Marc Márquez beats Martín to sweep Misano weekend and take MotoGP championship lead

News Summary

• Marc Márquez won the San Marino GP after passing Jorge Martín back on lap 12, completing a clean sweep of the Misano weekend.
• Marco Bezzecchi crashed out of the lead on the opening lap, while Martín faded to fifth and lost his outright championship lead.
• Márquez and Martín leave Misano tied on 274 points, with the Ducati rider taking the championship lead on countback.

Marc Márquez completed another perfect MotoGP weekend on Sunday, winning the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano after overturning an early challenge from Jorge Martín to draw level on points at the top of the 2026 championship.

One week after taking the maximum 37 points available at Aragón, Márquez repeated the feat at Misano. The Ducati rider followed Saturday’s Sprint victory over Marco Bezzecchi with victory in the 27-lap Grand Prix.

The result completely changed the championship picture. Martín arrived in Italy 19 points ahead of Márquez and leaves tied with him on 274 points, with Márquez taking first place in the standings on countback thanks to his superior number of Grand Prix victories.

Márquez had expected Misano to be more difficult than Aragón, but instead collected another maximum score and erased Martín’s championship advantage in a single weekend.

Bezzecchi initially appeared capable of preventing another Márquez victory. After breaking the Misano lap record to beat the Ducati rider to pole, the Aprilia rider finally converted his starting position into the lead at Turn 1.

Márquez had beaten Bezzecchi away from the line in Saturday’s Sprint, but this time the Italian made the stronger launch and successfully defended first place. Martín also started well and climbed into third.

Bezzecchi’s race, however, lasted less than a lap.

The #72 lost control between Turns 12 and 13 and slid into the gravel, handing the lead to Márquez and removing one of the three main championship contenders from the race.

The retirement initially appeared to simplify Márquez’s afternoon. Instead, Martín emerged as his main threat.

The Aprilia rider settled into a strong rhythm behind the Ducati and remained close enough to attack during the opening third of the race. On lap 7, Martín made his move at Turn 14 and passed Márquez to take the lead.

Jorge Martín passes Marc Márquez to take the lead at Misano (Video: MotoGP)

Martín initially managed to create some breathing room. By lap 9, his advantage had reached around 0.8s, while Álex Márquez began closing on the pair with the Gresini Ducati.

But Marc Márquez did not let the championship leader escape.

The gap fell again over the following laps, leaving Martín, Marc and Álex separated by only around half a second.

On lap 12, Márquez struck back.

The Ducati rider had spent several laps studying Martín before diving to the inside and completing the pass to reclaim first place. This time, Martín had no response.

Marc Márquez passes Jorge Martín to regain the lead on lap 12 at Misano (Video: MotoGP)

The race then began to unravel for the Aprilia rider.

Álex Márquez passed Martín for second on lap 14, putting two Ducatis ahead of the championship leader. Pedro Acosta was next to arrive, the KTM rider increasing his pace before completing his move on lap 16.

Martín was suddenly fourth and struggling to maintain the performance that had allowed him to challenge Márquez earlier in the race.

Fermín Aldeguer then became a critical figure in the championship fight.

The Gresini rider closed on Martín during the second half of the Grand Prix and passed him on lap 20. That dropped Martín to fifth — precisely the position that brought him level on points with Márquez rather than leaving Misano with the championship lead outright.

At the front, Álex Márquez applied pressure to his older brother during the closing stages, but Marc remained in control and crossed the line first to complete his second consecutive perfect MotoGP weekend.

Álex finished second for Gresini, with Acosta completing the podium for KTM. Aldeguer took fourth ahead of Martín, followed by Raúl Fernández, Luca Marini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini and Fabio Quartararo.

The result represents a dramatic swing in a championship that appeared to be moving towards Aprilia earlier in the season. Martín had led the standings since the Dutch GP, at one stage building an advantage of 31 points.

That margin is now gone.

Ducati had already acknowledged before Misano that a championship which once appeared to be slipping away had become wide open again. Two consecutive 37-point weekends for Márquez have now taken that recovery to its logical conclusion: he is back on top.

Further back, Diogo Moreira’s race ended almost as quickly as Bezzecchi’s.

The LCR Honda rider started 15th and made an excellent launch, gaining four positions to reach 11th during the opening stages. His progress ended on lap 3 when he crashed at Turn 4 and retired.

Francesco Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli were also among the riders who failed to finish after separate crashes.

MotoGP returns from September 18-20 for the Austrian Grand Prix, round 15 of the 2026 season.

2026 MotoGP San Marino GP — Race results

FAQ

Who won the 2026 San Marino MotoGP at Misano?

Marc Márquez won the San Marino GP after recovering from an early pass by Jorge Martín. The Ducati rider reclaimed the lead on lap 12 and went on to beat Álex Márquez and Pedro Acosta.

Who leads the 2026 MotoGP championship after Misano?

Marc Márquez and Jorge Martín are tied on 274 points after the San Marino GP. Márquez holds first place in the championship on countback because he has more Grand Prix victories.

How many points did Marc Márquez score at Misano?

Márquez scored the maximum 37 points, taking 12 for winning Saturday’s Sprint and 25 for Sunday’s Grand Prix. He has now completed consecutive perfect weekends at Aragón and Misano.