Jorge Martin said he thought of Luis Salom as he was falling at Turn 12 during Friday Practice at the Catalan Grand Prix, the same circuit where the Moto2 rider lost his life in 2016. Martin was slightly concussed and suffered bruising to his left forearm after following his bike into the air fence, calling for the circuit to extend the Turn 12 run-off area as a matter of urgency. He described feeling lucky to walk away.

Pedro Acosta leads a KTM resurgence after topping Friday’s Catalunya Practice with a 1:38.710. The session saw dramatic upsets as championship leader Jorge Martin suffered two crashes, relegating him to Q1 alongside Francesco Bagnaia. Brad Binder and Alex Marquez trailed Acosta in a tight field where the top ten were separated by less than three-tenths of a second.

Pedro Acosta crashed at Turn 2 during Friday Practice at his home Catalan Grand Prix, adding to what has been a deeply frustrating 2026 season for the 21 year old on the KTM RC16. Brad Binder also went down at Turn 2 in a separate incident, giving KTM a difficult opening day at a circuit where they have traditionally struggled for race pace. Acosta was involved in a fiery exchange with Di Giannantonio after Le Mans and arrives at his home race still seething from the final lap pass.

Francesco Bagnaia started the Catalan Grand Prix weekend in 17th place in FP1, with the factory Ducati man carrying the entire team’s hopes alone in the absence of Marc Marquez. Ducati will not replace Marquez this weekend, leaving Bagnaia as the sole factory representative at a circuit that has not been kind to the Bologna manufacturer in 2026. After two DNFs in his last two starts, Bagnaia needs a response. A 17th place on Friday is not the start he needed.

Maverick Vinales made his long-awaited return to MotoGP at his home Catalan Grand Prix after missing three consecutive rounds following shoulder surgery. The Tech3 KTM rider completed the session 18th, just 1.029 seconds from Alex Marquez’s benchmark at the top an encouraging gap given his race absence. Vinales underwent the same screw removal procedure that Marc Marquez has just had done, making his smooth return one of the most watched stories of the Barcelona weekend.

Alex Marquez ended Friday Practice at Barcelona fastest with a 1:39.950, heading a session disrupted by crashes for Jorge Martin, Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder. Martin lost the front at Turn 12 at the midway stage and hit an air fence, walking away giving a thumbs up before returning to the Aprilia garage in time for practice starts. Jack Miller was the top Yamaha in eighth and Johann Zarco led Honda in tenth.

Ducati’s Inside Ducati series captured a tearful Marc Marquez breaking down in the Le Mans garage, telling Gigi Dall’Igna and crew chief Marco Rigamonti he had kept his shoulder secret for months. A displaced screw from his 2019 Latarjet surgery was touching his radial nerve in the riding position. “I’m riding with one and a half arms,” he told his team through tears. Dall’Igna told him the body comes first and urged him to relax. Marquez replied: “I’ve already learned that.”

Defending Superbike winner Davey Todd has been declared medically unfit for the 2026 Isle of Man TT. Despite intensive rehabilitation in Italy following a major crash at the Daytona 200 in March, medical specialists concluded his injuries, including fractures to his femur and tibia, have not sufficiently recovered. A gutted Todd will now support his 8TEN Racing team from the sidelines. 

Francesco Bagnaia said Jorge Martin’s Le Mans comeback is admirable, pointing to the 21 fractures Martin suffered in 2025 and adding that having the strength to return to this level deserves the highest respect. The Italian said Martin is replicating the calm, consistent strategy that delivered him the 2024 world championship, and that he was visibly relaxed at dinner on Saturday night knowing he could win on Sunday.