2026 MotoGP season has produced one of its most unexpected storylines. Fabio Di Giannantonio leads the Ducati contingent after three rounds with 50 points, sitting fourth in the championship ahead of Marc Marquez on 45. The reigning world champion is fifth overall, being outscored by his own satellite rider as the shoulder injury from Indonesia continues to define his season.
Aprilia have completed the most stunning manufacturer takeover in recent MotoGP history. Three rounds into 2026 and the Noale factory have won every single Grand Prix, with Bezzecchi and Martin first and second in the championship. Aprilia have tripled their points tally compared to the same stage last year, leaping from 33 to 101, while Ducati have dropped 42 points year on year. The order has changed.
Official rider announcements for 2027 remain on hold because the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association and MotoGP Sports Entertainment have yet to sign a new commercial agreement covering the next five years. Despite widespread reports of done deals involving Marquez, Acosta, Martin, Ogura and Alonso, managers confirm there are no written offers in place for several riders still waiting on the market to move.
Pedro Acosta says MotoGP’s current format and 22 race calendar will shorten rider careers, warning there is no way to sustain 22 weeks with an important session every single day. The 21 year old KTM rider says the sprint race is a good idea but believes constant high risk days increase the chances of serious injury, ultimately cutting careers short.
On this day in 2009, MotoGP made history by staging a Grand Prix on a Monday for the first and only time. Torrential rain at the Losail International Circuit forced organisers to postpone the season opening Qatar Grand Prix from its scheduled Sunday slot. Valentino Rossi won that rain delayed race, taking the first points of what would become a title winning campaign.
Marc Marquez is enduring the third longest winless streak of his MotoGP career, with nine grands prix having passed since his last victory at Misano in September 2025. His 100th career win across all classes remains on 99, with Bezzecchi and Martin blocking his path at Jerez. Only his injury plagued runs of 21 and 53 races without a win between 2020 and 2024 were longer.
Spanish media reports claim Moto2 stars David Alonso and Dani Holgado are both set to step up to MotoGP in 2027, with Alonso joining Honda as Fabio Quartararo’s factory teammate and Holgado heading to Gresini Racing alongside Enea Bastianini. Holgado was runner-up to Alonso in the 2024 Moto3 championship and has won three races across his first two Moto2 seasons. The next generation is arriving.
Ducati refused to meet David Alonso’s MotoGP salary demands, with reports claiming the 19 year old Moto2 star was asking for ten times what Bologna was willing to offer, which would have destroyed their salary structure for young riders. Yamaha also passed on Alonso, and Honda, boasting a vastly superior budget, moved in to sign the 2024 Moto3 champion as Fabio Quartararo’s factory teammate from 2027.
The road racing community is in mourning today after organisers confirmed the death of rider Aran Sadler following an incident at the Bob Smith Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount in Scarborough. Sadler was the reigning overall Oliver’s Mount Racing Champion, competing at the circuit this weekend as part of the season opening Spring Cup meeting on 11 and 12 April. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the entire road racing community.
Yamaha have completed their 2027 MotoGP factory lineup, pairing world champion Jorge Martin with 2024 Moto2 champion Ai Ogura as the Japanese manufacturer builds for the 850cc era. Martin replaces the outgoing Fabio Quartararo, who heads to Honda, while Ogura steps up from Trackhouse Racing to replace Alex Rins. It is the most ambitious Yamaha lineup in years and arrives just as the V4 project hits.