Jonathan Rea will make a second appearance in 2026 at the Dutch Round in Assen on 17 to 19 April, again standing in for Jake Dixon, whose return has been pushed back to the Hungarian Round in May. Rea has 17 wins at Assen and will be hoping the extra recovery time puts him in far better shape than Portimao.
Jonathan Rea came out of retirement to race for Honda at Portimao, standing in for injured Jake Dixon. The six time champion admitted he was not ready for the weekend after missing the top ten in all three races, revealing he had undergone two surgeries since his retirement and that 20 lap race distances came as a physical shock.
Nicolo Bulega swept all three races at Portimao, leading every single one of the 50 racing laps across the weekend. The Ducati factory rider now leads the 2026 WorldSBK championship by 56 points over teammate Iker Lecuona. Six wins from six races. Nobody is laying a glove on him.
Fabio Quartararo issued his most damning assessment yet of Yamaha’s struggles, claiming the team has no idea how to fix all the problems they have with the V4 bike. At COTA, all four Yamaha riders locked out the last four positions on the timesheets. Quartararo sits 17th in the championship on just six points after three rounds.
Marc Marquez admitted both his body and his bike are causing problems in 2026. In a new episode of Ducati’s Inside video series, Marquez told his mechanics the GP26 is critical, but added that so is his own physical condition , still carrying the effects of his Indonesian crash. Former rival Andrea Dovizioso warned his situation is more serious than it appears.
Ducati had no Sunday podium for the second time in three rounds at COTA, with reigning champion Marc Marquez finishing fifth after a long lap penalty. Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna called the Austin weekend a wake up call, admitting the team struggled more than it should have and must work hard to improve as the competition grows stronger.
Joan Mir is one of the most frustrating stories of the 2026 MotoGP season so far. Not because he is slow. Quite the opposite. The problem is that he keeps…
Joan Mir says he keeps crashing because he has to push beyond the Honda’s limits just to stay competitive. The 2020 world champion has just three points from the opening three rounds, with his double DNF at Austin entirely his own making. Mir says the crashes are “the consequence of being at the limit of the bike” and has zero regrets.
Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola has made a bold claim after three races. The CEO said after back to back 1-2 finishes: “We currently have the best motorcycle.” Bezzecchi has won all three grands prix this season. But Rivola still warned: “He will come, Ducati will come,” showing respect for Marc Marquez despite Aprilia leading both the riders and constructors championships.
Andrea Dovizioso says Marc Marquez is in serious trouble in 2026. The former Ducati rider believes Marquez’s shoulder injury is hurting him more than people realise. Dovizioso told Moto.it: “Austin was the definitive confirmation. In a place where he could have made the difference, he could not.” Marquez sits fifth in the championship, 36 points behind leader Marco Bezzecchi after three rounds.