The first half of the 2026 MotoGP season was defined by Aprilia’s raw pace. But that was far from the full story. Over the opening 11 rounds of the year, the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing witnessed Ducati’s resurgence, Marc Márquez’s comeback, Marco Bezzecchi’s slump, and much more.
The standout story of the season has been the strength of the RS-GP. Aprilia brought a razor-sharp bike to the track, enabling Bezzecchi to control proceedings. Across the first seven rounds—barring frequent stumbles in the Sprint races—the Italian dominated and established himself as the prime title contender.
On the other side of the garage, Jorge Martín put last year’s nightmare behind him and regained his form while adapting to the Piaggio Group’s prototype.
Under these circumstances, Aprilia emerged as the benchmark, forcing Ducati into damage limitation mode. Under the direction of Gigi Dall’Igna, the Borgo Panigale factory managed to refine the Desmosedici GP26, rendering it increasingly competitive and capable of matching the pace of its Noale rival.
However, the most decisive moment for the Bologna-based team took place far from the racetrack, inside an operating room in Madrid. Troubled by his right shoulder, Marc Márquez consulted doctors and discovered that screws inserted during previous surgeries had suffered damage last year and were impinging on a nerve.
His layoff was brief, and upon returning, the #93 quickly rediscovered his old self to build momentum in the championship. Having trailed the leader by over 100 points heading into the Italian GP, Marc entered the summer break just 18 points adrift of Martín, occupying third in the standings.
Yet the elder Márquez brother was not the only rider to make gains. Francesco Bagnaia, while still shy of his former peak, showed renewed strength, stringing together a series of podium finishes throughout the season.
The only constant carryover from 2025, however, came from Fabio Di Giannantonio. Racing with factory support from Ducati, the Italian remained competitive from the outset and has kept his title hopes firmly alive.
Álex Márquez, by contrast, took time to gel with the GP26. Just as he began finding form, he fell victim to a horrific crash in Catalunya and was forced onto the sidelines. Though the #73 returned faster than expected, he did not end the first half of the year at full fitness.
The medical center was equally busy with Johann Zarco. The Frenchman suffered a heavy crash at Turn 1 in Barcelona during the restart following the Gresini rider’s incident, getting his leg trapped in Bagnaia’s bike, resulting in ligament damage and burns. The #5 is expected to return to action only in September.
Maverick Viñales also required medical intervention. “Top Gun” suffered shoulder issues also stemming from hardware inserted in previous surgeries, but unlike Márquez, returned to action without recovering his former form.
Meanwhile, KTM is far from full health either. The Mattighofen brand remains heavily reliant on Pedro Acosta, but has repeatedly hampered the Spaniard with mechanical failures. The Austrian manufacturer closed out the first half of the season awaiting approval from rival manufacturers to unseal its engine development, as the failures also represent a safety hazard.
While European teams enjoyed periods in the spotlight, Japanese factories endured tough times. Honda was less prominent than during the closing stages of last season, but still has reasons to celebrate. Luca Marini leads their internal standings, backed by his trademark consistency. Rookie Diogo Moreira caught eyes and showed marked progress throughout the year. Zarco, when fit, routinely proved the top performer aboard the RC213V. The exception has been Joan Mir, who shows flashes of speed but finishes very few races.
At Yamaha, the story is no better. The Iwata house altered its engine architecture to adopt a V4 layout, but so far lacks both a class-leading powerplant and a chassis with distinguishing strengths. Consequently, it remains anchored to the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.
In fact, the championship turned on its head during the second quarter of 2026. Márquez’s charge up the standings was aided by Bezzecchi, who managed just 13 points over the last four rounds and plummeted to fourth in the standings, 22 points behind his teammate.
Furthermore, the Trackhouse duo made significant strides in recent races, with Ai Ogura standing out in particular. The Japanese rider, who secured his maiden MotoGP victory, moved into second place in the Riders’ Championship to become a focal point of the paddock.
After 11 races, MotoGP remains thoroughly unpredictable. Aprilia remains locked in the fight, but finds itself in a less comfortable position than early races suggested. Ducati overcame its initial hurdles to close the gap to the RS-GP, while a rejuvenated Márquez is poised to challenge for his tenth career World Championship.
With 11 races remaining, MotoGP is unlikely to see major upgrades in the second half of the year, as factories redirect their focus to 2027 machinery. Thus, the battle will rest squarely in the hands of the riders. And anything can happen.
MotoGP is currently on summer break and will return to action from August 7 to 9 for the British GP, the 12th round of the 2026 season.
