Spanish GP: Marc Márquez wins a completely crazy sprint

The scenario of the Spanish Grand Prix Sprint MotoGP It couldn't have been written! After crashing while defending second place, Marc Márquez, who had fallen to the back of the field, managed to win. The reigning world champion anticipated the first drops of rain, diving into the pits after the incident to change bikes. A gamble that paid off, allowing him to regain the lead on lap 10 of 13, once the other riders had also made their pit stops. 

🤯 @marcmarquez93 HAS CRASHED BUT HAS MADE IT TO THE BOX TO CHANGE BIKES#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/K41IPHPxTC

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) April 25, 2026

Although he crossed the finish line first, his victory remains controversial. To dive into the pits, Marc Márquez cut across the grass, where he should have completed a full lap of the circuit before entering the pit lane. Nevertheless, he secured his 17th Sprint victory, equaling Jorge Martín's record, which his compatriot set at the most recent Grand Prix in the United States.

Behind him, the podium was just as surprising. Starting tenth on the grid, Pecco Bagnaia made a similar gamble to his teammate. He led the race after the flurry of pit stops before being overtaken by his teammate. Franco Morbidelli completed the podium, having started the race 18th.

The two Frenchmen in the points

Starting second on the grid, Johann Zarco made an unexpected start to the race. After initially resisting Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, without being able to do much, he engaged in a fierce battle against the three KTMs of Pedro Acosta, Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder to keep them in his wake. 

Overtaken several times by one of the other riders, he always managed to regain the lead until the halfway point of the race. He was then passed by two KTMs, those of Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder, as well as Fermín Aldeguer's Ducati. In the rain, the Frenchman was among the last riders on track with slick tires. 

A crash forced him to make the decision to return to the pits to change motorcycles. He still finished 8th, just behind fabio quartararo who gained nine positions thanks to a well-executed strategy. He scored points in the Sprint for the second time this year. He had already earned four points in Brazil with a 6th place finish. Both French drivers thus finished in the top 9 on Saturday for the first time since the last Malaysian Grand Prix.

The carnage at Aprilia

Saturday at the Spanish Grand Prix was not Aprilia's day. At the start, Marco Bezzecchi slipped on a tear-off and dropped to the back of the field. After the first lap, Jorge Martín also had to abandon his hopes of a good result due to a brake problem.

The reason of Marco Bezzecchi's bad start was a tear off 🤯#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/PN9GZ4Q0uo

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) April 25, 2026

Lorenzo Savadori was hit by Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, who was caught out by the conditions. The Turkish rider is expected to receive a grid penalty for Sunday's race. The best-placed Aprilia was therefore that of Raul Fernandez, who finished 6th after defending his podium position in the final laps. Ai Ogura finished the Sprint in 15th place.

ALSO READ > The starting grid for the Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix

MotoGP 2026 – Spanish Grand Prix 

The Sprint ranking: