Moto2 2026 season so far – Tight title fight heads to Jerez after early pause

Agius reignites his campaign ahead of Jerez

The opening three rounds of the 2026 Moto2 World Championship have set up exactly the sort of intermediate-class title fight the paddock expects from the category: busy, volatile, and already too compressed to allow anyone the luxury of a poor weekend. The Qatar postponement has now created an unexpected early pause before the championship resumes at Jerez on April 24-26, giving teams a chance to comb back through the Thailand, Brazil and COTA data while riders use the break to reset before Europe begins in earnest.

Moto2 class of 2026

Manuel Gonzalez has emerged from that first phase with the championship lead, but not with anything close to control. He opened the season by winning the chaotic, twice-stopped Thai opener ahead of Izan Guevara, then salvaged third in Brazil after Daniel Holgado turned a Q1-to-pole recovery into victory, before taking fifth at COTA. That leaves Gonzalez on 39.5 points, just 3.5 clear of Guevara, with Holgado only 6.5 adrift and Celestino Vietti only 7.5 behind. In other words, the leader has been strong, but not dominant.

Manuel Gonzalez

That is what makes the class feel so open heading to Jerez. Holgado’s Brazil win was important not only because it briefly put him on top of the standings, but because it confirmed he has the pace and composure to be a weekly factor rather than just a one-off podium threat. Guevara has been similarly well placed through the opening rounds, while Vietti has quietly kept himself in striking distance without yet needing to dominate a weekend. Moto2 does not currently look like a championship waiting for one rider to pull clear; it looks like one waiting for someone to prove they can string complete weekends together.

Dani Holgado won the Moto2 race in Brazil and is currently ranked third in the Moto2 World Championship

From an Australian perspective, the first three rounds have effectively been split into two stories for Senna Agius. The first was promise without reward: a dream Moto2 pole in Thailand, only for his weekend to unravel in the disrupted season opener, followed by another non-score in Brazil. The second was COTA, where he reminded everyone why he remains such an intriguing rider in this class by producing a forceful, aggressive and controlled victory in a red-flag-affected race that badly needed decisiveness.

Senna Agius back in the game… Moto2 2026 – Round Three – COTA

That Austin win changed the complexion of Agius’ season immediately. He arrived in Texas with zero points from the opening two rounds, then left with 25 and suddenly back in the discussion, sitting sixth in the standings and only 14.5 behind Gonzalez. More than the points, it was the manner of the ride that mattered. Agius took the lead, lost it briefly to Vietti by 0.040s on lap eight, then hit straight back and closed the deal, beating Vietti by 0.497s with Guevara another 0.411s behind. It was not just a recovery; it was a reminder that he can still shape this title race.

Senna reportedly impressed Valentino Rossi with his determined Flat Track charge on the ranch, and the Australian youngster has been linked to various potential MotoGP seats for 2027.

Senna Agius with the winner’s trophy after his red-flag shortened Moto2 triumph at COTA.

Another layer in the early-season picture is the chassis split. Kalex still has numerical weight at the front through Gonzalez, Holgado, Agius and several others, but Boscoscuro remains firmly in the fight through Guevara and Vietti, both of whom sit inside the top four after three rounds. That balance matters because it suggests Moto2 is not dictated by a single technical package; execution, tyre management and racecraft still decide more than hardware. That should keep the class tight as it heads into the European rounds, where consistency usually starts to count for more.

So Jerez arrives as the first proper separator of the season. Gonzalez has the points lead, but no margin for error. Holgado has already shown he can capitalise when a weekend swings his way. Guevara and Vietti are close enough to punish any slip, while Agius has used COTA to put himself back on the map just before the series returns to Europe. After three rounds, Moto2 has given us a leader, but not a ruler. Jerez should tell us whether Gonzalez can turn a good opening phase into command, or whether this is shaping up to be the kind of season where the lead changes hands repeatedly.

 Moto2 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	M. Gonzalez	Kal	39.5
2	I. Guevara	Bos	36
3	D. Holgado	Kal	33
4	C. Vietti	Bos	32
5	D. Muñoz	Kal	26
6	S. Agius	Kal	25
7	D. Alonso	Kal	24
8	A. Escrig	For	23
9	A. Lopez	Kal	18.5
10	I. Ortola	Kal	17.5
11	T. Arbolino	Kal	16.5
12	C. Veijer	Kal	13.5
13	B. Baltus	Kal	13
14	A. Huertas	Kal	8
15	J. Roberts	Kal	7
16	A. Canet	Bos	5.5
17	D. Öncü	Bos	3.5
18	A. Sasaki	Kal	3
19	M. Aji	Kal	3
20	F. Salac	Kal	1
21	J. Rueda	Kal	1
22	A. Ferrandez	Bos	0.5
23	T. Furusato	Kal
24	S. Garcia	Kal
25	J. Navarro	For
26	D. Foggia	Bos
27	Z. vd Goorbergh	Kal

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