The MotoGP Sprint race at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto was exciting and full of action, with changing conditions turning it into a flag-to-flag race. Marc Márquez still managed to win despite crashing earlier in the race, quickly getting back up and diving into pit lane to swap bikes at the perfect moment. His teammate Francesco Bagnaia finished second after a strong and controlled ride, while Franco Morbidelli took third place, completing the podium in a race full of surprises and bold decisions.
You can find more details and reactions in the teams’ official press releases below.
More from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:
A Ducati Lenovo Team one-two in an unpredictable Jerez Sprint: Marc Márquez takes the win ahead of Pecco Bagnaia.
- Franco Morbidelli, third, completes an all-Ducati podium with the Desmosedici GP of the VR46 Racing Team
The Ducati Lenovo Team can celebrate a one-two finish in a dramatic and at times unpredictable fourth Sprint of the season at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. Under heavy rain, Marc Márquez edged Francesco Bagnaia to take victory.
Starting from pole position, Márquez led the first half of the race before being caught first by his brother Alex and then by Fabio Di Giannantonio. As the rain intensified, Marc crashed at the final corner at the end of lap eight. He quickly jumped back on his Desmosedici GP and returned to the pits to switch bikes. After rejoining the race, the reigning World Champion made his way back to the front, eventually reclaiming the lead ahead of his teammate. Bagnaia, after a complicated first phase of the race, was among the first riders to return to the pits for a bike swap. This decision allowed him to gain sixteen positions in around one lap to eventually finish second.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow at 10:40 local time (GMT +2) for the warm-up session, followed by the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain, which will be contested over a 25-lap distance starting at 14:00.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st: “I can say, in a way, that I crashed at the right place and at the right time! Obviously, nobody ever wants to crash and it was my mistake to stay out on track, but it’s never easy to decide whether to pit or stay out. It wasn’t the right choice, but luckily I crashed at the last corner: I waited in the gravel trap until all the riders had passed, and then I returned to the pits for the bike swap. When I rejoined the track I realised I was third, and then I worked my way up to first position. We still have work to do ahead of the race in order to make a step forward also in dry conditions.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd: “I didn’t get a good start but still tried to follow the riders ahead of me. Then some light rain started and I found myself unable to push, as I was struggling with grip. At some point I hoped that the rain would intensify and kept myself ready for this. I maybe should have pitted one lap earlier to get the tyre up to temperature, but it still went well anyway. I tried to stay with Marc after he overtook me, but when I saw he had another level of confidence in the rain, I chose to bring second place home. I noticed a few things in this Sprint that we can work on ahead of tomorrow’s race.”
More from a press release issued by Pertamina Enduro VR46 Team:
Morbidelli claims his first Sprint podium of the season at Jerez. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team secures the Sprint podium of the Spanish GP with Franco Morbidelli, who claims his first podium of the seasion. Fabio Di Giannantonio is fifth in a race with mixed conditions.
Rain stole the spotlight on Saturday at the Spanish GP, with a Sprint race that was held in mixed conditions. The balance for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is more than positive, having secured a podium with Franco Morbidelli, who delivered a great comeback from eighteenth position. Fabio Di Giannantonio, who started from the front row and fought for the podium, ended the Sprint in Top5.
A difficult qualifying session made Saturday morning more complicated for Morbidelli, who couldn’t get through Q1, finishing with the eighteenth fastest time (1’50”219). Starting from the sixth row, Franco delivered an incredible comeback in the Sprint, also taking advantage of the rain that began to fall in the second half of the race. At the time of the bike change, the Italian-Brazilian rider gained positions with great overtakes, crossing the line in third place. With today’s result, Morbidelli claims his first Sprint podium of the season, his third with the Tavullia-based team, and is now thirteenth in the World Standing with 21 points.
It was also a positive Saturday for Di Giannantonio, who secured a front-row start in qualifying for the third consecutive time this season (1’49”097). Starting from third on the grid, Fabio entered the fight for the podium from the early stages of the race, proving to be competitive even when the rain made conditions more tricky. Leading the race even in wet conditions, the rider from Rome then carried out the bike change and rejoined in fifth place. Di Giannantonio held on to a Top5 finish until the chequered flag and, with this result, is fifth in the World Standing with 55 points.
The Spanish GP will conclude tomorrow with the main race, scheduled to start at 14:00 (local time).
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO: “We have to be optimistic: we did a good job finishing in fifth place in a race where it would have been easy to score zero points. It’s also good for the championship, we recovered a few points from the top. Of course, I wanted something more. In the opening laps on the dry we were fast and I tried to play my cards to win, but with the rain I was a bit cautious because I had the used rear tyre from this morning. We didn’t expect wet conditions in the afternoon, but that’s also part of racing. Now we focus on tomorrow, where we’ll have another opportunity to try to win given the expected dry conditions. We only need to improve the start, but we proved we are fast.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI: “It was a crazy race, the conditions were very unusual. I started from eighteenth position, it was raining, then it wasn’t, the track was wet… At a certain point I decided it was the right moment to come into the pits, and I managed to do it at the perfect time. When I got back on track, in the wet, my only goal was to overtake, and I completed several moves. Then I saw I was third at the end: it’s a fantastic result, something we really needed in this difficult moment. I want to dedicate this result to all those people who feel they are not enough, that they don’t deserve it. The truth is they have to keep pushing and working because something will come anyway. When I crossed the finish line, I thought of all the people who are suffering for some reason. For tomorrow, we’ll start from the sixth row; if conditions return to normal, we’ll do our best to recover as many positions as possible and enjoy the race.”
More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Quartararo & Rins Take P7 and P10 in First Ever Flag-To-Flag Sprint. An overcast Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto set the scene for the Grand Prix of Spain Saturday. With rain hammering down midway through the race, it became the first ever flag-to-flag Sprint. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo rode from P17 on the grid to P7 at the chequered flag. Álex Rins turned a P21 start into a P10 result.
Today Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins showed experience and clever riding in a spectacular flag-to-flag Grand Prix of Spain MotoGP Sprint. They wrapped it up in P7 and P10 respectively.
Quartararo launched from P17 and gradually moved up the order. He had climbed as high as 13th place, when the first drops started to fall. El Diablo came into the pits on lap 9 to switch to his wet bike and then settled in P8. Gaining another position in the final stages as the rain intensified, he finished in seventh place, 13.525s from first.
Rins commenced the Sprint from P21 and spent the majority of the 12-lap dash battling with the Prima Pramac Yamaha Moto2 teammates. He was riding in P21 when sudden rain turned his fortunes around. Coming in on lap 8, he moved up the rankings and, after some battles in the final laps, salvaged a P10 finish, 15.821s from the winner.
Today‘s Sprint results put Quartaro in 16th place in the championship standings with 9 points. Rins is in 18th with 3 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 10th position in the team classifications with 12 points, and Yamaha is fifth in the contructor rankings with 12 points.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action on Sunday for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+2), and the 25-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Fabio Quartararo: “I would say that for me this flag-to-flag was positive. Unfortunately, I came in one lap too late, but we still took three points. I didn’t expect to be fast in the wet today as this this was one of the first times riding in these conditions with this bike. But tomorrow will be a different story if it’s dry. We will have to work hard and find something.”
Alex Rins: “More than ‘survival’ this was a race where you really had to use your head. It was quite easy to make a mistake. I’m happy about how I managed the Sprint: I entered the pits at the perfect time, and I made the flag-to-flag in a good way. I had hoped for more than P10 because of this. Overall, we are struggling, in the wet and the dry. But I will take away from today that I can be happy with how I handled the race and adapted to the situation, and let’s see what tomorrow brings us.”
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director: “Today the weather conditions played a big role in the on-track action and the results. The riders already did some laps in damp conditions this morning in FP2, but it was nothing compared to the rain the riders faced midway through the Sprint. It was the first flag-to-flag of the season. When this happens, the riders have to assess the situation and decide for themselves what is the best time to come in. Both Fabio and Álex handled it well, though Fabio could have come in one lap earlier. Considering our grid positions, we can take comfort from the fact that we made the most of this afternoon’s sudden opportunity. However, with the weather forecast predicting dry weather tomorrow, we have to now switch gears again and prepare for a very different sort of race on Sunday.”
More from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Marini clinches ninth in volatile Jerez Sprint. A wet morning and a flag-to-flag Sprint race made for an unforgettable Saturday at the Spanish GP, Luca Marini keeping his cool to come through the field for ninth while Joan Mir fell.
Unpredictability was the order of the day at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto as rain, sun and more rain punctuated sessions which riders and fans will remember as a classic Sprint Saturday. The weather, and a fall for each Honda HRC Castrol rider, complicated the morning performance of Luca Marini and Joan Mir and saw them unable to pass through Q1. With Mir starting in 14th and Marini a place behind in 15th, they were presented with an uphill battle in a Sprint which initially started dry.
Rocketing off the line, Marini quickly passed his teammate and set about chasing the points scoring positions as dark clouds loomed overhead. Swapping bikes in the second group, the #10 rejoined in the battle for the points and fought Zarco until the very last corner for top Honda honours. Ninth at the flag, Marini took the final point in the dramatic Spanish GP Sprint and collected valuable data and insight should Sunday’s Grand Prix follow a similarly chaotic rhythm.
Racing nose to tail with his teammate for most of the race, Mir remained in the mix as the field dove into the pits with the rain. A quick bike change saw him gain time and track position in the closing laps as the intensity of the race increased. Unfortunately, a fall at Turn 10 would end any chance of points, Mir walking away unharmed. The #36 will serve a double long lap penalty in Sunday’s race for an earlier infringement.
Both Marini and Mir will no doubt be stronger in Sunday’s 25-lap Spanish Grand Prix for the lessons learned today. The unpredictable 2026 MotoGP World Championship season continues to excite fans around the world.
Luca Marini: “I think everyone enjoyed that race, you need some spice in your life sometimes! I did a great start and feeling comfortable in the dry, when I saw some rain on the screen of the bike, I waited to see a little bit the overall situation and what was happening. It’s hard to know when the best moment to pit is, I thought the first group had gone too early but finally that proved to be the correct moment. The rain arrived quite fast in the end and we battled hard until the end in these conditions. Nice to get a little reward, we will need another good start tomorrow.”
Joan Mir:“We had one of those days! A difficult weekend, missing Q2 for nothing on Friday which compromised our day today, it was complicated in the wet to push for a fast lap in time. In the race I made a great start and could overtake a lot of riders, then the rain started and I made a good bike change. On the out lap I lost the front behind Quartararo, I went to pick up the bike because in races like this you always have a chance, but the damage was too much. Like always we head into Sunday to give our 100% even if the penalty makes it really difficult.”
More from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:
Rain denies Bastianini points in chaotic Jerez Sprint. A heavy and unexpected downpour denied Enea Bastianini a strong points haul in today’s 12-lap MotoGP™ World Championship Sprint at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, despite the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider having delivered his best qualifying performance of the 2026 season to-date.
Qualifying
After completing 12 laps in mixed conditions during FP2, Bastianini carried that momentum into Q2, keeping his composure on a damp-but-drying track surface to go eighth-quickest aboard his #23 KTM RC16, despite suffering a fall on his final lap as conditions worsened. That grid position will improve to seventh for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Spain following a penalty applied to a rival ahead.
Sprint Race
A strong launch put Bastianini immediately in contention, and the Italian swiftly settled into a multi-bike battle just shy of the podium positions. After trading places with fellow KTM rider Brad Binder, ‘La Bestia’ gained a spot to seventh when Jorge Martín suddenly slowed, before joining a five-way fight for third. A close battle with Pedro Acosta followed, but all the while, the skies were darkening.
Rain began to fall and several front-runners came unstuck. The heavens then opened fully just as Bastianini passed pit entry, leaving him no option but to complete another lap on slicks in treacherous conditions. He kept the bike upright, but the time loss was decisive. He rejoined well down the order and crossed the finish line 11th.
The action concludes tomorrow with the weekend’s main event, the 25-lap Grand Prix, representing round four of the season and scheduled to get underway at 14:00 local time (UTC+2).
Enea Bastianini: “When the track was dry during the Sprint, we were competitive and I was able to gain some positions – I was up to sixth, and we were fighting to move even further forward – but midway through, it began to rain more, which made things difficult. In conditions like that, it’s always a bit of a game of roulette. When I switched bikes, I went onto the one I had crashed at the end of qualifying; the Tech3 guys put in a lot of energy to re-assemble it for which I’m super grateful, but with the lack of time available, it probably wasn’t 100 per cent. Our final position was obviously disappointing because we had been fighting for something more, but the big race is tomorrow and we’ll target the top five again.”
More from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing:
Fernández Rides to P13 in Unexpected Flag-To-Flag Spanish Sprint.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team continued their testing programme at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. In mixed conditions throughout the second day of the Grand Prix of Spain, wild-card entry Augusto Fernández had his work cut out for him to collect comparable data. In the 12-lap Sprint, he took the chequered flag in P13.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team had planned to use the Grand Prix of Spain Saturday to collect further race-weekend setting data. However, the damp conditions in FP2, dry conditions in qualifying, and mixed conditions in the Sprint meant the team had to contend with a lot of variety per session. Augusto Fernández was still riding competitively in the first ever flag-to-flag Sprint and ended the 12-lap dash in P13.
Fernández had qualified in P16 as the top Yamaha, but lost ground in the opening stages of the race, falling back to 22nd place. When the rain started to fall, the Yamaha test rider made the most of the situation. The test team was ready to let him switch to his wet bike in this unprecedented flag-to-flag Sprint situation. The number-47 rider climbed as high as P12 but lost a position on the final lap and took the chequered flag in P13, 19.777s from the winner.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will be back in action tomorrow for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+2), and the 25-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Augusto Fernández: “I had fun today. We had a bit of everything. It was not easy to manage, but I’m happy with my performance. In the quali, I managed to be the first Yamaha in the wet, so that was not bad. In the dry, I was able to improve the feeling a bit personally, but we still have to work on the bike. That said, I was a bit closer to the other Yamaha guys, which is my main goal as a rider. There’s not much data to analyse today because of the wet sessions, but we were able to compare the feeling in the wet and the dry. In the Sprint, we focused on bringing the bike back to the box in one piece, having completed a full race-distance. This is also important for tomorrow so we have more data.”
More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
The Sprint race at Jerez turned into a highly unpredictable and disrupted contest, as changing weather conditions played a decisive role. What began as a dry race quickly evolved into a mixed-conditions challenge, with light rain intensifying into a heavy downpour in the closing stages, forcing riders to return to the pits to switch bikes. In the final corners before pit entry, several riders were caught out by the worsening grip, leading to multiple crashes and a total of six retirements by the end of the race. Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP endured a particularly difficult race in these circumstances. Toprak Razgatlıoğlu was unable to avoid a crash as the rain intensified and was forced to retire, bringing his race to an early end at a moment when track conditions were rapidly deteriorating.
Jack Miller also crashed in the same phase of the race but managed to recover, return to the pits, and rejoin on his second bike. However, a double long lap penalty for speeding in the pit lane further compromised his race, and he eventually crossed the line in 16th position after a challenging and eventful Sprint.
Beyond the final results, the constantly changing conditions also limited the team‘s ability to carry out consistent development work and refine the set-up of the Yamaha YZR-M1 — a key priority at this stage of the project that relies heavily on stable track conditions.
Looking ahead, the team will aim to regroup and make the most of Sunday‘s race, with the hope of more consistent conditions to continue progressing the development programme.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: “I was struggling from the beginning of the race, especially with braking, because the bike wasn‘t stopping the way I expected and I was making mistakes in several corners. Even with that, I had to keep pushing, because the corners are where we have the best chance to make up ground or try to pass.
When the rain started, I saw an opportunity as the pace dropped, so I tried to push harder. At Turn 5 I attempted to pass both Salvadori and Morbidelli, but I went onto a dirty line and, with the track becoming very slippery, I lost the front.
I‘m very sorry for involving Salvadori in the crash. That was not my intention. As soon as I fell, I went to check on him, and I was very relieved to see that he was OK.”
Jack Miller: “Not an ideal day for us, but in these kinds of conditions you have to take risks and try to make the right calls. We were making good progress during the race, and the pace wasn‘t too bad, but when the rain started to come down it became a bit of a gamble.
On that lap we were debating whether to come into the pits or try to stay out, especially with only a few laps remaining. You‘re trying to make that decision in real time, doing the calculation in your head, and unfortunately we didn‘t get the timing quite right.
We still managed to finish the race in 16th, but I think we definitely had more potential today. It‘s a shame not to have made the most of it, but we‘ll take the positives and look ahead to tomorrow.”
Gino Borsoi – Team Director: “It was certainly an entertaining race for the fans, with a lot happening from start to finish. For us, it was also a race that could have offered an interesting result if we had managed things a bit better, especially considering that we tend to be quite competitive in wet conditions.
Unfortunately, these are the kind of races where small mistakes can make a big difference. Perhaps we needed a bit more patience to fully take advantage of the changing conditions when the rain arrived. In the end, it didn‘t go our way, but we take it as part of the process and aim to do better next time.”
More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Team:
The first European sprint doesn’t smile on Team Gresini.
- SPRINT RACE
FERMIN ALDEGUER 17º
ALEX MARQUEZ NC.
- QUALIFYING
ALEX MARQUEZ 5° – 1’49.146s
FERMIN ALDEGUER 12° – 1’51.444
FERMIN ALDEGUER #54: “It was important to keep putting in laps and working. In the race, at the start of a season where honestly we’re not fighting for anything yet, between going back to the pits and racing for fourth or fifth place, or going for the win, I chose to go for it. It didn’t work out, but with four laps to go, anything could have happened. In the first part of the race I felt very good physically, I was able to battle with the KTMs, and these are definitely important sensations that I’ll carry with me starting tomorrow.”
ALEX MARQUEZ #73: “I felt good during the race. Maybe taking the lead wasn’t the best choice, but even this morning in the wet I felt good. I could have come in a lap earlier, but part of the track was still very dry, and on the lap when I was about to come in to change bikes, I crashed. We definitely weren’t lucky, but I’m convinced that tomorrow we have a great opportunity to be competitive again, especially if the conditions are dry.”
More from a press release issued by Aprilia:
Complicated sprint race for Aprilia Racing in Jerez.
The sprint race on the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto ended with a negative result for Aprilia Racing.
Marco Bezzecchi, after starting from the fourth spot on the grid, had a less than perfect start, compromised by Álex Márquez’s tear-off getting stuck beneath his rear tyre. Three laps from the end, with the arrival of heavy rainfall, the Italian rider opted to swap out his bike for the one set up for the rain, only to crash a few turns later.
It was an unlucky race for Jorge Martín as well who, despite a good start from the seventh spot on the grid, was forced to retire during the second lap due to a problem with the bike as he was in fourth place.
Lorenzo Savadori, riding in a wild-card slot, was involved in a crash caused by Toprak Razgatlioglu, forcing him to retire.
Marco Bezzecchi: “Unfortunately, the tear-off got stuck in the fairing and it stayed there when I stopped. A bit before the start, it came loose and ended up beneath the bike, just ahead of the rear tyre, so I ran over it and started to burn out. When I got back out on the track with the rain tyres, I crashed almost straight away.”
Jorge Martin: “I realised straight away from the start that something wasn’t right. I had a strange feeling with the brake. We still don’t know what happened – the techs are analysing all the data. The team is still united though, and that is the most important aspect. These situations are all part of racing, and over the years I’ve learned to face them more calmly.
Lorenzo Savadori: “Today was an unlucky race for me, the rhythm and the pace was good because I was in the top ten, so it was a good race. Then another rider did a mistake, and I did a very big crash. So fortunately, I’m not injured, nothing broken in my body but I’m not at 100%. I hope to be in a better shape for the race”
Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director: “The morning started off well enough, despite some difficulties, with four bikes still going through to Q2. It’s a shame because the sprint race was compromised by a series of unfortunate events beyond our control, like the tear-off under Marco’s tyre – a situation that has already happened to other riders but shouldn’t, because of a whole series of precautions that are supposed to be taken. As for Jorge, we had a problem for which we are still trying to figure out the cause, but it is quite clear that it was not a technical problem, but rather a procedural one. We’ll try to make up for it on Sunday, because we are competitive overall, once everything falls into place.”
More from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:
- After progressing through Q1 with the fastest lap time to reach Q2, the Frenchman delivered an outstanding performance, narrowly missing out on pole position and securing a front-row start in second.
- At Sprint time, Zarco made a strong start and fought for the podium during the opening laps, defending his position and producing impressive overtakes against his rivals.
- They declared wet race, and with four laps remaining, riders started to enter the pits. Zarco reacted immediately, switching bikes and continuing to push to the very end, ultimately crossing the line in 8th and collecting valuable points.
More from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:
- After a challenging qualifying session in the morning, disrupted by a crash without consequences, Moreira was forced to start from 23rd on the grid and deliver a comeback ride.
- The Brazilian made an excellent start, quickly moving up into the top 14 as he pushed towards the points.
- They declared wet race, and with four laps remaining, riders started to enter the pits. Moreira changed bikes and continued to fight until the chequered flag, crossing the line in 14th while gathering valuable data ahead of Sunday’s race.
