Alex Marquez takes MotoGP win at home in Jerez

The return to form by Marc Marquez (Lenovo Ducati) at his home round at Jerez — where he took an unlikely Sprint win after crashing in a rain-hit 12-lap race from pole — was short-lived, as he crashed out of second place on just the second lap of the full-length Grand Prix.

The nine-time world champion took the holeshot from championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and brother Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati), but as the Italian looked for a way past the factory Ducati rider to keep his record run of 121 laps led intact, Alex found a way through on his RS-GP, relegating Bezzecchi to third as they crossed the line for the first time.

Quickest in the dry all weekend, Alex then pushed brother Marc back to P2 at Turn 6, before Marc — desperate not to let him escape — lost the front five corners later and crashed out of his second successive Sunday grand prix.

After copping a three-place grid penalty, Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) got a lightning start to slot into fourth from 10th on the grid, before being pushed back to fifth by Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati). Fellow front-row starter Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) was doing his best to keep the duelling Tech3 KTMs of Enea Bastianini and Pedro Acosta at bay, as the Trackhouse Aprilia of Raul Fernandez began to loom in eighth.

Contact that broke the aero on Acosta’s RC16 marked the start of his decline, with Bastianini and then Fernandez getting the better of him on lap six. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) was through on the Spanish rookie on lap seven, before Pecco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati) pushed him to 10th at the start of lap eight.

By now, Alex Marquez was more than 1.5 seconds clear at the front as Bezzecchi’s bid for victory faded, his lap times beginning to stabilise. Di Giannantonio sat a further eight-tenths back. In eighth, Ogura started to find some pace as he looked for a way past Bastianini for seventh.

Bagnaia — one place behind in ninth — suffered what he later called “a problem with the front end” and ran wide, dropping to last before pulling into the pits to cap off a zero-point day for the factory Ducati squad. Acosta’s hopes of holding third in the championship continued to slip as he struggled with the damaged KTM, running wide and allowing Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) through to ninth.

Alex Marquez’s lead had stretched to over two seconds from Bezzecchi, who held a one-second buffer to fellow Italian Di Giannantonio, with Martin another two seconds behind. Zarco remained in fifth but was coming under pressure from Fernandez, while Ogura finally found a way through on Bastianini for seventh with 10 laps to go.

It was a weekend to forget for Yamaha. Their leading light, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Yamaha), found himself battling HRC’s Joan Mir — but only after the Honda rider had served a double long-lap penalty. Aussie Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha), who qualified 21st, also had a double long-lap penalty to serve after speeding in pit lane during Saturday’s Sprint.

With five laps to go, Ogura’s trademark late-race speed was on display, quicker than all riders ahead of him except the race leader. Fernandez eventually dispatched Zarco for fifth on lap 22, before Ogura repeated the move one lap later to deny the Frenchman a rare top-six finish.

Alex Marquez began the last lap 2.2 seconds clear of Bezzecchi, with another two seconds back to Di Giannantonio. There were no late fireworks, but Ogura’s charge continued as he pinched fifth place from teammate Fernandez on the final lap of the 25-lap GP to claim Trackhouse bragging rights.

Just as he did 12 months earlier when he won the Spanish Grand Prix for the first time, Alex Marquez waved to the home crowd through the stadium section before crossing the line in his 250th grand prix start. It was his fourth premier-class victory and his first podium of 2026.

Bezzecchi extended his championship lead with a solid second place, while Di Giannantonio completed the podium, 3.5 seconds ahead of Martin and Ogura. Fernandez was sixth, ahead of Zarco and Bastianini, while Aldeguer and Acosta rounded out the top 10. Miller finished 18th, 37.5 seconds behind the winner.

While it was the first Sunday grand prix Bezzecchi hasn’t won, his runner-up finish extends his championship lead to 11 points, with 101 to teammate Jorge Martin’s 90. Di Giannantonio jumps two spots to third with 71 points, ahead of Acosta (66) and Marc Marquez (57). The series now heads to Le Mans for the French Grand Prix on 8–10 May.