Marc Márquez claimed victory in the Aragon Grand Prix after a thrilling battle with Marco Bezzecchi, recovering from an early setback to take the lead with a decisive pass on the sixth lap.

The Ducati rider entered Sunday’s 23-lap race as the favourite after winning Saturday’s sprint, although he expected Bezzecchi to have the stronger race pace. Márquez was forced to work for his fourth grand prix victory of the 2026 season after losing the lead on the opening lap.

Bezzecchi Reclaims the Lead

Márquez made another fast start from the front row, immediately attacking polesitter Bezzecchi at Turn 1 in a repeat of Saturday’s sprint. This time, however, the Ducati rider ran wide and was forced to take the inside line through Turn 2. Bezzecchi responded immediately, carving back past Márquez into Turn 3 to retake the lead.

Martín then took advantage of the fight to move through into second, with Márquez briefly pushed back to third. Bezzecchi began the second lap with a lead of just under eight tenths of a second, but Márquez steadily reduced the gap as the race settled down.

Márquez Makes His Move

The decisive battle came on lap six. Márquez threw his Ducati down the inside of Bezzecchi’s Aprilia at the Turn 15 left-hander, taking the lead as the pair headed onto the back straight.

Bezzecchi immediately fought back. The Aprilia rider drew alongside on the inside as the two bikes ran almost side by side, with neither rider willing to concede the position. Márquez held firm and outbraked Bezzecchi into Turn 16 to secure the lead. Paul Acosta then capitalised on Bezzecchi’s compromised line to move into second, leaving the Aprilia rider third.

Márquez Controls the Closing Laps

Once Márquez had opened a gap over Acosta, the Ducati rider was able to control the pace through the final laps without facing another serious challenge for victory. Acosta remained firmly in second, but the KTM rider could not close the gap after Márquez’s fastest laps on the 13th and 14th tours. Bezzecchi settled into third after his earlier fight for the lead, with Álex Márquez maintaining a distant fourth.

Márquez’s victory has significantly reshaped the championship picture, with the Ducati rider now just 19 points behind Martín heading into the next round. Having recovered 21 points across the Aragon weekend, Márquez has turned what was previously a more comfortable championship advantage for Martín into a much tighter fight. His pace across both the sprint and grand prix also underlined his growing momentum as the season enters its decisive phase.

After an intense weekend in which Márquez won both the sprint and grand prix, the momentum is firmly with the reigning champion. Martín still leads, but with just 19 points separating the pair, the 2026 MotoGP title fight is becoming increasingly difficult to call.