News Summary
- Marc Márquez leads the 2026 MotoGP championship with 365 points, ten ahead of Jorge Martín following Saturday’s Australian sprint.
- Martín scored no points after crashing while fighting for victory and has been ruled out of Sunday’s Grand Prix with a fractured right radius.
- Marco Bezzecchi is third with 315 points, while Pedro Acosta moves ahead of Ai Ogura after the Japanese rider’s tyre-pressure penalty.
Marc Márquez has returned to the top of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship standings after winning Saturday’s (October 24) Australian sprint at Phillip Island. The Ducati rider secured 12 points to reach 365, overturning a two-point deficit to Aprilia’s Jorge Martín, who crashed out and remains on 355.
The championship changed hands during a dramatic battle between the two riders, who repeatedly exchanged the lead during the first eight laps.
Martín crashed at Turn 8 while attempting to challenge Márquez, bringing his race to an end. The Spaniard subsequently suffered a fractured right radius and was declared unfit for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The result gives Márquez a ten-point lead heading into the main Australian race, where Martín will be unable to score.
Marco Bezzecchi remains third in the championship with 315 points, 50 behind Márquez and 40 behind his Aprilia teammate.
How Márquez overturned Martín’s championship lead
Martín arrived at Phillip Island with a narrow two-point advantage after regaining the championship lead in Indonesia.
The Australian weekend began with contrasting performances from the leading contenders.
Márquez topped FP1 before securing pole position in wet conditions on Saturday. Bezzecchi led Friday’s decisive Practice session, while Martín qualified fourth.
All three entered the sprint with an opportunity to gain valuable championship points.
Márquez and Martín soon established themselves at the front, exchanging positions during an intense opening sequence.
However, Martín’s crash on lap eight ended his chance to score and left Márquez in control of the race.
The Ducati rider resisted a late challenge from Álex Márquez to win by 0.323s, taking the maximum 12 points.
The 14-point swing changed a two-point deficit into a ten-point championship lead.
Márquez now has an opportunity to increase his advantage further during Sunday’s 27-lap Australian Grand Prix.
Martín’s injury threatens championship defence
Martín’s situation became more complicated after medical examinations confirmed a fractured right radius.
The Aprilia rider was initially taken to Phillip Island’s medical centre following his high-speed crash, where doctors identified the injury and a suspected additional fracture of his right ulna.
He was subsequently declared unfit to participate in Sunday’s race.
The diagnosis means Martín will miss an opportunity to score up to 25 championship points while Márquez and Bezzecchi remain eligible to compete.
Although the injury raises questions about the Spaniard’s participation in the Malaysian Grand Prix, no official decision has been announced concerning his fitness for Sepang.
Further examinations will determine the complete diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
The timing of Martín’s injury is particularly significant because the championship is entering its final five Grands Prix, including Sunday’s race at Phillip Island.
The absence will also affect Aprilia’s efforts to defend its position against Ducati in the Riders’ Championship.
Bezzecchi remains within mathematical reach
Bezzecchi finished fourth in the Australian sprint after recovering from 12th position at the end of the opening lap.
The Italian started ninth but gradually moved through the field, overtaking Pedro Acosta for fourth in the closing stages.
The result earned him six points and took his championship total to 315.
He remains 50 points behind Márquez and 40 behind Martín.
Bezzecchi arrived in Australia with improved momentum following his victory at the Indonesian Grand Prix, where Aprilia demonstrated strong performance throughout the weekend.
He also topped Friday’s Practice session at Phillip Island, but could manage only ninth in wet qualifying.
His fourth-place sprint finish maintains his mathematical chances of winning the championship.
With the Australian Grand Prix and four further rounds remaining, a maximum of 173 points is still available.
That total includes 25 points for each of the five remaining main races and 12 points for each of the four remaining sprints.
Ogura penalty changes fourth-place championship battle
The standings behind the leading three also changed following the Australian sprint.
Pedro Acosta finished fifth, collecting five championship points to move to 263.
Ai Ogura initially finished sixth and appeared set to strengthen his position, but subsequently received an eight-second tyre-pressure penalty.
The sanction demoted the Trackhouse Aprilia rider to 13th, removing all the points he had initially scored.
Ogura therefore remains on 259, four behind Acosta.
Fabio Di Giannantonio stays sixth in the championship with 252 after finishing third in the sprint.
Raúl Fernández remains seventh with 236 points, but has also been ruled out of Sunday’s race because of the continuing effects of a fractured finger sustained in Indonesia.
MotoGP 2026 riders’ championship standings after Australian sprint
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. MÁRQUEZ | Ducati | 365 | — |
| 2 | J. MARTÍN | Aprilia | 355 | -10 |
| 3 | M. BEZZECCHI | Aprilia | 315 | -50 |
| 4 | P. ACOSTA | KTM | 263 | -102 |
| 5 | A. OGURA | Trackhouse Aprilia | 259 | -106 |
| 6 | F. DI GIANNANTONIO | VR46 Ducati | 252 | -113 |
| 7 | R. FERNÁNDEZ | Trackhouse Aprilia | 236 | -129 |
| 8 | Á. MÁRQUEZ | Gresini Ducati | 181 | -184 |
| 9 | F. BAGNAIA | Ducati | 166 | -199 |
| 10 | F. ALDEGUER | Gresini Ducati | 125 | -240 |
| 11 | E. BASTIANINI | Tech3 KTM | 122 | -243 |
| 12 | L. MARINI | Honda | 108 | -257 |
| 13 | B. BINDER | KTM | 108 | -257 |
| 14 | D. MOREIRA | LCR Honda | 76 | -289 |
| 15 | F. QUARTARARO | Yamaha | 74 | -291 |
| 16 | F. MORBIDELLI | VR46 Ducati | 59 | -306 |
| 17 | J. ZARCO | LCR Honda | 51 | -314 |
| 18 | J. MIR | Honda | 33 | -332 |
| 19 | J. MILLER | Pramac Yamaha | 31 | -334 |
| 20 | Á. RINS | Yamaha | 25 | -340 |
| 21 | T. RAZGATLIOGLU | Pramac Yamaha | 18 | -347 |
| 22 | M. VIÑALES | Tech3 KTM | 12 | -353 |
| 23 | I. LECUONA | Gresini Ducati | 10 | -355 |
| 24 | A. FERNÁNDEZ | Yamaha | 6 | -359 |
| 25 | P. ESPARGARÓ | Tech3 KTM | 5 | -360 |
| 26 | S. CHANTRA | Honda | 3 | -362 |
| 27 | T. NAKAGAMI | Honda | 3 | -362 |
| 28 | C. CRUTCHLOW | LCR Honda | 0 | -365 |
| 29 | J. FOLGER | KTM | 0 | -365 |
| 30 | L. SAVADORI | Aprilia | 0 | -365 |
| 31 | M. PIRRO | Ducati | 0 | -365 |
| 32 | A. ESPARGARÓ | Honda | 0 | -365 |
Standings updated after Saturday’s Australian sprint and the penalties applied to Ai Ogura and Augusto Fernández.
How many points are still available in MotoGP 2026?
Following the Australian sprint, there are 173 points still available in the Drivers’ Championship.
The total includes Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix and the four remaining rounds after Phillip Island.
| Remaining opportunity | Maximum points |
|---|---|
| Australian Grand Prix | 25 |
| Four remaining Grands Prix | 100 |
| Four remaining sprints | 48 |
| Total available | 173 |
A main Grand Prix victory awards 25 points, while a sprint victory is worth 12.
Márquez enters Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix with a ten-point advantage over Martín, who will not participate because of his injury.
The Spanish rider’s availability for the next round in Malaysia will depend on the results of further examinations.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following the Australian MotoGP Grand Prix at Phillip Island and the 2026 title battle, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its MotoGP section.
