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The MotoGP Grand Prix at Aragón is in the books, with Marc Márquez taking the victory ahead of Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi, who completed the podium. Read the teams’ post-race PR below.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:
Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team take a spectacular race win at MotorLand Aragón. A crash for Francesco Bagnaia.
- Third consecutive double (Sprint and Race) at Aragón for Marc, always aboard a Ducati.
Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team remain undefeated for the second consecutive edition of the Grand Prix of Aragón, thanks to their victory in the 23-lap race at MotorLand Aragón. Francesco Bagnaia’s race came to an early end on lap six.
After taking the lead at the start, Márquez was counter-attacked at turn three and found himself in third position. After moving up to second already on lap two, Marc retook the lead on lap six and started to pull away, building a gap of more than half a second before eventually winning by a comfortable margin. Bagnaia, after a good start, crashed out on lap six while running seventh.
As the thirteenth Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Marc Márquez is second in the championship standings with 237 points, narrowing the gap to the leader to just 19 points. Francesco Bagnaia is eighth, 94 points adrift of his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team is third in the teams’ standings (380 points), while Ducati sits second in the Constructors’ Championship (375 points).
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action on Friday, September 11th, for the opening day of the Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st: “I’m very happy with this double victory. I did say that the goal was to get as close as possible to 37 points and I’d say we did it. The strategy was the same as yesterday, but I was so focused on turn one at the start that I forgot to disengage the rear height device. Given the mistake, the new target was to not crash after turn one, before getting back to doing my race. I tried to manage tyre wear the best I could before starting to push from lap ten onwards and pull away, and it went well.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – DNF: “I had a decent start and was trying to follow the group ahead of me, but I wasn’t competitive enough to do so, especially with regards to acceleration. I didn’t have grip and already after five laps I had changed the engine map in order to save the tyres. I was only trying to keep my pace but then I ended up crashing at a spot where I had a warning already on the previous lap. The rear-end stepped out and when I got it back, the front tucked. Unfortunately, when I try to push I end up risking a crash.”
Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager: “Marc was really great also today. He had a perfect start and dove well at turn one, but then paid the price of not having disengaged the rear height device. He then did his race, showing the type of champion he is. Despite the second position in the standings, it’ll still be tough: there’ll be favourable tracks and not so favourable ones, and as always the outcome of the championship will be decided at each individual race. Still, we’re working really well and the results show, so I’m happy. A pity for Pecco, who was having a decent race, but we still need to continue working to fix this situation together.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
2nd place for brilliant Acosta at Aragon MotoGP.
Pedro Acosta scorched to a strong runner-up status at another sun-kissed round of 2026 MotoGP. The Spaniard starred at a third Grand Prix on home turf this season and was vying for victory on the KTM RC16 at MotorLand Aragon.
Highlights and key moments from race day at MotorLand:
- Pedro Acosta charges to the front of the Aragon GP with the best overtaking move of the season and pressures world champion Marc Marquez for the win, earning his fourth trophy of the year
- Hard and effective charges by Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder to capture top ten results in 8th and 10th respectively
- Pol Espargaro’s second substitute appearance of the year ends with 16th
- Red Bull KTM Ajo gather decent championship points in Moto3 with Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte in P4 and P5 respectively
Red Bull KTM lined up for the 23-lap MotoGP Grand Prix at Aragon optimistic of podium potential thanks to Pedro Acosta’s bright run to 4th in the Saturday Sprint. #37 started from P6 on the grid with Brad Binder in 14th, Enea Bastianini in 16th and Pol Espargaro, replacing Red Bull KTM Tech3 racer Maverick Viñales for the second meeting in succession, from 20th.
The 5km diverse, anticlockwise layout combined with the high summer temperatures meant a long and draining Grand Prix distance with tire management again an important component of the race. 115,742 spectators filled the stands.
Acosta swung through Turn 1 and survived some bustling to find his way to P3. He produced a majestic overtaking move on Marco Bezzecchi into Turn 16 to swoop into 2nd with 16 laps to go. Pedro then shadowed Marc Marquez and kept to within a second of his countryman, setting fastest laps and stretching the limit. The gap was 1.7 seconds at the finish. Acosta and Red Bull KTM celebrated his joint-highest result of the season and his first rostrum appearance since the Grand Prix of Hungary.
Brad dove into the top 12 on the first lap but ran off track at Turn 12 and then had to race back from 20th. The South African reached 13th and joined the large group going for the top ten with Enea also in the fray. Bastianini hassled the rear wheel of Diogo Moreira for 8th and got the better of the Brazilian in the final few turns while Brad also gave everything to arrive to P10. Pol’s P16 meant he just missed out on the points.
Acosta is 6th in the championship standings and with a 15-point gap to the top five.
The next event on the 2026 calendar will take place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the San Marino Grand Prix from 11-13 of September.
Pedro Acosta, 2nd and 6th in the championship: “We were the surprise today! I think the progression we made from Friday was quite clear. I’m super-happy for that. I thought we had a big possibility in the middle of the race but I think I used the tires a bit too much at that moment to be with Marc. Anyway, we have to be happy because these results make the atmosphere of the team even better.”
Brad Binder, 10th and 13th in the championship: “I made my life difficult today. My rear tire pressure wasn’t up when I braked into Turn 11 so I lost the rear completely and blew the entrance into 12. I then got hung out to dry into the last corner. The next lap around I saw ‘P20’ and I knew I had a big job on my hands! I came back to 10th so I cannot complain too much. A solid enough comeback but…I have some work to do. Learning curves. I feel like we are making progress. If we can make a bit of extra speed then we’ll make a jump closer to the front.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “We need to be really happy because the summer has presented some challenges for us and this was a type of ‘comeback’. Pedro had an excellent ride fighting at the top and we had three riders in the top ten so we have to be satisfied. Things always need to go step-by-step and when we’ve had challenging times this was good progress for us, and also a sign that we have to trust our project and our resources. This was our best GP for a while. Friday was not too easy…but it shows that Sunday is the most important day and you must never give up. We are looking forward to the rest of the season.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Podium and top five for Aprilia Racing in the MotorLand Aragón race.
The weekend at MotorLand Aragón comes to a close with the second podium of the weekend for Aprilia Racing.
After starting from pole position, Marco Bezzecchi was a protagonist in the battle for victory throughout the initial stages of the race. The Italian rider then finished third, taking his second podium of the weekend after his sprint race finish.
Jorge Martín managed his race with determination, staying consistently in the top five and finishing fifth. The Spanish rider maintains the lead in the championship standings with 256 points.
Marco Bezzecchi: “All in all, it was a positive weekend and I’m extremely happy. We arrived in Aragón with few expectations because last year we had started from behind. I had done two decent races, but from there to being competitive was a different story. Instead, this weekend I was fast – first on Friday and pole position on Saturday. I was lacking something in the races but, to be honest, I didn’t even think that I’d be able to make a play for the win, so I’m rather happy. My whole team was astronomically great.”
Jorge Martin: “I’m satisfied with the weekend. The sensations in the race were similar to those of the sprint race, but I think that we still made a step forward. It’s true that I felt better in the race, so much that I did my fast lap at the end of the race. It was a weekend where we built confidence on a track that is extremely complicated for me, and we managed to improve in every session, taking steps forward and understanding what could help me on the track.”
Massimo Rivola – CEO Aprilia Racing: “A good team result on a track that is not particularly favourable for us. Jorge struggled to find the right feeling throughout the weekend but, despite this, he still maximised the result. Marco took two highly valuable podiums in spite of his physical difficulties. His pole position was also a work of magic that I believe will stand for some time to come. We are well aware that the upcoming circuits are not our favourites on paper, but we can’t wait to go to Misano and feel the warmth of our Italian fans.”
More, from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Racing:
Plenty of point for Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer at Aragon.
- RACEDAY
ALEX MARQUEZ 4º
FERMIN ALDEGUER 6º
- WORLD STANDING
ALEX MARQUEZ 9º (128 points)
FERMIN ALDEGUER 10º (90 points)
Alex Marquez: “Unfortunately, our start limited us today. I made a mistake and I lost quite a lot of ground. At a circuit like this, the start was crucial, and that’s where we lost touch with the leading group. Regardless, we would have struggled with tyre management anyway: an approach that rewarded us at Silverstone but didn’t work here. We leave with plenty of important points ahead of our home GP at Misano, the most important event of the year for the team.”
Fermin Aldeguer: “We have to be very happy with this weekend. Two sixth-place finishes and being in good physical condition are the best things to take away from this weekend. We need to improve our qualifying performance, but it’s something we have been working on for a while and will continue to focus on in the coming weeks. We have one week to make a little more progress physically, but we’re ready for the Misano-Austria double-header. We have to try to get back on the podium.”
More, from a press release issued by VR46 Team:
In Sunday’s race at MotorLand Aragon, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is seventh with Fabio Di Giannantonio, who is back in fourth place in the World Standing. Franco Morbidelli crashed.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team had a challenging Aragon GP: Fabio Di Giannantonio ended his Sunday’s race in seventh place, but he earned important points which allowed him to be back in fourth place in the Championship. It was a complicated Sunday for Franco Morbidelli, who crashed on lap six, luckily with no physical consequences.
Starting from the third row, Di Giannantonio was able to maintain his position, getting closer to the large group battling for the podium positions. Fabio showed a good pace, which allowed him to defend his seventh place with determination. The rider from Rome confirmed his consistency as he crossed the finish line of the Aragon GP in seventh place. With today’s result, Di Giannantonio is back in fourth place in the World Standing with 208 points, with 48 points gap from the leader and 24 from the Top3.
Morbidelli had a good start from the fourth row, and he could stay in the fight for the Top10 right from the first stages. Franco showed a good pace which allowed him to stay in the group of the first ten riders. But bad luck stopped his progression: the Italian-Brazilian rider crashed at Turn 17 on lap six while he was tenth. Morbidelli is sixteenth in the World Standing with 53 points.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back on track in two weeks for one of the most awaited rounds of the season: we are back home for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP, which will take place at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” from 11th to 13thSeptember.
Fabio Di Giannantonio: “It was a tough weekend, but we were expecting to struggle a bit. Yesterday’s crash didn’t help us, but we didn’t give up and we continued working. Today it was important to finish the race and earn important points: we did it, we ended in seventh place, and this position allowed us to be back in fourth place in the Championship. For sure, this is the most positive side of this weekend. Now we head to Misano, where we bring all the positives to face the home race weekend with a free mind.”
Franco Morbidelli: “In today’s race I had a good start, and I could stay in the group fighting for the Top10. Unfortunately, I made a mistake at Turn 17 and I crashed. But I was feeling much better today than in the Sprint and I was in the group where I could have been able to be seventh, and this is positive. Overall, it was a positive weekend: the Team worked at his maximum again to put all things together and make steps forward, as we proved in Qualifying with the fast laps. Now, we go to Misano, where we try to make a great work.”
Pablo Nieto: “It was a more complicated weekend than usual, but we go home with some positives. Unfortunately, Fabio crashed in the Sprint, but in today’s race he secured a seventh place and collected some important points, being back on fourth place in the World Standing. Franco keeps making steps forward and he had been fighting with determination during all the weekend, securing another direct Q2 in Qualifying. It’s a pity for today’s crash, but it’s racing and it can happen. We must keep looking ahead. Now we head to the Team’s home race: we must do our maximum and it will be important to understand what happened during this weekend to be back stronger in Misano.”
More, from a press release issued by KTM Tech3:
Relentless Bastianini fights through to excellent eighth.
Enea Bastianini produced a late flourish at the Aragón Grand Prix on Sunday as he made a number of spectacular overtakes to finish eighth, while Pol Espargaró gained further experience on this year’s package, closing the gap to his team-mates and crossing the line in 16th.
The 5.08km Motorland Aragón circuit was at its hottest of the entire weekend when the 23-lap MotoGP™ race kicked off. Temperatures hit 31 degrees at 14:00 (UTC+2) with 51,181 fans in attendance.
Following severe tyre wear at the end of Saturday’s Sprint, Bastianini tried a different setting in Warm-Up to aid him over full race distance. In the main event, ‘La Bestia’ gained a place off the start, before a combination of overtakes and crashes for other riders put him eleventh by lap six.
The Italian wasn’t done there. Gaining confidence with his modified setting lap-by-lap, passes on Joan Mir and Jack Miller pushed Bastianini up to ninth. Two personal best lap times then slashed the 0.9s gap to Diogo Moreira ahead, before a neat pass on the Brazilian on the last lap sealed an excellent eighth place.
Sunday was another chance for Espargaró to get up to speed on the 2026 KTM RC16. The Spaniard had gained three places by lap six of the race as he circulated in 17th, with the 35-year-old gaining a further place before the chequered flag.
The Tech3 team now has a free weekend to catch its breath before reconvening for the Grand Prix of San Marino at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli from September 11-13.
Enea Bastianini: “That was better than I expected! After what happened yesterday, I wasn’t so confident about today. I destroyed the tyre in the Sprint but today that didn’t happen. We tried a different set-up this morning. I didn’t understand it a lot because we didn’t have so much time to get a feeling in Warm-Up, but we kept the setting in for the race and lap-by-lap I was gaining feeling. I wasn’t fast like the top guys, but I could overtake many people. The fight with Diogo at the end was nice, and he’s difficult to overtake as he brakes very late. Our target was to get into the top ten and I saved it with eighth place. So, it wasn’t a bad day in the end!”
Pol Espargaró: “I enjoyed the race. I reduced the gap a bit to two of my team-mates, but not to Pedro (Acosta). I miss a lot of speed but it’s just my second race back. Still when the tyres get used, I suffer a lot. My feeling is that I don’t know how to adapt to these big changes when the tyre performance goes down. I was fourth this morning and was pumped up for the race, but when you have this turbulence riding with other bikes, a full fuel tank and used tyres, you need to know what the bike is going to do – and I’m discovering it like a rookie for the first time! It’s tricky but it’s nice to see the bike is there for Pedro. Hopefully we’ll see Maverick back on the bike in Misano. If not, I’m used to testing and am fast there so let’s see.”
Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “We’ve completed this GP with a brilliant eighth position from Enea. He started with some difficulties and had a bad qualifying position, but he didn’t give up and I must congratulate him for this attitude. We know Enea’s strengths come through in the second half of the race, and passing five riders is a great performance. I’d also like to thank Pol Espargaró. Maybe he suffered from some inconsistency, but he managed some fast laps and can be proud of his weekend. His target was to get in the points, and he only missed out by a few seconds. The bike was quite fast today and Pedro Acosta showed us its potential. We should all open the data and work because what Acosta achieved was excellent. Now it’s time to pack up everything and head to the next race.”
More, from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:
Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira finishes 9th on Sunday at Aragon.
- Starting from 10th on the grid, Moreira made a solid start and placed himself in the battle for the top 6.
- The rider defended his position and fought hard against his rivals, demonstrating strength and determination.
- In the end, he crossed the line in 9th, finishing as the top Honda rider in today’s race.
More, from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Jack Miller finishes 11th after strong recovery in Aragón, while Toprak Razgatlıoğlu‘s race ends in a crash after a determined comeback.
Jack Miller completes a strong Aragón weekend with an 11th-place finish after recovering from 13th on the grid and fighting inside the Top 10 for most of the race. Toprak Razgatlıoğlu‘s comeback from 21st ended with a late crash while he was fighting for points.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP completed the Aragón Grand Prix with Jack Miller finishing 11th after another strong and consistent performance throughout an overall positive weekend. Starting from 13th on the grid, the Australian quickly moved forward and reached eighth position, remaining inside the Top 10 for most of the race before tyre wear in the closing laps forced him to surrender a few positions.
Miller’s result confirms the positive progress shown by the YZR-M1 throughout the weekend, with the Australian able to maintain a competitive pace over the long race distance. Despite the late drop in performance, he brought the bike home just outside the Top 10 after another solid display.
For Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, the race ended three laps from the chequered flag after a crash while he was fighting his way into the points. Starting from 21st, the Turkish rider produced a determined comeback and had successfully moved into the points-paying positions before losing the front under braking. The incident came late in the race, when tyre wear made his aggressive braking style particularly difficult to manage with the MotoGP machine, providing another valuable lesson in his adaptation to the YZR-M1.
Jack Miller: “Overall, it was an OK weekend and I gave everything I had in that race. Unfortunately, we had to concede a few places to the KTM guys towards the end. I tried to make it as difficult as possible for them, but once you lose the edge, it gets tough.
The bike is working pretty good, honestly. I can’t fault it in the corners. We’re just losing too much on the straights, but we know that and there’s not much we can do about it, so there’s no point complaining. We just have to get on with what we’re doing. I was really happy with my pace, didn’t make any mistakes and, apart from a little touch on the first lap with Joan, it was a pretty clean race all the way to the end.
I knew after yesterday’s Sprint that we had to manage the front tyre more, and I did that today. But when you do that, you lose some of the roll speed and it makes things more difficult. The front stayed good all the way to the end, the rear was good too, and I basically ran out of tyre on the last lap, which is how it should be. Until then, I was pretty happy with the performance.
Compared to the beginning of the season the bike now feels like we’ve turned it around pretty quickly. The bike is good and it has a couple of key weaknesses that, if we can fix them, would make it competitive. Obviously, when you add 20 horsepower to a motorcycle, it’s going to change its character, but considering it’s a brand-new bike this year, I think we’ve done a pretty good job of turning it around in a short amount of time.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: “For me, it was a positive weekend, especially because in Sunday’s race, even though we didn’t have a fantastic start, we were able to catch the guys ahead. At the beginning I didn’t have a good feeling, but after a few laps I found my rhythm and I was feeling really good on the bike.
Unfortunately, towards the end the front tyre started to drop and it became difficult to keep the same pace. I was running wide in almost every corner because the bike was locking the front and I couldn’t stop it properly. I tried to keep pushing at the same pace, but it was impossible and eventually I crashed. Without losing the front, I think I could have finished around 12th or 11th, maybe even 10th.
But we learned something again this weekend. We were finally able to fight with riders from different manufacturers, whereas before we were mostly riding alone. This is a really positive step for me. Of course I’m disappointed with how the last race ended because normally I don’t make this kind of mistakes, but we take the positives and look forward to the next race.”
Gino Borsoi – Team Director: “Obviously, it was a great weekend for Jack. He did everything in the best possible way, not only today in the race but throughout the whole weekend, including the Sprint yesterday. He made the most of what we had, brought home an important result for the team and Yamaha, made no mistakes and fought until the end. He is clearly in one of his best moments, and that makes saying goodbye to someone like Jack even harder. But it’s also great to see how much he still believes in what he is doing and how he never gives up. You have to take your hat off to the Jack we are seeing now.
For Toprak, yesterday’s Sprint was a positive step and today he was also riding well until the final stages. With four laps to go, he had a very strong pace and was gaining positions, at one point even lapping faster than the Top 10. This shows that we are finding our way back to the performance we had a few races ago. Unfortunately, he reached the limit of the front tyre and, being a little more aggressive in his riding and carrying a little more weight than some of the other riders, this becomes more difficult to manage at the end of the race.
The crash came as a consequence of that tyre wear, but overall I think Toprak did a good job this weekend. We take the positives from Aragón and I’m convinced we can get back to the positions we were fighting for before and continue building from there.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC:
Top ten battle until the line for Mir and Marini in Aragon.
A dramatic 23-lap Grand Prix of Aragon saw Joan Mir and Luca Marini keep their calm, run with consistent speed and capitalise on the mistakes of others on their way to 12th and 14th respectively.
Launching well when the lights went out, Joan Mir was able to lap consistently in the mid to low 1’48s in the first half of the race. As a result, the #36 was able to progress from 15th on the grid to run inside the top ten as he hunted top Honda honours. His steady pace and calm approach to the Grand Prix saw Mir benefit from the mistakes of others before turning his attentions to battling the likes of Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder. Pushing to catch the KTM duo right until the end, Mir takes his first Grand Prix finish since the Czech GP – an important and confidence building result at the end of what has been a weekend with more complications than excepted.
Able to ride without major limitations following Saturday’s heavy fall in the Sprint, Luca Marini lined up for the Aragon Grand Prix with his usual determination and focus after a positive Warm Up. Working to follow his teammate through in the opening handful of laps, the Italian was able to fight his way into 12th with the top-ten battle in sight. Like Mir, the #10 spent the latter stages of the race defending his position and earned 14th for his efforts. Able to continue his run of point-scoring finishes, Marini is already thinking of the next round and how he can best exploit his speed on the Honda RC213V.
Now the MotoGP World Championship ventures into the most intense stage of 2026, three sets of back-to-back races and a triple header in the next 13 weeks to round out the season. The Grand Prix of San Marino kicking off this marathon finish from September 11 to 13 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli – Luca Marini’s home round.
Joan Mir: “Good to get a finish under our belts after the weekend that we have had, but I was left wanting more from today. It was important to finish and build the confidence a bit even if we weren’t exactly where we want to be. The team and I worked a lot to make improvements from Friday, and we were able to find a few things to help us. Our focus is on improving our feeling in the next races to enjoy the end of the season together because I was hoping for more from Aragon after last year.”
Luca Marini: “The positive from this weekend is that we were able to make a step with the setup for Qualifying, unfortunately in Q1 I made a mistake, and we started further down the grid than we deserved. Our race pace is quite close to the guys in the top six or so as is usual and I am hopeful with this setup step we can capitalise on our potential more. Fortunately, my physical condition was more or less ok and we only had a few very small limitations in the race. Now we look forward to Misano and having a more standard GP weekend in front of the home fans.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Álex Rins Rallies to 13th Place in Aragon Race.
Today, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Álex Rins pushed from P19 on the Michelin Grand Prix of Aragon grid to P13 at the end of the 23-lap contest. Fabio Quartararo ended a challenging outing in P18.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Álex Rins again showed his fighting spirit at the MotorLand Aragón in front of his home fans today. He made up a total of six positions in the 23-lap contest to secure P13. The Michelin Grand Prix of Aragon was a difficult outing for Fabio Quartararo. He ended today’s Race in P18.
Rins started from P19 and made up two positions on the first two laps. Various hardships for rivals had the home hero move to P13 by lap 6. On lap 13, the Yamaha rider overtook Luca Marini. He was then chasing down Joan Mir, taking Brad Binder with him and Binder made a move on lap 17. Two laps later, Rins was riding behind Mir. The number 42 piled on the pressure but came just short of overtaking. He finished in P13, 28.276s from first.
Quartararo started from P17, but he found himself in last place at the end of the first lap. Not one to give up easily, the Frenchman soldiered on and was back up in 16th place by lap 7. However, on lap 15 another mishap made him drop to nineteenth place with an almost 10s gap to the rider ahead. With Toprak Razgatlıoğlu crashing out on lap 21, Quartararo was riding in P18 as he came within 0.7s of Lorenzo Savadori on the final laps, but he couldn’t capitalise on it. He finished in P18, 51.657s from the winner.
After today’s Race, Quartararo still sits in 15th place in the championship standings with 55 points, while Rins remains 20th with 24 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 10th position in the team classification with 79 points, and Yamaha is 5th in the constructor rankings with 78 points.
The team will now enjoy a one-week break before returning to action at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, taking place from 11-13 September.
Alex Rins: “It was quite warm out there. In terms of the targets we set for ourselves today, I finished in a better position than I expected considering we started from P19. The pace was not bad, and I felt like I had a better pace than the rider in front of me, Joan [Mir], but I couldn’t overtake him. As soon as [Brad] Binder overtook me, I tried again, but in the end I was too far and couldn’t overtake. But I still extracted the maximum out of our package here today.”
Fabio Quartararo: “My start was not good, but not so bad either. I overtook [Luca] Marini, who overtook me back on the first lap. I think it was [Brad] Binder or [Enea] Bastianini – one of them overtook me, and I was in the slipstream on the back straight. He braked earlier than I expected, and my rear locked and I went very wide. Then behind Toprak, I locked the front in Turn 7, lost a few more seconds, and then I went into the gravel. I think my lap was 15 seconds slower than normal. I will try to understand what happened.”
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director: “Today was another challenging race, but there are some positives to take away. Álex did a good race, scoring some points. He was fighting with the other riders until the end, and this P13 was the best possible result today after qualifying in P19. For Fabio it was a difficult weekend. After yesterday’s technical issue denied us valuable Sprint data, today’s race was complicated by a couple of setbacks that prevented him from making progress. The result is not what we were aiming for, but we will now analyse the data from this weekend to devise a plan for Misano.”
More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:
Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finishes 15th on Sunday at Aragon.
- Starting from 9th on the grid and having to serve a double Long Lap Penalty, Johann Zarco made a strong start and placed himself in the battle for the top 10 positions.
- The rider set a strong pace and served the penalty, making his way into the points.
- Zarco crossed the line in 15th, grabbing a point and delivering a smart and impressive performance on his first weekend back after more than three months on the sidelines due to injury.
Johann Zarco 15th: “I came here to do the double Long Lap Penalty and get the feeling on the bike. That was the goal. I took a point yesterday and today, and that’s awesome! I really enjoyed my weekend with the team; I had missed them! One of the most important things is that I got some interesting feelings on the bike and was able to provide consistent and solid feedback to the crew. Sometimes, when you miss some races, you need to catch up in this sense, and it’s not always easy. This time, everything felt quite good, and I was able to get it from the beginning of the weekend. I’m really happy to be back and to have had such a nice weekend!”
More, from a press release issued by CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team:
Not even a broken collarbone could halt Quiles’ seventh win!
The CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team rider won the race at MotorLand Aragón on his return to competition following the injury he sustained just two weeks ago. Marco Morelli joined him on the podium after crossing the finish line in third place
Máximo Quiles now has seven victories to his name following his win this Sunday at the Aragon Grand Prix. The CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team rider has come through a difficult weekend after undergoing surgery just two weeks ago for a collarbone injury. His team-mate Marco Morelli joined him on the podium after crossing the finish line in third place. The Argentine gave it his all right to the end, but was unable to catch David Almansa, who finished second.
The CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team made the most of their advantage of starting from the front row of the grid. Quiles and Morelli stayed with the leading group, which quickly dwindled to just four riders, including both of them. After the opening laps, the riders set a fast pace, whilst keeping an eye on tyre wear. Quiles held onto second place and closely monitored every move made by the leader – at that point, David Almansa – until he found the right moment to take the lead. With five laps to go, he achieved his objective and defended his position, even managing to extend his lead by a few tenths of a second. This victory, his seventh of the season, confirms the rider’s excellent physical condition following the injury that forced him to miss the Silverstone race; furthermore, it has once again increased his lead in the overall standings to 97 points.
Marco Morelli also put in one of his best races. The Argentine dropped to fourth place after the opening laps, but never fell far behind the top three. In the final stages of the race, the CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team rider was involved in a thrilling battle for third place and produced his best riding to defend the final step on the podium. This is Morelli’s fourth podium finish of the season and has allowed him to pick up some vital points in the standings, where he currently sits in fifth place.
Win Máximo Quiles: “It’s the most special victory of my career; it feels like glory. Who would have thought it two weeks ago, when I’d just had an operation? I’ve spent the last twenty days trying to speed up my recovery and I’m very happy. The whole team has done a great job – the physios, my coach… This win is for all of them.”
3rd Marco Morelli (+0.715): “It was a very tough race, but I’m happy with this third place because I was coming off a very difficult weekend at Silverstone. It seemed as though we’d taken a step backwards, but here we’ve taken three steps forwards. That’s the positive thing – both the team and I have managed to bounce back. The race was very fast; I knew it was going to be like that. I made mistakes and lost time, which forced me to push the tyres harder than I should have to get back into the leading group. I wanted to fight for the win, but in the end I was at the limit and couldn’t manage it. I finished close to Quiles and Almansa, and that’s going to be the aim from now on: to iron out the details and close the gap on them.”
More, from a press release issued by CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team:
Alonso treats himself to a thrilling battle for the podium.
The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider was at the centre of a thrilling battle during the final laps and finished third at one of the few circuits where he had not yet made it onto the podium
David Alonso has regained his best form at MotorLand Aragón. The CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider fought his way up the field to challenge for second place right up until the final metres. The Colombian finished third and returned to the podium after two difficult races in which he had failed to score points. Alonso López dominated at the Alcañiz circuit and took the win by almost a second ahead of Izan Guevara, who defended second place against the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider. Dani Holgado did not achieve the result he had hoped for after a great weekend and finished in seventh place.
The Moto2 race took place in extremely high temperatures, and the riders had to manage each lap very carefully to secure a good result this Sunday. David Alonso went from strength to strength throughout the weekend and today took another step forward, showing his best form over the 19 laps of the race. The Colombian fought his way up from fifth on the starting grid and maintained a steady pace that allowed him to attack at crucial moments. In the final laps, the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider kept pushing to try and catch the rider in second place, and the pair produced a final lap to remember. Despite giving it his all right to the end, Alonso missed out on second place by 81 thousandths, but this third-place finish has restored his confidence following a few difficult weekends. His team-mate Dani Holgado, by contrast, took a step back compared to the previous day. The Spaniard had been one of the strongest riders throughout the Grand Prix and started the race from the front row. However, his feel for the bike wasn’t quite the same and he was unable to challenge for a top-three finish at Aragón. Holgado tried to lose as few places as possible and finished in seventh position, a result that did not reflect the great work the rider and team have put in since last Friday. With these results, Holgado and Alonso remain in fifth and sixth place respectively, separated by five points.
3rd David Alonso (+0.881): “I had a lot of fun today. I enjoyed the race from the first lap right through to the last; on every lap I was able to set my own pace and pull off several overtakes. What I liked most was that I was still the same rider who’d lost his way at Silverstone, but this time I took a deep breath and told myself, ‘keep on the line’. In the last race I was all over the place, but I didn’t lose faith, and we’ve finally made it back onto the podium. These weekends have taught me that I need to believe in myself more and that we can turn the situation around. The race was like a video game – I kept overtaking and it got tighter and tighter. It was a very close finish with Izan Guevara, but it was a tough and fair battle. It’s great to be side-by-side with another rider corner by corner without either of us making a single unsportsmanlike move. I want to thank the team for helping me keep smiling, and also all the fans in Aragón who’ve been supporting me. There were loads of ‘80s in the stands!”
7th Dani Holgado (+5.912): “It was quite a tricky race. I didn’t have the pace to fight for the podium or the win. I was expecting more because I’d felt really good all weekend, but today I just didn’t quite feel the same. I gave it my all and managed to finish seventh, but I’m not very happy with the result. After how hard we’ve all worked since day one, it feels like a let-down. We have to keep believing and give it our all; I’m calm because I know I’m in a good team and we’ll come through in the next few races.”
More, from a press release issued by BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha:
Izan Guevara Takes Second Place in Aragon GP.
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Izan Guevara did exactly what he had set out to do in the Grand Prix of Aragon: battling at the front. He put up a fight on the last two laps to keep hold of second place. His podium result helped narrow the gap to the championship leader to 32.5 points. Alberto Ferrández spent the 19-lap contest battling with various rivals and made up six positions. He ended the race in P21.
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Izan Guevara rode a faultless race at the Grand Prix of Aragon to take second place and his sixth podium of the season. Alberto Ferrández ended a good learning experience at the MotorLand Aragón by riding from P27 to P21.
Guevara commenced from P2 and held this position in the opening stages. His race soon became a matter of managing tyres while chasing the race leader. However, with three laps to go, David Alonso caught up with him. It resulted in an epic battle for second place on the last lap. Every time Alonso overtook him, Guevara didn’t hesitate to immediately retaliate. He managed to keep hold of second place, finishing 0.081s ahead of Alonso and 0.800s from the winner.
Ferrández had a busy race as well. Starting from P27, the rookie made up five positions on the opening lap. He briefly climbed as high as 20th place but then found himself battling with various other riders and settled into P23. The number 54 was briefly overtaken by Mario Aji on lap 9 but reclaimed the position on lap 10. Marcos Ramirez found a way through on lap 15. However, with two rivals retiring from the race between lap 14 and lap 16, Ferrández still had the opportunity to fight for P21 on the last lap and managed to snatch it away from Sergio Garcia, taking the chequered flag 28.726s from first.
Guevara remains second in the championship on 175 points, reducing the gap to the leader from 42.5 points to 32.5. Ferrández sits in 21st overall with 15.5 points, while the BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team holds third place in the team standings with 190.5 points.
The team will now enjoy a one-week break before returning to action at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, taking place from 11-13 September.
Izan Guevara: “It was an incredible race. I really enjoyed it, but I also suffered a lot, and I’m very proud of how I managed it. I think it was one of my best races on a Moto2 bike. In the final part, [David] Alonso had a really strong pace, and I was trying to learn from what he was doing without getting too close, because I knew I could overheat the tyres. Then everything came down to the last lap, and the battle was spectacular. I had a lot of fun fighting for it, and I’m really proud to finish second.
“These are very important points for the championship, especially because we managed to close the gap to the leader. That’s what makes me happiest today. The leader is there for a reason, and it’s never easy to take points away from him, so to finish second and reduce the gap is really positive for us.
“I also want to thank the Spanish fans because they were incredible, as always. It doesn’t matter which circuit we race at, the support is amazing, and I hope we gave them a good show with that final lap. I have very good memories from Aragon, and I’ve won here many times in the past, so this is a very special track for me. To finish the weekend with a second place makes it even more special.”
Alberto Ferrández: “It was a really difficult race today. We started from 27th, so it was always going to be very difficult to come back from there. I made a good start and gained some positions, and I tried to fight, but I didn’t feel good with the bike, like throughout the whole weekend. We still have some small things to improve, so we have to keep working.
“I want to keep working as always and be 100% ready for Misano. We have to keep pushing together as a team and see what we can do there.”
