Alex Marquez Wins Spanish GP for Ducati's First 2026 Victory

Alex Marquez delivered Ducati's first Grand Prix victory of the 2026 MotoGP season at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, rebounding from a poor start to hold off a strong challenge from Aprilia riders. The win came at Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto on Sunday, though factory Ducati teammates Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia suffered double retirements, with Marquez crashing out of second place on lap two and Bagnaia pulling out from ninth due to a technical issue.

Despite the result, Aprilia maintained momentum, placing four riders inside the top six finishers. World championship leader Marco Bezzecchi, riding for Aprilia Racing, took second after opening the season with three consecutive wins. Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall'Igna expressed mixed emotions in a LinkedIn post, praising Marquez's "outstanding" performance while noting "great bitterness" over the factory team's "double zero." He congratulated satellite squads Gresini and VR46 for upholding Ducati's honor, with VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio finishing third in the race and moving ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta for third in the standings, 30 points behind Bezzecchi.

Marc Marquez trails Bezzecchi by 44 points in fifth...