RAUL FERNANDEZ WINS BRITISH MOTOGP AS MARTIN EXTENDS TITLE LEAD

Trackhouse rider claims his first Grand Prix victory of season while Jorge Martin increases his championship advantage to 31 points

Raul Fernandez won the British MotoGP on Sunday after recovering from a crash in Saturday's Sprint, while Jorge Martin finished second to extend his lead in the championship standings.

This was Fernandez's first Grand Prix win of the season and the second of his MotoGP career after his triumph at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.

The Trackhouse rider started second but took the lead at the opening corner before controlling the 20-lap race to finish about 2.5 seconds ahead of Martin.

Pole-sitter Martin dropped to fourth at the start because of a technical problem but recovered by overtaking Marc Marquez and Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi to finish second.

Bezzecchi completed the podium in third after holding off Alex Marquez in the closing stages.

The Italian, who returned to competition after recovering from injuries sustained at the German Grand Prix, climbed to second in the championship standings.

Martin collected 20 points to increase his total to 240, while Bezzecchi earned 16 points to move to 209, leaving the Spaniard with a 31-point championship lead.

Ai Ogura, who started third on the grid and entered the race second in the standings with 203 points, crashed out around the halfway stage and dropped to third in the championship.

Despite climbing from sixth to third at the start, reigning champion Marc Marquez slipped to seventh, collecting nine points to remain fourth in the standings with 200.

Fabio Di Giannantonio finished sixth to earn 10 points and remained fifth in the championship with 199.

British MotoGP race results

Raul Fernandez

Jorge Martin

Marco Bezzecchi

Alex Marquez

Pedro Acosta

Fabio Di Giannantonio

Marc Marquez

Brad Binder

Luca Marini

Diogo Moreira

Franco Morbidelli

Fabio Quartararo

Jack Miller

Pol Espargaro

Toprak Razgatlioglu

Augusto Fernandez

Did not finish: Ai Ogura, Francesco Bagnaia, Cal Crutchlow, Iker Lecuona, Enea Bastianini, Alex Rins and Joan Mir

- Halis Sunnetci

APRILIA LAND FRANCESCO BAGNAIA IN MAJOR MOTOGP RIDER MARKET COUP

Two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia is officially joining Aprilia next year after much speculation about the Italian's future.

After yesterday's triple-announcement from Ducati, in which Marc Marquez's contract was renewed and Pedro Acosta was confirmed to join the team next year while Bagnaia departs, many believed that it wouldn't be long until the Aprilia deal was confirmed.

As reported by GP Blog several months ago, the rumours linking Bagnaia to Aprilia have been around for some time now. It is no secret that 'Pecco' Bagnaia has struggled to adapt since the arrival of Marc Marquez in the team, winning just two races in as many years since the Spaniard joined.

Like many of the suspected deals in the MotoGP rider market, Bagnaia's inevitable exit from Ducati was delayed due to the finalization of a 'concorde agreement' between MotoGP Group and the respective manufacturers. Fortunately, the deal was signed at last weekend's Czech Grand Prix, leading to a cascade of announcements this week and likely even more in the immediate future.

An all-Italian line-up

Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has made it clear that he views Aprilia as a 'national team' for Italy, in contrast to Ducati's recent decision to favour Spanish riders. Having already secured current championship leader Marco Bezzecchi on a multi-year deal, Aprilia is now signing an even more experienced and proven Italian star.

With a massive regulation overhaul set to be introduced next year, there is no telling whether Aprilia will still be one of the frontrunners. However, with Bagnaia and Bezzecchi at the helm, it is clear that Aprilia have already secured one of the most promising rider lineups for 2027.

This means that Jorge Martin is going to make way, with rumours linking him heavily to Yamaha next year. It is no secret that the Spaniard and 2024 World Champion has not has the best of times with the Italian manufacturer, and even almost came to blows with his own boss in Catalonia.

Elswhere, there are several other major announcements expected later in the week. Fabio Quartararo is likely to leave Yamaha for Honda next year, with Ogura joining Martin in blue. VR46 have yet to confirm the arrival of Nicolo Bulega, but that is also expected soon. Meanwhile the fates of Joan Mir, Luca Marini, Brad Binder, Jack Miller, Franco Morbidelli, Alex Rins, Maverick Vinales and Raul Fernandez remain uncertain.

- Andrew McLarney

DUCATI STATEMENT REVEALS HINT INTO PEDRO ACOSTA MOTOGP SIGNING

Ducati calls Pedro Acosta “one of the most talented riders in MotoGP” after confirming the KTM rider’s signature

Pedro Acosta, 2026 Czech MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose

Ducati admits that signing Pedro Acosta was a target “for some time” after finally confirming the KTM rider for the 2027 MotoGP season. 

Acosta has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Italian manufacturer, where he will replace the outgoing Francesco Bagnaia, who is expected to join Aprilia Racing. 

Ducati announced Bagnaia’s departure on Wednesday morning, before confirming the news that had been expected since the opening few races of 2026.

Pedro Acosta, Francesco Bagnaia, 2025 Japanese MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose

Acosta will line-up alongside Marc Marquez, who himself committed his future to Ducati with a new two-year deal of his own on Monday.

Acosta and Marquez will form one of the most talented rider pairings the sport has ever seen, and it will be the most high-profile since Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha. 

Ducati was known to be a big admirer of Acosta in previous years, so it’s therefore no surprise that the Bologna-based company pushed hard to sign the Spaniard when it did. 

Signing Acosta comes at a particularly interesting time, with MotoGP set to transition into the new 850cc era in 2027. 

Alongside Marquez, Acosta will no doubt be expected to lead Ducati over the next two years by challenging for race wins and the title.

Pedro Acosta, 2026 Czech MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose

However, it’s also clear that Ducati sees Acosta as the long-term future of their MotoGP project given he is only 22 years of age.

Speaking about the signing of Acosta, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said: “Pedro is undoubtedly one of the most talented young riders in the MotoGP paddock. 

“At just 22 years old, he is the kind of rider with whom a new and exciting chapter can be written. 

“We have always liked him and have been following him for some time, both for what he has achieved on track and for his direct and easy-going personality, which we are sure will make Ducatisti fall in love with him once he is dressed in red. 

“We believe that, alongside Marc, he represents the ideal complement for a team that - building on its history and on the results achieved in recent years - wants to continue playing a leading role in the future and remain a source of admiration, respect and support for Ducati fans all around the world”.

- Robert Jones

MARC MARQUEZ WINS THE CZECH MOTOGP GRAND PRIX 2026

 

MARC MARQUEZ UNDERGOES DOUBLE SURGERY AFTER NASTY FRENCH GP CRASH

Two surgeries in quick succession for Marquez, who is now heading home to continue rehabilitation 

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez underwent two successful operations on Sunday morning after flying back to Madrid during the French Grand Prix weekend.

The factory Ducati rider was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the Le Mans round after breaking his foot in a nasty highside in the sprint race.

Marquez returned to Spain on Saturday night before heading to a hospital in the morning for double surgery.

The first procedure addressed the fifth metatarsal on his right foot, which he broke when he hit the ground on the penultimate lap of the sprint.

The second operation was aimed at recovering two screws that had become dislodged from their positions when he was hit by Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi at last October’s Indonesian Grand Prix. 

This corrective action had originally been scheduled for the week after the Catalan Grand Prix, with doctors having identified the issue after Marquez reported pain in the wake of a tough race at Jerez. However, he had not disclosed this planned surgery to the public prior to Saturday’s crash.

The nine-time world champion will now return home to continue his rehabilitation. He has already been ruled out from next week’s Barcelona race, and his participation in the Italian Grand Prix on 31 May remains subject to his recovery.

“Marc Marquez is currently recovering at the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid, where he underwent successful double surgery this morning,” Ducati said in a statement.

"The medical team, led by Dr. Samuel Antuna alongside colleagues Dr. Ignacio Roger de Ona, Dr. Andres Maldonado, Dr. Jorge de las Heras, Dr. Raul Barco and Dr. Juan de Miguel, successfully stabilised the fracture in the fifth metatarsal of the rider’s right foot. This injury was sustained yesterday as a consequence of the highside crash in the final stages of the sprint race at the French Grand Prix.

Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images 
Message of support for Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

"Simultaneously, Marquez underwent a second, pre-planned surgical procedure to fix a past injury in his right shoulder. This previous trauma had become painful again following the violent crash at last year’s Indonesian Grand Prix. The doctors removed two screws and a bone fragment from a previous Latarjet (December 2019) surgery that has shifted compressing the radial nerve.

"As previously announced, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider will not participate in next week's Catalan GP. He will remain in the hospital overnight and he will back home tomorrow to begin the rehabilitation. The progress over the upcoming weeks will determine the time for his return to competitions.”

Following his withdrawal from Sunday’s Le Mans race, Marquez has slipped to seventh in the standings, 71 behind championship leader Bezzecchi.

- Rachit Thukral

MOROGP STANDINGS | AFTER SPANISH GRAND PRIX

 

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX | MOTOGP TOP SCORER

 

FINAL MOTLGP STANDINGS

 

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION MARC MARQUEZ CONFIRMS HE WILL MISS REMAINDER OF 2025 SEASON

2025 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez has confirmed he will sit out the remainder of the season after further tests on his shoulder injury.

Marquez and Ducati were advised against an early return by doctors following further tests on his right shoulder injury in Madrid.

The decision means the reigning World Champion will miss the final three rounds of the season, as well as the post-season Valencia test.

“Analysing the entire situation, we believe that the most appropriate, clever and consistent course of action is to respect the biological timing of the injury, even if that means I will no longer be able to race this season or attend the testing session,” Marquez said via Instagram.

“We know that a difficult winter awaits us, with a lot of work, to recover my muscles to 100% and be ready for 2026. 

“This must not overshadow or make us forget the great goal we achieved this year: becoming world champions again, and soon we will all celebrate it together. 

“Thank you to all the fans for kind messages, to Ducati and all the sponsors for their support and understanding.”

Marquez suffered ligament damage and a right shoulder fracture after a first-lap crash with Marco Bezzecchi at Mandalika. 

The World Champion elected to have surgery after the injury was “not showing sufficient signs of stabilisation after a week of being immobilised,” according to his video.

“Since we learned about the injury diagnosis, we knew the chances of having Marc in Valencia for the grand prix and the test were very low,” said Dall’Igna.

“It’s a shame because it’s very important for us to have him on track, but we know perfectly that the priority is to recover and return 100% fit for the next season.

“We fully support the decision and are convinced that not taking further risks is the best choice for everyone. We wish him a speedy recovery and we hope to see him back with us soon”.

- Eden Hannigan

MARC MARQUEZ RIGHT ARM/HAND SURGERIES SINCE 2019

 

YOUNGEST MOTOGP WINNERS

 

MARCO BEZZECCHI ESCAPES SERIOUS INJURY IN MARC MARQUEZ MOTOGP CRASH

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Factory Racing, 2025 Indonesian MotoGP
© Gold and Goose

Aprilia’s Massimo Rivola says Marco Bezzecchi has escaped serious injury following his MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix crash with Marc Marquez on Sunday.

The Italian qualified on pole but once again dropped down the order at the start, forcing him into a repeat of his sprint recovery from Saturday at Mandalika.

But the race ended for Marco Bezzecchi at Turn 7 when he made an ambitious move to overtake world champion Marc Marquez and ran into the back of his Ducati.

The violent crash resulted in a collarbone fracture for Marquez, who will return to Spain to evaluate the next stages of his recovery.

Bezzecchi was taken to a local hospital for checks, but was diagnosed with no serious injuries.

The stewards have deferred a decision on the incident until they are able to speak with Bezzecchi.

“Strange is maybe not really the right wording, but showing a great speed of all the Aprilias,” Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola said.

"Pitty to have only two riders, Marco I think was clearly the fastest rider during this weekend, so obviously the expectation was very high. Shit happens. This is racing at the end.

“Marco is ok. We just got the news from Dr Charte that he was brought to the hospital for a scan and there’s no broken bones.

“He has a lot of pain, maybe the pain is also some of the two crashes: the one of Motegi and this one.

“First of all, we need to apologise to Marc. What happened, ok it’s racing, but it’s also very bad when we see crashes and you are part of putting someone out of a race.

“So, apologies to him and his team.”

Bezzecchi apologised to Marquez after the crash, with the latter later saying that he accepted it and understood it as a race incident.

Rivola added: “I saw Davide Tardozzi and apologised to him, and he said also Marco apologised to Marc twice.

“But that’s it. It’s really something that we would like to avoid seeing, but in this kind of competition we know how tight MotoGP is, how the performance is so close, and they are all warriors trying to get the best out of the bike.

“Maybe not thinking too much about strategy, because clearly he had the pace to recovery. He did it yesterday in half the number of laps.”

- Lewis Duncan

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MARC MARQUEZ'S ENOTIONS POUR OUT WINNING HIS 7TH TITLE

 

MARC MARQUEZ IS THE 2025 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

 

MARC MARQUEZ FASTEST IN FIRST MOTOGP AUSTRIA PRACTICE

Marquez topped the first session in Austria - Credit: Ducati Media House

Marc Marquez continued his dominant form to once again top the timesheets in the first MotoGP practice at Austria.

The Spaniard produced a quick effort of 1.29.376s on the factory Ducati to start the weekend.

His closest challenger was his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, who finished 0.3s adrift of the six-time MotoGP champion.

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi continued his pre-break purple patch to finish the session in third place, an impressive start to the weekend given the nature of the stop-go Spielberg track.

Alex Marquez and Gresini secured fourth place, finishing quicker than VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli.

Joan Mir posted an impressive lap to secure sixth place for Honda, followed closely by Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin.

KTM rider Pedro Acosta slotted himself in ninth place, as Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini lapped 0.001s behind to round off the top 10.

Luca Marini and Alex RIns secured 11th and 12th for Honda and Yamaha, respectively, finishing faster than GP25 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Brad Binder posted a lap to see him 14th, lapping quicker than Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer and LCR rider Johann Zarco.

Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura secured 17th and 19th for Trackhouse Racing, with Pramac Yamaha rider Jack Miller lapping between the satellite Aprilia duo.

Maverick Vinales finished 20th on his rushed MotoGP return, finishing ahead of the second Pramac rider of Miguel Oliveira.

MARC MARQUEZ | 2004 VS. 2025

 

MOTOGP: BAGNAIA ON POLE POSITION AT BRNO

Francesco Bagnaia in Parc fermé after his pole position at Brno. Photo courtesy Dorna.

© 2025, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. By Mathilde Gasnier.

Francesco Bagnaia earned pole position during MotoGP World Championship qualifying on Saturday at Automotodrom Brno, in Czech Republic. Riding his Lenovo Ducati Desmosedici GP25, the two-time World Champion broke Marc Marquez’s All-Time Lap Record of 1:53.145 he set in FP2 with a time of 1:52.303 around the 3.36-mile (5.40 km) circuit during Qualifying Two (Q2) on Saturday.

His teammate, Marc Marquez was the best of the rest with a 1:52.522, and Fabio Quartararo claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:52.608 on his Monster Energy Yamaha YZR-M1.

Row-two qualifiers included Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi (1:52.644), Joan Mir on his Honda HRC Castrol RC213V (1:52.763) and Raul Fernandez on his Trackhouse RS-GP (1:52.796).

Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martín made a strong return in Brno, working his way into Q2 before ultimately finishing 12th on his Aprilia RS-GP25.

Bagnaia bags Brno pole from Q1 as Marc Marquez crashes. Pecco pockets his first pole of 2025 to beat the #93 in Q2, as Quartararo earns P3 with Martin 12th on the grid. 

Q1 to pole position equals a great morning’s work for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the double MotoGP World Champion claims his first pole of 2025, and late drama unfolds for his teammate Marc Marquez. Despite the final time attack lap Turn 13 crash, the championship leader will launch from P2 on the grid as the factory Ducati duo are joined on the front row by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).

Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), the rider second in the standings, is forced to settle for the third row launch in the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix, as reigning World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) gets set to line up in P12 after his first qualifying outing since April.

Q1 – Bagnaia and Raul Fernandez through, Di Giannantonio misses out

All eyes were on 2022 and 2023 MotoGP World Champion Bagnaia in Q1, and it wasn’t a smooth sailing opening stint for the Italian. Pecco pitted after sitting up and out of his second flying lap while he was P6, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales’ replacement Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) occupying P1 and P2 as things stood.

A better lap was landed by Pecco on his second run though. A 1:52.715 saw the Italian go 0.4s clear of Di Giannantonio, before Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) climbed to P2. Not for long though. The impressive Espargaro jumped back into the top two before Di Giannantonio went 0.184s off Pecco – but that wasn’t enough. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) powered his way to P2 to go 0.060s away from Bagnaia, so the pressure was on Di Giannantonio in the closing stages.

Did the Italian have a reply? He improved his time, but Di Giannantonio stayed P3. Fernandez’s very solid lap was good enough to knock the VR46 star out of qualifying, as Bagnaia and Trackhouse’s Spaniard strolled into Q2.

Q2 – LATE DRAMA SEES PECCO POCKET POLE

The first benchmark lap was set by Marc Marquez and it was a 1:52.522, with Quartararo slotting into an early P2 to sit 0.093s away from the #93. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) placed themselves in P3 and P4, with the returning Martin P10 after his opening effort in Q2.

Having not yet set a lap, Bagnaia was on a charge with five minutes to go. The #63 was 0.119s under Marc Marquez’s time through split two, 0.133s under through split three, and over the line, Pecco pocketed provisional pole by 0.219s.

Now, what did Marc Marquez, Quartararo and the others have in response? Well Bezzecchi, after running into the gravel at Turn 1, was down as he started his next flying lap, which was very costly for Bezzecchi because his front row hopes were gone. And with the yellow flags still waving, a lot of laps were scrubbed off with two minutes to go.

Fernandez’s wasn’t though. The #25 rose to P5 from P12, which shoved Alex Marquez down to P7 as one time attack lap remained for Bagnaia, Marc Marquez, Quartararo, Alex Marquez and Acosta, who were all on track together and fighting for prime position.

Marc Marquez led the freight train and through Sector 1, he lit up the timing screens. The gap was 0.245s through the third split as pole position looked guaranteed – until it wasn’t. Marc Marquez was down at Turn 13 and it was in the same place where Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) had crashed seconds before, as the penultimate corner caught out Friday’s fastest duo. 

So with that late drama, pole position went the way of Marc Marquez’s teammate Pecco. A first of the year for the #63, as the championship leader had to settle for P2, with Quartararo earning P3.

TOP 12 ON THE CZECH GP GRID

Bezzecchi’s crash, in the end, didn’t cost him a place as the Aprilia ride spearheads Row 2, with Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) securing his best qualifying result of the season with P5. The 2020 World Champion has Fernandez alongside him in P6, that’s his best Saturday morning result of the campaign too, as Acosta fronts Row 3 in P7.

Alex Marquez has work to do from P8 if he’s to stop Marc Marquez from extending his championship lead, with Zarco completing that third row in ninth. P10 went to Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), 11th belongs to Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), while reigning World Champion Martin starts from P12 in his first Grand Prix since Qatar.

COMING UP: BRNO’S TISSOT SPRINT

Bagnaia on pole, Marc Marquez P2, Quartararo leading the fight to the Ducatis, Alex Marquez needing a great launch, and what can Martin muster up? Plenty of questions, and we’ll get the answers late this afternoon at 15:00 local time. Tune in.

 

MOST WINS | MOTOGP

 

RIDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP | LIQUI MOLY GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY 2025