MotoGP Grand Prix of Aragon Sprint – Marc Marquez storms to perfection on Saturday, defeating Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi in style

Marc Marquez has notched his 20th Sprint Saturday victory, dominating the action after stealing the lead at turn one. The No. 93 came from P2 on the grid, crossing the line over one second clear of the field.

Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium, which was split by just two seconds after a fantastic day of action. Bezzecchi was unable to find extra early pace with the soft rear tyre, ending the day two seconds adrift.

Pedro Acosta and Jorge Martin round up Saturday’s top five finishers, ending a stunning battle. Fermin Aldeguer was behind, ending a superb late charge through the field – storming from P9 to P6.

It was a heroic day for the returning Johann Zarco too, grabbing the final point in ninth on a Saturday to remember.

Elsewhere, there was disappointment for Fabio Quartararo, who suffered technical issues on his Yamaha V4. Fabio Di Giannantonio and Luca Marini had days to forget too, both suffering early crashes.

History made in MotoGP, Marc Marquez grabs his 20th Sprint win after yet another remarkable ride. However, he’s already searching for more, adding that he’ll need to make a good start tomorrow if he wants another P1.

Marc Marquez said: "I knew Marco was using the soft tyre, so I knew my chance was at the first corner, and tomorrow will be a bit the same. A good start helped a lot, and I was riding at a good pace, but I saw that the group was also quite fast, especially Alex.

"Let’s see if we can improve tomorrow and try to be as consistent as today!"

Simply stunning. Alex Marquez returns to the Sprint podium once more, banishing his Barcelona demons to return to top form. There's still further work to do as the No. 73 looks towards Sunday... 

Alex Marquez added: "I felt really good! I love to race at home, and I love that we have four home GPs. Everyone is something special and different, and I have really enjoyed it this weekend; still, tomorrow is the main goal.

"Finishing second today was so important today. Coming from my injuries, we are getting better and better. Silverstone, it was a little painful to not be on the Sunday podium, but I think we are doing a really good job, and I think tomorrow we will have some changes to be on the podium."

MARCO BEZZECCHI: ‘WONDERFUL DAY’ 

Although it wasn’t a Sprint win, Saturday has been a great day in the title fight for Marco Bezzecchi as he closes the gap to rival and teammate Jorge Martin. The Italian wasn't expecting this result either, knowing that Marc and Alex had more in the locker.

Bezzecchi said: "Yeah, it has been a wonderful day. Honestly, I didn’t expect to get such a good result today in both the qualifying and the Sprint. Yesterday I felt good, but my pace wasn’t the best, so I'm very happy, although I knew Marc and Alex had something more.

"Unfortunately, I missed my braking marker a little bit at the first corner, but yeah, I'm very happy and satisfied, thanks to the team, and now we think about tomorrow."

Turn one was incredibly tight and was the key move which allowed Marc Marquez to grab victory. Check out how he did it!

Stunning, spectacular and pure domination: Marc Marquez crosses the line to snatch victory in the Aragon GP Sprint. The crowd are on their feet and for a good reason… We’ve got a Marquez one-two in Spain as Marco Bezzecchi bags third this time around. 

Further back, Aldeguer has made the move on Diogo Moreira, ending a stunning final charge.

After making his way through on Johann Zarco, Fermin Aldeguer is continuing to storm through the field. The No. 54 is trying to attack Raul Fernandez, making it another Aprilia vs Ducati battle in 2026. Diogo Moreira sits a further couple of meters up the road, meaning this fight isn’t over yet…

Aldeguer made his move on lap nine, leaving no room for the Trackhouse star to retaliate!

It’s another day to forget for Francesco Bagnaia, running outside of the Sprint points in P11 after a difficult weekend continues. The Italian has yet to find his return to form, searching for the missing piece of the puzzle. As it stands, Bagnaia is the last Ducati on the circuit, three positions behind Fermin Aldeguer.

Johann Zarco is putting in a simply heroic ride on his return to racing. It’s the first time the Frenchman has been on the grid since Barcelona and is already fighting with Fermin Aldeguer and Raul Fernandez. Zarco sits P9 for the time being, trying to attack Aldeguer!

Already nearing towards half race distance at Aragon, and so far it has been domination by the Marquez pair. However, the battle for P4 still isn’t over yet, with Pedro Acosta sneaking through Jorge Martin following a final corner mistake from the 2024 MotoGP world champion. 

Things have gone from bad to worse for Fabio Quartararo too, with his Yamaha V4 expiring – ending his day.

We’ve got an exciting scrap on our hands, with Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta locking horns on the third lap. Martin hasn’t had it easy so far, sitting remarkably in P4, right behind his Aprilia Racing teammate Bezzecchi.

Back at the front, Marc Marquez has clocked the fastest lap of the Sprint so far, setting a 1:46.486 at the end of lap three. It stretches the gap to 0.769 at the front of the race – a comfortable position for Marc to be in.

The Marquez duo are already beginning to turn up the wick, pushing on the pace with the leading two riding with the medium rear tyre. Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi has opted for a soft rear tyre, making these opening laps very important. 

Elsewhere, Fabio Di Giannantonio has crashed out, ending his Sprint hopes on the second lap of action.

We are racing on Saturday! It’s a cracking start from polesitter Marco Bezzecchi, but it is Marc Marquez who attacks at turn one. The No. 93 risked everything, made the move stick and was quickly followed by his younger brother Alex Marquez. With the Marquez brothers sitting one-two, Bezzecchi is pushed back to third for the time being. 

Jorge Martin, Raul Fernandez and Pedro Acosta are getting close on the opening lap, fighting for the final spots inside the top five. Further back, Luca Marini has crashed out, ending his Saturday early at turn seven.

Get set, we are nearly ready for lights out at Aragon! Everything remains up for grabs, with a further 12 points on offer today. 11 laps to settle the scores, can Bezzecchi fend off the chasing pack in Marc Marquez territory? Let’s find out!

Not long left! Just five minutes separate the grid from going lights out, and we can’t wait! If you want to pop on the kettle, this is your final chance because it’s nearly time to head Sprint racing at Aragon…

Before we go racing, let’s take one final look at the front four rows of the grid after a dramatic qualifying session earlier on!

1. Marco Bezzecchi (Pole)

2. Marc Marquez

3. Alex Marquez

4. Raul Fernandez

5. Jorge Martin

6. Pedro Acosta

7. Fabio Di Giannantonio

8. Francesco Bagnaia

9. Johann Zarco

10. Diogo Moreira

11. Fermin Aldeguer

12. Franco Morbidelli

We’ve got a special edition of Neil Hodgson’s column this weekend, with the 2003 WorldSBK champion experiencing a current MotoGP bike. Join Neil as he describes what it is really like to ride a modern MotoGP bike and who he thinks is the favourite for the title in the second half of the season.

Want to know more? Check out the full article below.

MotorLand Aragon, where do we even start! 5.08km, 17 corners and a habit of creating last lap battles. The circuit first featured on the MotoGP calendar back in 2010, with Casey Stoner winning the first edition. However, it’s Marc Marquez who holds the record with the most wins here; can he come out on top in Alcaniz from P2 on the grid?

2027 NEWS: THE GRID GROWS 

Although there hasn’t been much racing in the past week, there’s been plenty of shuffling with regard to 2027. First up: Enea Bastianini will join SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP for 2027, jumping ship from KTM to join Aprilia in the 850cc era.

KTM will have a shake-up too, with Luca Marini announcing his departure from Honda as he signs to join Tech3 from 2027.

Finally, and to no surprise, Ducati will retain Fermin Aldeguer for 2027 onwards as the Spanish star leaves Gresini and heads to Pertamina Enduro VR46 next year.

Still, some seats are yet to be decided, with Honda needing to confirm where David Alonso and Diogo Moreira will head, plus the two remaining seats at Tech3 and VR46. Who do you think will join the grid next?

It was a busy start to Saturday, with a dramatic qualifying session deciding the grid for the upcoming 11 laps. Francesco Bagnaia and Diogo Moreira made their way through Q1, setting up a thrilling Q2 session in the battle for pole position. Marco Bezzecchi snatched P1 following a stunning 1:44.962, being closely followed by Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez as Pedro Acosta suffered a crash.

Hear from the polesitter!