Ducati ended Aprilia’s grand prix win streak with a landmark victory at the Spanish MotoGP, yet the celebrations were tempered by a sense of “great bitterness” after both Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia failed to finish the main race. While Alex Marquez delivered Ducati’s first grand prix win of the 2026 season, the factory team’s world championship ambitions took a hit as their top riders lost ground to Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.
The weekend began on a high note for Ducati as Marc Marquez and Bagnaia secured a one-two finish in a chaotic Sprint race. However, Sunday’s grand prix unraveled quickly: Marc Marquez crashed out of second place on only the second lap, while Bagnaia retired from ninth due to a technical issue. The double DNF has left Marc Marquez 44 points behind Bezzecchi in the standings, with Bagnaia now trailing by a daunting 67 points.
Despite the setbacks, Ducati’s challenge in the championship is being kept alive by VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio, who took third place at Jerez and moved ahead of KTM’s Pedro Acosta for third in the overall standings—though still 30 points adrift of Bezzecchi.
Reflecting on the weekend, Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna praised the performances of Alex Marquez and di Giannantonio: “We return to the top of the podium for the first time this year thanks to an outstanding Alex Marquez: he takes first place in a score table on which an excellent Di Giannantonio placed third. Great bitterness remains for our riders’ GP: we record a double zero. Two DNFs that proved very heavy indeed for us.”
Dall’Igna acknowledged the role of Ducati’s satellite teams, Gresini and VR46, in upholding the marque’s reputation: “The [satellite] Teams, Gresini and VR46, stepped up to uphold the Ducati name; my congratulations go to them, and we join in their celebrations.”
Looking forward, Dall’Igna stressed the need for ongoing improvement and confirmed that recent aerodynamic innovations tested at Jerez will be incorporated into upcoming races. “Truth is that we must improve and continue to pitch in our unremitting efforts to give our riders that something extra. Monday Tests were fundamental in this regard. Many aerodynamic innovations were tested, some of which will certainly be used in upcoming races. Now is the time to analyse the data collected and to make the right decisions.”
As Aprilia riders filled the top three spots in the Monday test—Marc Marquez best of the Ducatis in fourth—Ducati is determined to regroup and fight back in what promises to be a hard-fought and compelling championship. The focus now shifts to extracting more performance from the GP26 and closing the gap to Aprilia as the season intensifies.
