Author Archives: PressBox

Honda is reportedly in talks to bring Faenza-based Gresini Racing into its MotoGP fold as a Honda satellite team for the 2027 season. If finalized, the move would see Honda take over the Italian team and field a new rider lineup; multiple outlets say Honda is actively pursuing Gresini. Gresini is run by Nadia Padovani and has been backed by Ducati since 2022 (one outlet has suggested the partnership dates to 2021).

Coverage highlights Gresini’s strong recent results with Ducati — notably Álex Márquez’s runner-up finish in 2025 (the team’s best prototype-era result since Marco Melandri in 2005) and Enea Bastianini’s third place in 2021 — and reports that financial strains related to buying Ducati prototypes have been a factor behind the talks. Media reports have named possible rider targets if a Honda satellite deal proceeds: Motosan identified Enea Bastianini and 19-year-old Moto2 rider and ex-Moto3 world champion David Alonso as candidates for the two seats.

Outlets caution any moves would depend on the satellite agreement and would take effect for 2027; MotorsportWeek adds that a switch would likely require Gresini to part ways with current riders such as Marc Márquez and Fermín Aldeguer. The speculation has drawn pushback: Ducati MotoGP director Davide Tardozzi told Sky Italia after the Brazilian Grand Prix that Gresini “want to stay” with Ducati and that Ducati would “do everything possible to keep Gresini.” Observers also point to expiring satellite-team contracts in 2026 and a wider 2027 regulation overhaul as context. Until teams or manufacturers make formal announcements, the situation remains developing and disputed.

Fabio Di Giannantonio’s hard, fair wheel-to-wheel duel with seven-time champion Marc Márquez defined his weekend at the 2026 Brazilian MotoGP, as he emerged third on the podium after a lengthy fight described as “aggressive but clean.” Di Giannantonio said he studied Márquez’s precision — particularly through left-hand turns — and “picked up a lot of ideas” about how to tackle the Spaniard in future races. The result gave Ducati its first podium of the year in the longer main race and was particularly meaningful to Di Giannantonio because it came from direct on-track combat with such an accomplished rival.

The podium followed a difficult build-up: Di Giannantonio had taken pole on Saturday and finished second in the Sprint after two mistakes handed victory to Márquez, then suffered a heavy crash in Sunday morning Warm Up that badly damaged his Ducati Desmosedici. VR46 Ducati mechanics repaired the bike in time and Di Giannantonio started the shortened Grand Prix — which had been cut by eight laps, a decision he learned about roughly six minutes before the race — despite reporting left-shoulder pain and intermittent loss of concentration from impacts under hard braking. He managed the discomfort through the early laps, found a rhythm and climbed to the podium, leaving Brazil with two podiums overall.

The weekend exposed technical gaps as much as it showcased racecraft. Di Giannantonio credited a small setup change and his crew for lifting him among the best Ducatis on the grid, but warned Aprilia had an advantage on the slippery, deteriorating asphalt and said Ducati must work on front-end stability to carry more speed through corners. Márquez, who finished fourth after a front-end washout on a patch of peeling asphalt and early tire discomfort, acknowledged the strength of Aprilia’s package and elected to back off after his off to protect championship points. Di Giannantonio’s podium also shifted the Ducati pecking order: he left Brazil as the top Ducati rider in the standings, three points clear of Márquez and 19 points behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi. The result underlined both the value of close wheel-to-wheel racing as a development ground and the technical issues teams will need to address going forward; Ducati’s season-long podium run had already been broken in Thailand, ending an uninterrupted streak that dated back to Silverstone 2021.

Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia’s Brazilian weekend was defined by two crashes and a DNF. A Q2 crash early in the weekend left him with a lower-grip backup Ducati and a compromised starting position (he qualified and started 11th).

In the shortened 23-lap Goiânia GP he crashed again on lap 11 while trailing Fermin Aldeguer at Turn 1 — the second crash of the weekend and his first DNF of the season.

After the race he said, “I was just trying to hang on; I couldn’t stay on the bike,” that he had been “trying to survive,” and that he felt “at the mercy of what the bike was doing.”

Heavy Thursday flooding at the Goiania circuit and a sinkhole discovered after qualifying disrupted the weekend and forced lengthy repairs, delaying the program by roughly 75–90 minutes. The interruption pushed the Sprint back and moved Moto2 qualifying to Sunday; late resurfacing work and visible surface failure on the pit straight further delayed the event.

Race Direction cut the feature race from 31 to 23 laps minutes before the start after track degradation became apparent. Parts of the circuit were reported to be breaking up and striking riders, prompting safety concerns and an on-camera confrontation between Aprilia team principal Davide Tardozzi and MotoGP boss Carlos Ezpeleta. The lap reduction came after riders had already locked in tire choices, a change teams and riders said affected strategy and outcomes.

Despite the disruption, Marco Bezzecchi led from the start of the shortened grand prix and took victory, holding off teammate Jorge Martín to give Aprilia a 1–2. Bezzecchi’s winning margin was about 3.2 seconds; it was reported as his second win of 2026 and extended his championship lead to 11 points. Some outlets described the result as Aprilia’s first premier-class one-two, while others noted it was the manufacturer’s fourth consecutive MotoGP win. The podium was completed by polesitter Fabio Di Giannantonio, who held off Marc Márquez—Márquez having won the Sprint the previous day. Several high-profile riders crashed out during the grand prix, including Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia (lap 11), Joan Mir and Brad Binder. Teams and riders said the weekend was defined as much by unusual circuit failures and extreme tire degradation as by the on-track contest. Jorge Martín said the hole was “off the racing line” and that “we could race even with the hole,” but mixed conditions—from heavy rain and flooding early in the weekend to scorching temperatures during the race—complicated set-up and tire strategy. With safety concerns and post-race controversy still under discussion, the championship moves on to the next round as teams assess the circuit damage and the decisions taken in Goiania.