick Viñales (KTM) +10.147
12th – Augusto Fernandez (Yamaha) +16.245
13th – Joan Mir (Honda) +17.250
14th – Alex Rins (Yamaha) +22.916
15th – Jack Miller (Yamaha) +26.452
16th – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) +27.808
17th – Raul Fernandez (Aprilia) +31.066

DNF – Jorge Martin (Aprilia)
DNF – Pedro Acosta (KTM)
DNF – Enea Bastianini (KTM)
DNF – Johann Zarco (Honda)
DNF – Alex Márquez (Ducati)