MotoGP Sunday Motorland Aragon

1043 days later: Marc Marquez roars back to glory, drama hits for Bagnaia

The #93 completes a history-making weekend at MotorLand as Martin’s lead increases following a clash between Alex Marquez and Bagnaia.

After 1,043 days, multiple surgeries, and a change of team and factory, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) has returned to the top step of the Grand Prix podium. Marquez dominated much of the Gran Premio GoPro de Aragón, including a brilliant Tissot Sprint win, but being the fastest doesn’t always guarantee victory. On Sunday, however, Marquez nailed the holeshot and never looked back, securing one of the most remarkable comebacks in MotoGP™ history.

Behind him, there was plenty of action. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) finished second, extending his championship lead—reclaimed from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after Saturday’s Sprint—following a clash between Bagnaia and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards deemed it a racing incident, but the riders involved had opposing views.

Meanwhile, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) took the final podium spot, marking his first GP podium since April’s Americas GP and adding to an impressive rookie season that sees him sitting fifth in the World Championship standings.

At the race start, Marc Marquez took the holeshot once again, while Bagnaia struggled off the line, narrowly avoiding a repeat of his Sprint start incident with Alex Marquez. Acosta moved up to second, with Martin in third and Bagnaia down in seventh.

Martin attempted a pass on Acosta at Turn 8 on Lap 2, ran wide, but eventually made the move stick at Turn 13. As Acosta began to drop back, Alex Marquez moved into the podium positions. Bagnaia then began his recovery, overtaking Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) for sixth and setting his sights on Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), who soon ran wide, allowing Bagnaia to move into the top five.

An early crash took Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) out of the race, followed by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team), who crashed at Turn 5, failing to secure a double top 10 finish in Aragón. Further back, Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) battled for a top 10 spot with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

At the front, Marc Marquez extended his lead to over three seconds, with Martin holding his ground in second. By Lap 19, Bagnaia caught up to Alex Marquez, who ran wide at Turn 12, leaving the door open for an overtake. However, contact between the two resulted in both riders sliding out and losing the podium, while Martin’s points lead ballooned to 23 by the end of the race.

Marc Marquez, however, faced no such drama. Extending his lead to five seconds, he cruised to his first victory since 2021, and his first with Ducati and Gresini, ending a 1,043-day drought.

Behind Martin and Acosta, who capitalized on the Bagnaia-Alex Marquez incident to complete the podium, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) secured a strong P4. Bastianini fought back from a poor grid position to round out the top five. Morbidelli took sixth after a solid weekend, followed by Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi, whose positions swapped after a Tyre Pressure Penalty for Diggia. Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) finished P9, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) rounding out the top ten after a tyre pressure penalty for Jack Miller dropped the Aussie out of the top ten.

Don’t miss the next race as MotoGP™ heads to Misano for the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. Championship leader Jorge Martin and the latest race winner, Marc Marquez, will face off in enemy territory, while reigning Champion Bagnaia will look to reclaim his form on home turf. See you in Misano!

Official MotoGP Press Release