Honda HRC Castrol
The Catalan Grand Prix would be reduced to just 12 laps, the same length as Saturday’s Sprint race, after two dramatic red flags. Three race starts and the pressures of the incidents put a heavy demand on the Honda HRC Castrol team and both riders.
Strong in both restarts, Joan Mir was able to highlight the importance of qualifying on the front two rows of the grid as he immediately thrust himself into podium contention. In what would be the final start of the Catalan GP, the #36 stalked Pedro Acosta for the majority of the race and was able to frequently show him his front wheel. As the likes of Ogura and Di Giannantonio closed in, Mir kept his pace and pushed until the final moments to take his debut win on the Honda. Crossing the line 1.250s back on Di Giannantonio, the 2020 World Champion was able to secure second place after a complicated weekend and improve on his best result as a Honda HRC rider. A post-race tyre pressure penalty would drop Mir to 13th.
Luca Marini’s Sunday was even more dramatic, the Italian caught up in the fall which brought out the second red flag. Keeping his characteristically cool head, Marini returned to the garage and was back out on track for the third start of the day. Riding his backup machine, Marini was not able to replicate his previous two starts and dropped down the order off the line. Able to replicate his speed from the initial start at 14:00 Local Time, the #10 made quick progress through the field and eventually finished in sixth after the post-race penalties.
The Honda HRC Castrol team will remain in Barcelona for a post-race test on Monday with the rest of the MotoGP World Championship.
Honda HRC would like to extend their best wishes for speedy and full recoveries to both Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco.
Joan Mir 36
Honda HRC Castrol
“A really tough day today and first of all I want to wish the best to Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco, their condition is the most important thing. I made a great start to the race and I knew with this I had the chance to fight for something great. The focus was to stay right with Acosta and then see what happened in the last laps, it got quite exciting there at the end! I have to say thank you to my team for their work over the weekend and especially today, it’s days like this where the team can make a big difference. The result on track shows the potential of myself and the bike and I hope that we can show this speed at more and more circuits. The penalty is a shame, but it doesn’t take away from the speed that we showed and where we crossed the line.”
Luca Marini 10
Honda HRC Castrol
“I would like to extend my best wishes to Zarco and Alex, especially with Zarco it was really hard to see his crash. I know that the medical staff all did a good job to help both of them as quickly as possible, I have been in situations like that, and it is not something I wish anyone to experience. As for our race, it was the result of hard work, and I have to say a big thank you to Pipi and all my crew as we really did a great job to turn around the weekend. In the third start I had to use the spare bike, and the clutch was brand new so we didn’t make the best start. Even like this I was able to make good progress and catch the riders ahead. Congratulations to Joan, he did a great race and I hope that it gives an extra boost to everyone in the team!”
KTM Factory Racing
Pedro Acosta started from Pole Position for the first time this season for the 24-lap distance and joined the rest of the Red Bull KTM crew (Brad Binder launching from P8 on the grid, Enea Bastianini from P14 and Maverick Viñales from P17) knowing that the 14-corner 4.6km layout would be a tough test for tire durability and optimum traction.
Acosta flew into the lead and then tried to administer the pace as part of a top three. With 13 laps to go and while fronting the pack Pedro suddenly had an electronic issue out of Turn 9 and was hit by Alex Marquez. The collision spread debris across the track and caused a red flag. An accident into Turn 1 of the restart halted the race again. A second restart allowed a 12-lap dash to go ahead and Acosta vied for the lead and was eventually punted out of 4th in a collision into the final corner.
On the other side of the pitbox, Binder had a technical issue on the Warm-up lap meaning a pitlane start. Brad circulated adrift of the field but was given a reprieve with the restarts. He salvaged a creditable 7th on a weekend where he made a step with his set-up and pace.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Viñales avoids any drama or complications and picks up his first points of the season in 11th. Teammate Bastianini, renowned for his tire preservation skills and remembering his first KTM podium result at the same Grand Prix in 2025, was circulating in 13th when he had to stop on lap ten.
Acosta is 4th in the world championship. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 hold 4th and 10th positions from the list of 11 in the Teams’ standings while KTM are currently the third ranked Constructor in MotoGP.
The Red Bull KTM teams will remain in Catalunya for the second one-day IRTA test session of the season on Monday.
Brad Binder, 7th and 14th in the championship: “I took the spare bike after we had the problem on the warm-up lap and was just trying to make some laps. Unfortunately, we had a red flag. On the restart I was up to 8th from 20th: I think it was one of my best starts ever but then we had another restart. I made it up to 9th but managed to blow Turn 1. I had to cut back and then work on catching the dudes in front of me that were fighting for 5th. It’s a pity…also that I qualified 8th and had to start from 20th twice. A weekend where we were unlucky but then also fortunate to have those starts.”
Maverick Viñales, 11th and 20th in the championship: “My rhythm was good but I still don’t have enough flow and corner speed and I’m burning the tires. Tomorrow we will work on the details and we need to make some long runs on the bike and do some tuning. I think it is a matter of doing some adjustment and I already felt much better in Warm-up. This was a good training for Mugello. I now have one full week to regain full strength.”
Pedro Acosta, DNF and 4th in the championship: “It looks like we had an electronic problem in the first race. That’s it. This is what happened. I just want to send all possible strength to Alex [Marquez] and Johann [Zarco] because this is what matters today. I don’t know if it was necessary to make a third race today. I always say the show must go on…but we are the ones who make the show. We didn’t need that third start. My problems today are not important.”
Enea Bastianini, DNS and 12th in the championship: “I lost power and it was the end of a difficult weekend. My speed was good from Friday and it was positive for the race but I made a bad start. I was recovering positions and was close to the group for 7-8th and waiting for the tire drop. It’s a shame. Also it was a brutal accident today and then also again in Turn 1. It is not easy to brake there with a MotoGP bike.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A really tough day and our expectations were a lot different to how everything finished. Our weekend had started positively and the Sprint went well but too many things happened today. It’s time to analyze all what happened and it’s important we can test tomorrow. Pedro’s performance was really strong all weekend but we also need to be happy with Brad’s Grand Prix from Friday. I think we have made steps across the board and we need to continue this trend in Mugello. We send our best wishes to Alex and Johann and hope they have a speedy recovery.”
Ducati Lenovo
The Ducati Lenovo Team has completed the sixth Grand Prix of the season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Francesco Bagnaia secured a third-place finish in the race, in what proved to be an unpredictable Sunday at Montmeló.
The race was halted twice before eventually being contested over a reduced 12-lap distance. Bagnaia, who was involved — through no fault of his own — in the incident that led to the second red-flag situation, managed to move up to fifth place at the final restart before climbing to third by the end of lap one. After a solid opening phase, Pecco started to feel the effects of the earlier crash but still managed to finish fourth on track, before being promoted to third after the race.
As the sixth event of the season draws to a close, Francesco Bagnaia is eighth in the standings with 63 points. Marc Márquez is ninth, six points behind his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team is fifth in the teams’ standings (120 points), while Ducati sits second in the constructors’ championship (165 points).
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action on Friday, May 29th, for the opening day of the Brembo Grand Prix of Italy at Mugello.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“Right now I’m in pain and feeling a bit dizzy. I took quite a big hit, but nothing compared to what happened to the others. In the end, we were lucky in what was a really intense day. When I felt the impact, I thought it was over, but then the crash happened and the impact with the gravel was really hard. I didn’t realise that Johann (Zarco) was still tangled up with the bike, and it was quite a traumatic moment. At the restart, I wasn’t expecting much because I had to jump onto a bike I had basically never ridden before, with used tyres as well. I still got a good start, but after three laps my head started spinning and all I could do was switch to survival mode. Obviously I’m happy with the podium, even though this isn’t the way we want — or feel we deserve — to achieve it, especially considering how hard the team is working. We simply need to keep working.”
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team
The Catalan GP proved to be very hard, with two race interruptions due to incidents: in the second re-start, Fabio Di Giannantonio was heroic, and he claimed his second MotoGP win, his first one with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. Both Fabio and the Team went on the highest step of the podium for the first time in 2026, confirming the Top3 in the World Standing. It was a come back race for Franco Morbidelli, who crossed the finish line in twelfth place, that eventually became tenth because of penalties to other riders.
Di Giannantonio started from the second row and showed a good rhythm since the early stages of the races, that was interrupted for an incident that involved him. Fabio managed to be back on track at the re-start, where he confirmed to be competitive. Despite a second red flag that interrupted his rhythm, the rider from Rome fought with determination since the third start, and he completed the crucial overtake that allowed him to win the race. This is Di Giannantonio’s first win with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and his second in MotoGP (Qatar 2023). Now, Fabio is third in the World Standing with 116 points.
It was a complicated race for Morbidelli too, despite starting from the front row. Franco managed to stay in the top positions at the start, but both the first and the second red flag stopped his rhythm. At the third start, the Italian Brazilian rider had a difficult start and he lost some positions. Franco showed a great determination, recovering many positions in the 12-laps race and he crossed the finish line in twelfth position, that eventually became tenth due to penalties to other riders ahead. Morbidelli is now fifteenth in the World Standing with 36 points.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team wishes a speedy recovery to all the riders involved today’s incidents and wishes to have them back on track soon. The next MotoGP round is scheduled in two weeks and it’s one of the most anticipated events of the season for the Tavullia-based team: the Italian GP, which will take place at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello from 29th to 31st May. But before, it’s testing day tomorrow at Barcelona.
Fabio Di Giannantonio – 49
“Today, we’ve been all lucky! The first crash was terrifying, so it means a lot to me knowing that everyone is more or less ok, this means that today is a great day for motorsports. After the incident I was involved in, I was feeling well and the team helped me a lot to try to re-start in the best way possible. It’s never easy to come back on track without knowing how the other riders are, but I needed to do a click. Obviously, I am very happy for the win, we’ve been having an amazing performance throughout the weekend, with an excellent preparation. Yesterday, we missed the win, but today we did it. This morning during the Warm Up I was feeling well and we knew that today we would have a great chance. At the re-start, with soft tyre I had less expectations that with the medium, but we managed to do a mega race, so we were in a great shape! I want to thank all the team and the partners for this first win with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team!”
Franco Morbidelli – 21
“I am happy this Sunday ended, the incident was terrifying and I hope everyone is ok. Regarding our team, it was a positive Sunday because Diggia won, many congratulations to Fabio! Talking about our garage side, the race didn’t finish I the best way, but we knew that my potential was not that much high to try to attack the top positions. In the first ‘races’ I was there, but at the third start I made a bad start, my bike was jumping and everyone overtook me. From that point, I tried to bring the bike to the finish line in the best position possible. It’s a pity, because we had the potential to be more than twelfth.”
Pablo Nieto – Team Manager
“First of all, I hope that all the riders involved in today’s incidents are okay, because the crashes were terrifying. We hope to have them on track in the next race. Regarding our team, it was an incredible weekend! Yesterday’s third place was amazing. Today, we won the race after all that happened with the two red flags. Fabio was involved in the first incident. But when you have all the adrenaline and that willing to win… we just have to congratulate him because today he made the difference. Congratulations to all the team! With Franco, we made a little step, and it was positive to start from the front row. I think this is the right direction to re-gain confidence. I am convinced that little by little we are back where he deserves.”
Aprilia Racing
The weekend on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ended with a particularly tumultuous Sunday, marked by two red flags following several serious incidents. At the restart, over a distance shortened to 12 laps, Marco Bezzecchi rode a solid race, finishing fourth and taking home important championship points.
On the other hand, it was a complicated race for Jorge Martín, involved in a crash on the first lap after the third race start. The Spanish rider managed to get back on the track but, because of damage to the bike, he was forced to return to the garage without finishing the race.
Rounding out the day’s results was Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Ai Ogura with an eighth-place finish, allowing Aprilia to close out with two RS-GP26 machines in the top ten.
MARCO BEZZECCHI
“First of all, I hope that Álex Márquez and Johann Zarco are okay. Álex’s crash was pretty scary, with pieces of the bike flying all over the place and even hitting several riders – including me, even though I was farther back. Zarco’s crash was unfortunately also a serious incident. Overall, it was a weekend of struggling for us but, considering everything that took place, we were still able to take home a good result.”
JORGE MARTÍN
“Whatever I did today is secondary – the most important thing is that Álex and Johann are okay. It was an extremely dangerous day and having to go through three restarts seems excessive to me. We’re only human and, after seeing that type of accident, it isn’t easy to focus again.”
MASSIMO RIVOLA
“This was a weekend where Aprilia did not shine, especially on Saturday, although I think we had a good pace in the race to make a play for the positions that count. However, I believe that any discussion about results should be back-burnered after seeing Álex’s terrible accident and Johann’s as well, which was just as serious. We wish both of them a speedy recovery and we hope they’ll be able to get back on the track soon. We have an important test tomorrow ahead of our home GP, we’ll do our best to be ready.”
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins avoided all on-track chaos in the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalunya MotoGP Race today. Following two red flags, the teammates kept their focus to wrap up the 12-lap dash for points in P7 and P11. Rins, along with four other riders, was later given a 16s-penalty for a tyre pressure infringement. This put Quartararo in P5 and Rins in P14 in the revised rankings.
The original race was red flagged after a big incident involving three riders approaching Turn 10 on lap 12. Race 2 was also red flagged, this time on the first of 13 laps due to an incident involving another three rivals in Turn 1. Race 3 would count 12 laps and Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins started it from P13 and P17 respectively.
Quartararo made an amazing start and pushed to P4 on the opening lap but lost a position to Di Giannantonio crossing the start-finish straight for the first time. Unable to stay with the top 4, the number 20 focused on defensive riding, but Fermín Aldeguer and Ai Ogura still found a way through. El Diablo stood his ground in P8 though. As Pedro Acosta crashed on the last lap, he took the chequered flag in seventh place, 4.876s from the winner. The post-race penalties moved him up to P5 in the revised rankings.
Rins had a good opening lap and climbed to P11. He was part of the rider group fighting for seventh place but lost a position to Brad Binder on lap 6. The Yamaha man pushed on and had a late charge towards Diogo Moreira ahead of him but came just 0.077s short. With Acosta crashing in the last corner, Rins finished P11, 6.916s from first. A 16s-penalty for a tyre pressure infringement put him in 14th place in the revised classification.
Today’s results move Quartararo up to 13th place in the championship standings with 37 points. Rins stays in 19th with 9 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 9th position in the team classifications with 46 points, and Yamaha is fifth in the constructor rankings with 40 points.
The team will be back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya tomorrow for a one-day IRTA Test.
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