Di Giannantonio wins chaotic Catalan MotoGP as penalties reshape podium

Round Six – Catalunya

Di Giannantonio wins chaotic Catalunya GP after red flags and penalties

MotoGP Catalunya Grand Prix

Major disasters were averted at Catalunya on Sunday, but only just. It took three attempts to get a MotoGP result, and even then, the final order was not properly settled until the FIM MotoGP Stewards had added 16-second tyre-pressure penalties to five riders after the race.

When the dust, gravel and paperwork finally settled, Fabio Di Giannantonio was a MotoGP winner for the second time in his career, 910 days after his breakthrough victory in Qatar in 2023. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 rider won the 12-lap final restart ahead of Fermin Aldeguer and Francesco Bagnaia, giving Ducati its first Grand Prix podium lockout since the German GP last year.

Fabio Di Giannantonio celebrates in the VR46 garage after emerging from the chaos to win the Catalan GP.

Di Giannantonio’s win was also the first for the VR46 Racing Team since Marco Bezzecchi won the 2023 Indian Grand Prix, while Bagnaia’s inherited third place ended a 10-race Sunday podium drought for the Ducati Lenovo Team. That had been the factory team’s longest wait for a Grand Prix podium since the 24-race run between Aragon 2012 and Qatar 2014.

The provisional podium picture, before Joan Mir’s tyre pressure penalty dropped him out of second and elevated Fermin Aldeguer and Pecco Bagnaia.

That, however, only tells the clean version of the story. The actual Catalan GP was anything but.

First start: Acosta leads, Alex Marquez stalks, chaos follows

Brad Binder’s afternoon started badly before the race had even started. The South African wheeled away from the grid and forced into a pit-lane start. Team-mate Pedro Acosta, by contrast, got exactly the launch he needed and led the field away from pole.

Pedro Acosta had Alex Marquez, Raul Fernandez, Franco Morbidelli and Jorge Martin in close company before the first red flag.

Alex Marquez had been the rider many expected to beat across a race distance after his Sprint victory on Saturday, especially with brother Marc absent from the weekend, but the younger Marquez was roughed up by all and sundry in the early laps as the field made life difficult for the 30-year-old.

Alex Marquez looked poised and fast in the early running, with Johann Zarco and Raul Fernandez among the riders in the lead group as they chased Acosta early on

Raul Fernandez and Jorge Martin both went by, Johann Zarco was also on the attack, and the Sprint winner had to spend the opening laps reassembling his challenge rather than dictating terms.

Pedro Acosta leads Raul Fernandez and Alex Marquez during the early laps, before the first-start incident changed the complexion of the Catalan GP.

Acosta was doing his best to break the pack, but Fernandez was not content to sit behind. The Trackhouse Aprilia rider took the lead at Turn 1 on lap five, only for Acosta to later respond and reclaim the front. By lap ten, however, Alex Marquez had worked his way back into serious contention and looked the smoothest rider in the lead group. The Gresini Ducati had recovered from the early elbows and appeared to be biding its time.

Alex Marquez leads Johann Zarco and Fabio Di Giannantonio after patienty dispensing both then chasing down Pedro Acosta

Then the race changed completely.

On lap 12, Acosta’s KTM slowed dramatically as the field charged away from Turn 9. Alex Marquez, tucked in behind and already moving to attack, had almost no time to react. He clipped the back of the slowing RC16 while trying to avoid it, was sent onto the grass, and then hit a drain, which launched both the rider and the Ducati violently into the air.

The Desmosedici destroyed itself in the impact sequence, scattering debris across the track. Di Giannantonio also went down after being unable to avoid the aftermath, while other riders had to pick their way through the wreckage. The red flag was immediate, and the relief was that the outcome was not worse.

Alex Marquez was conscious and later diagnosed with a broken right collarbone and a small fracture to his C7 vertebra. The collarbone was operated on Sunday night, while the vertebra injury will be monitored before any decision is made on whether further intervention is required. Catalunya had looked set to relaunch Alex Marquez into the 2026 title conversation. Instead, it has left him in doubt for Mugello.

Enea Bastianini was also out of the equation by this stage after stopping with a technical problem before the first red flag.

Second start: more carnage at Turn 1

Another restart at Catalunya, where the Grand Prix was repeatedly halted before Fabio Di Giannantonio eventually emerged victorious.

After the delay to clear the circuit, the race was reset as a 13-lap contest with the grid formed from the order at the last completed lap before the red flag. Acosta, Fernandez and Martin formed the front row.

It lasted only a few hundred metres.

Acosta again nailed the launch, but behind him the field compressed into Turn 1 and another major incident unfolded. Luca Marini, Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco all went down, with Zarco left in the gravel and immediately causing concern.

Marini and Bagnaia were able to return for the third start. Zarco was not. The Frenchman was taken to the Hospital Universitari General de Catalunya, where he was found to have sustained injuries to the anterior and posterior cruciate ligament and the medial meniscus, along with a small fibula tear near the ankle. He remained under observation overnight and is expected to travel back to France to consult specialists and determine the next steps in his recovery.

Third start: Aprilia clash, Acosta heartbreak, Diggia pounces

The third attempt became a 12-lap dash. Once again, Acosta led, Martin slotted into second, and Fernandez was immediately in the fight. That Aprilia intra-brand battle lasted less than a lap before it exploded at Turn 5.

Raul Fernandez threads through the gravel after contact with Jorge Martin, another flashpoint in a chaotic Catalan GP.

Fernandez went up the inside of Martin, the two Aprilias made contact, and both ran into the gravel. Martin went down, remounted, and later retired. Fernandez continued, but the incident ruined both races. Martin was visibly incandescent when he returned to the Aprilia box, while Fernandez later pushed back against the suggestion that he alone was at fault.

For Aprilia, it was an ugly reversal from the Le Mans weekend, where the Noale marque had locked out the podium and looked to have the championship by the throat. At Catalunya, factory riders Martin and Bezzecchi both endured complicated Sundays, Trackhouse saw Fernandez’s race unravel, and Ogura’s late podium chance also turned into a penalty.

At the front of the final restart, Acosta led from Joan Mir and Bagnaia, with Di Giannantonio fourth. The VR46 rider did not take long to move forward, passing Bagnaia on lap four and then setting about Mir. Aldeguer, meanwhile, was also coming into the picture, with Ai Ogura joining the lead group on the Trackhouse Aprilia.

Di Giannantonio made his decisive move on Mir with five laps to go, then went after Acosta. With three laps remaining, he struck at Turn 10, parking the Ducati up the inside of the KTM and holding the line through the following sequence. From there, the Italian immediately created breathing space.

Behind him, Acosta’s race began to unravel. Mir attacked into Turn 1 on the final lap to move into second, Aldeguer dived through at Turn 3, and Ogura was still close enough to sense an opportunity. At the final corner, the Japanese rookie tried a desperate move on Acosta, but contact sent the KTM rider down and ended what had looked for so long like a certain podium.

Acosta crashed out of a potential podium result after being hit by Ogura at the final turn. The Japanese rider was handed a three-second penalty for the incident.

Ogura crossed the line fourth on the road but was handed a three-second penalty for causing the crash, dropping him down the order. Acosta, who had already been denied by the Turn 9 drama in the original race, was left with nothing after another cruel twist.

Penalties rewrite the podium

Di Giannantonio was clear of the mess and crossed the line a deserved winner. Mir initially finished second, with Aldeguer third, but the post-race tyre-pressure checks rewrote the final order.

The provisional podium picture, before Joan Mir’s tyre pressure penalty dropped him out of second and elevated Fermin Aldeguer and Pecco Bagnaia.

Mir was one of five riders handed a 16-second penalty for a tyre-pressure infringement, turning what would have been a badly needed Honda podium into 13th place. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Raul Fernandez, Alex Rins and Jack Miller were also given 16-second penalties. Bagnaia had been listed among the riders under investigation but escaped sanction, which promoted him onto the podium.

The revised result therefore became Di Giannantonio, Aldeguer and Bagnaia, an all-Ducati podium on a day when Ducati’s expected Sunday spearhead, Alex Marquez, was in hospital and the factory team only reached the rostrum after the stewards’ post-race arithmetic.

Fabio Di Giannantonio and the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team celebrate a hard-earned Catalan GP victory.

Aldeguer’s second place was his fourth MotoGP podium and his first since winning in Indonesia last year. Bagnaia’s third was his 60th MotoGP Grand Prix podium, and his best Sunday result since winning in Japan last year.

Fermin Aldeguer celebrates a breakthrough runner-up result for BK8 Gresini Racing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Marco Bezzecchi was classified fourth, ending his run of seven consecutive Grand Prix podiums but still extending his championship lead on a day when Martin crashed out. Fabio Quartararo took fifth for Yamaha, ahead of Luca Marini, Binder, the penalised Ogura, Diogo Moreira and Franco Morbidelli.

Maverick Viñales was 11th for Tech3 KTM, wildcard Augusto Fernandez 12th for Yamaha, then came the penalised Mir, Rins and Miller. Miller’s penalty left him 15th, but still with a single point after a chaotic day for the Yamaha contingent. Razgatlioglu and Raul Fernandez were classified 16th and 17th, respectively, after their penalties.

Championship picture

Bezzecchi leaves Catalunya still leading the MotoGP World Championship on 142 points, now 15 clear of team-mate Martin. Di Giannantonio’s win moves him to 116 points and third overall, 26 behind Bezzecchi, while Acosta remains fourth on 92 after what might prove one of the more painful missed opportunities of his season.

Ogura remains fifth on 77 points despite the penalty, with Raul Fernandez sixth on 68 and Alex Marquez seventh on 67. Bagnaia’s inherited podium lifts him to 63 points, still a long way from where Ducati would expect its factory spearhead to be, but at least back on a Sunday podium after a bruising run.

Aprilia still leads the manufacturers’ championship on 181 points, 16 clear of Ducati, while Aprilia Racing continues to head the teams’ standings. However, Catalunya marked the first Grand Prix since Malaysia last year without an Aprilia rider on the podium, and the day’s narrative was a long way from the blue-and-black domination of Le Mans.

There was even a paddock subplot around Mir, who was linked over the weekend with a possible Gresini Ducati seat for 2027. If those rumours prove accurate, he may have left Catalunya with a future prize of sorts, even if the timing sheets took away what would have been his best result yet on the Honda.

Mugello is next. Bezzecchi arrives there with the championship lead and home advantage, Di Giannantonio arrives with renewed authority, Martin arrives needing a reset, and the MotoGP paddock arrives hoping Catalunya’s close calls remain just that.

Catalunya MotoGP Race Part Two Results

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

1	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	20m06.243
2	F. Aldeguer	Duc	+1.466
3	F. Bagnaia	Duc	+4.320
4	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	+4.679
5	F. Quartararo	Yam	+4.876
6	L. Marini	Hon	+4.971
7	B. Binder	KTM	+5.137
8	A. Ogura	Apr	+5.377
9	D. Moreira	Hon	+6.839
10	F. Morbidelli	Duc	+7.160
11	M. Viñales	KTM	+10.147
12	A. Fernandez	Yam	+16.245
13	J. Mir	Hon	+17.250
14	A. Rins	Yam	+22.916
15	J. Miller	Yam	+26.452
16	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	+27.808
17	R. Fernandez	Apr	+31.066
Not Classified
NC	J. Martin	Apr	DNF
NC	P. Acosta	KTM	DNF

Catalunya MotoGP Race Part One Results

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

1	P. Acosta	KTM	18m27.656
2	R. Fernandez	Apr	+0.697
3	J. Martin	Apr	+1.476
4	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	+1.979
5	J. Zarco	Hon	+2.590
6	F. Morbidelli	Duc	+5.415
7	J. Mir	Hon	+6.130
8	F. Aldeguer	Duc	+6.175
9	L. Marini	Hon	+6.760
10	F. Bagnaia	Duc	+7.054
11	A. Ogura	Apr	+8.559
12	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	+8.701
13	F. Quartararo	Yam	+10.849
14	D. Moreira	Hon	+11.531
15	M. Viñales	KTM	+12.107
16	J. Miller	Yam	+12.695
17	A. Rins	Yam	+12.734
18	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	+13.178
19	A. Fernandez	Yam	+15.893
20	B. Binder	KTM	+27.098
NC	A. Marquez	Duc	+0.052
NC	E. Bastianini	KTM	–

Catalunya MotoGP Event Top Speeds

Pos

Rider

Bike

Speed

Event

1	P. Acosta	KTM	363.6	Q2
2	E. Bastianini	KTM	361.2	Q1
3	A. Ogura	Apr	358.8	Sprint
4	M. Bezzecchi	Apr	358.8	Race
5	J. Zarco	Hon	358.8	PRA
6	F. Di Giannantonio	Duc	358.8	Q2
7	J. Martin	Apr	358.8	Q2
8	J. Mir	Hon	358.8	Q2
9	D. Moreira	Hon	357.6	Sprint
10	F. Bagnaia	Duc	357.6	WUP
11	B. Binder	Ktm	357.6	WUP
12	A. Marquez	Duc	356.4	WUP
13	M. Viñales	KTM	356.4	WUP
14	F. Morbidelli	Duc	356.4	Q1
15	R. Fernandez	Apr	356.4	Q2
16	L. Marini	Hon	355.2	WUP
17	A. Rins	Yam	355.2	Q1
18	F. Aldeguer	Duc	355.2	WUP
19	F. Quartararo	Yam	354.0	WUP
20	T. Razgatlioglu	Yam	354.0	WUP
21	J. Miller	Yam	354.0	WUP
22	A. Fernandez	Yam	350.6	WUP

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos

Rider

Points

1	M. Bezzecchi	142
2	J. Martin	127
3	F. Di Giannantonio	116
4	P. Acosta	92
5	A. Ogura	77
6	R. Fernandez	68
7	A. Marquez	67
8	F. Bagnaia	63
9	M. Marquez	57
10	F. Aldeguer	47
11	L. Marini	43
12	E. Bastianini	39
13	F. Quartararo	37
14	B. Binder	37
15	F. Morbidelli	36
16	J. Zarco	34
17	D. Moreira	17
18	J. Mir	11
19	A. Rins	9
20	M. Viñales	5
21	A. Fernandez	4
22	T. Razgatlioglu	4
23	J. Miller	2
24	J. Folger
25	M. Pirro

2026 MotoGP Calendar

Rnd	Date	Event	Circuit
1	01 Mar	Thai	Chang International Circuit
2	22 Mar	Brazil*	Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
3	29 Mar	US	Circuit of the Americas
4	26 Apr	Spain**	Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
5	10 May	France	Le Mans
6	17 May	Catalonia	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
7	31 May	Italy	Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
8	07 Jun	Hungary	Balaton Park Circuit
9	21 Jun	Czech	Automotodrom Brno
10	28 Jun	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
11	12 Jul	Germany	Sachsenring
12	09 Aug	GB	Silverstone Circuit
13	30 Aug	Aragon	MotorLand Aragon
14	13 Sep	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
15	20 Sep	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
16	04 Oct	Japan	Mobility Resort Motegi
17	11 Oct	Indonesia	Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
18	25 Oct	Australia	Phillip Island
19	01 Nov	Malaysia	Petronas Sepang International Circuit
20	08 Nov	Qatar	Lusail International Circuit
21	22 Nov	Portugal	Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
22	29 Nov	Valencia	Circuit Ricardo Tormo