The San Marino Grand Prix reshaped the MotoGP title battle. Marc Marquez claimed his fifth win of the 2026 season at Misano and drew level with Jorge Martin on 274 points. Marquez sits first on the countback of results, while the victory also gave him a second consecutive win at the circuit.

The turnaround is significant. After May’s Italian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion was 102 points behind the championship leader. He had missed the Barcelona round for surgery on a shoulder problem, then answered with victories in Hungary, Czechia, Germany, Aragon and Misano. Those are all five of his Grand Prix wins in that span.

A missed opportunity for Aprilia

Marco Bezzecchi started from pole, finished second in the sprint and took the early lead in the 27-lap race. His challenge ended at Turn 13 on the opening lap, leaving him 33 points behind Marquez and Martin. It was his fifth Sunday non-score in the last seven rounds. The deficit is recoverable in the sprint era, with up to 37 points available across each weekend, but the repeated zeros increase the pressure on Aprilia’s rider.

Martin’s own victory bid was cut short by an unexpected arm-pump problem, and he is considering surgery. Aprilia appeared to hold a clear motorcycle advantage over Ducati at Misano, yet converted it into neither a sprint nor a Grand Prix win. Mugello remains the last weekend when the factory team won a Grand Prix.

The Crash MotoGP Podcast also discussed Pecco Bagnaia’s continuing difficulties. The factory Ducati rider crashed out of a Grand Prix for a third successive round. The episode further covered Nicolo Bulega’s move to VR46 and, according to the analysis, the unusual route being taken by the World Superbike leader towards MotoGP.