Alex Márquez is set to make a comeback at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno this weekend after a heavy crash at the Catalan Grand Prix left him with a broken collarbone and a fractured C7 vertebra. He missed the last two MotoGP rounds in Italy and Hungary, and returns after about a month out and just 33 days since the injury, even though a C7 fracture would usually require around six weeks of complete rest.

MotoGP confirmed Márquez passed his medical check for Brno, so he is cleared to try Friday’s FP1 session, but he will need another assessment before he can continue through the rest of the weekend. Márquez said he is still not at 100% and will judge his condition session by session. He also said the early stages of rehab were difficult and that being back in the paddock mattered to him mentally.

The crash came when he hit the rear tire of Pedro Acosta’s KTM after Acosta’s bike suffered a mechanical failure. Márquez said he accepts that as part of racing, but added that the Catalunya runoff should be improved so a bike does not jump the same way again. He said the collarbone was the most serious injury, that he had already recovered from the head impact, and that watching the replay from hospital helped him understand and accept what happened.

Honda has named Mikihiko Kawase as the next team manager of its factory MotoGP program, promoting the longtime Honda engineer from within and moving Alberto Puig into an advisory role starting in 2027. Honda said Kawase will take over at the end of the 2026 season, with the transition beginning at the start of 2027 as the company prepares for a major regulatory reset in MotoGP. Puig, who has led Honda’s MotoGP effort for nine years, will remain with the organization and continue to oversee its MotoGP and WorldSBK projects in a reduced, consultative capacity.

Honda passed over Trackhouse team principal Davide Brivio after considering both an interim arrangement and an external option. Brivio’s future responsibilities are expected to focus on marketing and business development. The appointment keeps Honda’s leadership in house and puts Kawase in charge as the company looks ahead to a season it sees as a turning point for the championship.

Kawase joined Honda Racing Corporation in 2012 and became Honda’s MotoGP technical manager in 2024. He previously led Honda’s Moto3 project and helped HRC win the 2019 Moto3 world title with Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Kawase, a former racer who competed in Japan’s lightweight classes from ages 18 to 27, said 2027 will be a landmark year because of the rule changes and said Honda needs to be prepared to fight at the front. Honda has not officially announced its 2027 factory riders, although Fabio Quartararo and David Alonso have been reported as targets, with Joan Mir and Luca Marini said to be in line to be replaced.

Trackhouse has appointed Francesco Guidotti as its MotoGP team manager, giving the veteran Italian an immediate start and a first race in the role at this weekend’s Czech Grand Prix at Brno. The move is part of a wider restructuring under owner Justin Marks as Davide Brivio prepares to leave at the end of the season and remain in charge of day-to-day operations during the transition. Reports on Brivio’s next step vary, with one saying he is expected to join Honda in 2027 in a marketing and business development role and another saying he is set for a senior role at HRC next season.

Guidotti arrives with experience leading Pramac Ducati and Red Bull KTM, and he has also worked with Aprilia in Grand Prix racing and WorldSBK. Trackhouse said it considered multiple candidates before choosing him, citing his background with both factory and private teams in MotoGP. Marks said Guidotti’s experience and fit with the team’s culture made him the right choice as Trackhouse enters its next phase.

Guidotti said he was excited to return to the paddock and work with Aprilia machinery again, while also helping the team and its riders grow. Trackhouse said the appointment is intended to support continued progress in its third MotoGP season after stronger 2026 results tied to the Aprilia RS-GP26 and the performances of Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura. One of Guidotti’s early tasks will be helping shape Trackhouse’s medium- and long-term plans, including its 2027 rider lineup.

Rider selection is the main talking point ahead of MotoGP’s first official 850cc test at Brno, with manufacturers working within limited places and several 2027 moves already shaping their plans. Lucio Cecchinello said Yamaha should let Fabio Quartararo take part, arguing he could still help develop the new bike, and said it would not be surprising if riders already committed to switching brands were included in the session. On Honda’s side, Cecchinello said Diogo Moreira will not test the new bike on Monday because HRC has other plans for its restricted allocation, and the factory is likely to prioritize current riders Joan Mir, Luca Marini and Takaaki Nakagami.

The closed one-day session is scheduled for Monday, June 22, immediately after the Czech Grand Prix, and will give full-time riders their first official run on 2027-spec MotoGP machinery with 850cc engines, reduced aerodynamics and no downforce devices. The test will be run on Pirelli tires and, because of the tire allocation, each manufacturer is limited to two bikes. Marc Marquez is expected to make his first run on the new Ducati prototype alongside Fermin Aldeguer, while Aprilia has indicated that only championship leader Marco Bezzecchi will ride. Honda and Yamaha still have lineup decisions to make, and KTM has not finalized its roster.

The Brno test is an important early step in MotoGP’s next rules cycle, with no official timing and no media access. Pirelli says the new tires are designed to improve feel, warm-up and grip, while reducing the need for dangerously low pressures. Further race-rider tests are planned after the Austrian Grand Prix in September and again in Valencia, with additional riders expected to take part in those sessions.

In Zaragoza, MotoGP named MotorLand Aragón will host a MotoGP round in 2027 and designated the circuit as its official first-reserve venue for 2028–2031. The agreement, presented by Aragón regional president Jorge Azcón and MotoGP CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, secures a one-year active Grand Prix in 2027 rather than a long-term multi-year race contract.

As first reserve for 2028–2031, MotorLand Aragón will step in if a scheduled round cannot go ahead, formalising its role within MotoGP’s approach to rotating Spanish rounds. The limited one-year hosting commitment, together with teams’ reluctance to expand the calendar beyond the current 22 rounds, casts doubt on the planned return of the Argentine round at the upgraded Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez in Buenos Aires for 2027. Separately, Adelaide has been confirmed to replace Phillip Island as the Australian Grand Prix venue from 2027.

Organizers say the 2027 Grand Prix will cost about €12 million to stage. MotorLand Aragón, which first hosted MotoGP in 2010, typically draws more than 110,000 spectators and generates roughly €50 million a year for the region, with nearly half that annual impact tied to MotoGP activity.

MotoGP CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta described the renewal as reflecting an almost two-decade partnership and stressed the event’s importance to the Aragón region, while regional president Jorge Azcón confirmed the circuit will remain linked to the championship through 2031 as a reserve venue.

MotoGP officials and riders moved to overhaul start-line procedures and grid formation after a string of first-corner pile-ups culminated in a five-rider crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Jorge Martín admitted sole responsibility for the Balaton Park collision that collected Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Raúl Fernández and Fermín Aldeguer, and he was handed a double long-lap penalty for the next race. The incident followed an earlier violent turn-one crash in Barcelona that required Johann Zarco to undergo surgery, and the sequence of accidents has reignited debate about start-line safety, including whether holeshot and ride-height devices should be banned and whether resurfaced low-grip asphalt at Turn One contributed to the pileups.

Series officials and teams have opened several concrete proposals to reduce first-corner risk. Organizers agreed to increase the distance between the three starting positions on each row by three meters, a change scheduled to take effect at the German Grand Prix before the summer break. Trials have already been held of a two-rider-per-row formation, and Sky Italia and others have suggested testing an F1-style staggered start to give riders more room into Turn One. Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta said holeshot devices “will not be here in 2027” and indicated officials are discussing whether action on starting devices can be taken this year, with further formal decisions expected from governing bodies and race directors.

Stakeholders remain divided on causes and remedies. Jack Miller publicly urged the immediate removal of the front start device, saying Martín’s bike “jumped” when he tried to remove it and pointing to slippery new asphalt and higher approach speeds at Balaton as factors. Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola rejected the device theory and blamed rider error. Observers warned that wider grid separation could disproportionately disadvantage Martín because qualifying has been his biggest weakness this season. Former rider Virginio Ferrari cautioned that rule changes alone will not solve the problem and called for a broader safety effort through rider education, while officials continue investigations into the recent crashes and weigh a mix of procedural, technical and cultural responses.

Marc Márquez claimed a milestone victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park, converting pole into a lights-to-flag Grand Prix win that marked his 100th MotoGP victory and his first full-distance victory of 2026. Márquez had already won Saturday’s Sprint to complete a Balaton Park double, reclaimed the lead on lap 17 of the main race and then pulled away to deny late challenges, with Pedro Acosta finishing second and Francesco Bagnaia third.

The race featured a chaotic opening-lap Turn 1 collision when Jorge Martín lost control under braking and struck teammate Marco Bezzecchi, also collecting Fabio Di Giannantonio, Raúl Fernández and Fermín Aldeguer. Bezzecchi and Martín were checked and suffered no fractures, and race officials launched an investigation into the incident. Di Giannantonio rejoined from the back and recovered to tenth, Joan Mir crashed out on lap 15, Fabio Quartararo retired and the works Yamahas finished outside the top 10. Stand-in Iker Lecuona scored points in eighth and Jack Miller finished seventh.

Márquez’s victory cut into Marco Bezzecchi’s championship lead, reducing the margin by 25 points and reshuffling the early-to-mid-season standings with 14 rounds remaining. The Balaton Park result also left Fabio Di Giannantonio six points clear of Pedro Acosta in the standings and moved Ai Ogura ahead of teammate Raúl Fernández into sixth. The meeting took place amid broader safety conversations for first-corner starts, with MotoGP set to trial a two-per-row grid at Balaton Park and other measures under consideration.

FIM stewards disqualified Adrian Fernandez from multiple Moto3 GPs after finding security seals had been breached on Leopard Racing Honda engines, costing him the points from the affected rounds and dropping him down the championship standings. Different outlets reported varying effects on his placing — he was recorded as falling from third to as low as 11th, 19th or 20th, with reported season point totals varying between 13 and 41 depending on which results were struck.

The irregularities were identified after a routine engine seizure and post‑race inspection at the French GP. Honda’s checks found anomalies on engine units #810 and #811. The stewards concluded that wire seals and sealing stickers did not conform to the approved system and that at least one engine had been opened without authorization, citing breaches of Articles 2.6.3.3 and 3.3.2.2 of the FIM regulations.

The stewards treated the tampered engines as rebuilt under Article 2.6.3.3.13(c), meaning each counted as two units against Fernandez’s six‑engine allocation. Unit #811 was also withdrawn as unfit for competition on safety grounds.

Sources differed on the full scope of results annulled. Several notices and rulings disqualified Fernandez from the Thai, Brazilian, United States and Spanish GPs in relation to one engine and from the French and Catalan GPs in relation to the other (opening six races), while one report focused on four rounds tied to engine #810. Because outlets reported different sets of excluded rounds, the published impacts on Fernandez’s points and standings vary.

Leopard Racing’s appeals against the disqualification were rejected by the FIM stewards after a hearing; the team has five days to escalate the case to the International Court of Appeal. The stewards’ report did not specify whether further team sanctions will follow, and Leopard had not issued a public comment in the immediate aftermath.

Pedro Acosta’s blistering single‑lap pace at Balaton Park underlined a growing split inside KTM, with Acosta dominating Friday running and qualifying second while team‑mate Brad Binder struggled and crashed in Q1. Acosta topped Friday practice with a 1:36.827, more than four‑tenths clear of the field and led FP2 by 0.413 seconds. He was the only KTM inside the top 10 on Friday, and Balaton Park’s twisty, stop‑and‑go layout played to his strong sector‑three speed. Binder crashed in Q1, started both the Sprint and the Grand Prix from 17th, and saw his one‑lap deficit to Acosta extend to the 30th occasion Acosta outqualified him since receiving a factory ride. TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson said Binder had “lost confidence.”

Qualifying underlined the contrast. Marc Márquez recovered from an earlier crash to snatch pole with a 1:36.785, edging Acosta by 0.053 seconds after Acosta made a late mistake in Q2. Four Ducati machines filled four of the top five grid slots, with Acosta’s KTM the lone non‑Ducati in the top five and preventing a full Ducati lockout. The weekend also revived questions about whether Acosta’s pace over a single lap can be turned into a first premier‑class Sunday win. Long‑run analysis after Friday was inconclusive, and Márquez’s medium‑tyre showing was flagged as a warning about longer‑run potential. Acosta himself said the sudden swing in form between Mugello and Balaton Park “makes no sense” and that the team must improve medium‑tyre race pace.

The results at Balaton Park fit a wider pattern of inconsistency for Acosta and KTM in 2026. Acosta has produced mixed outcomes this season, with one Sunday podium at the U.S. Grand Prix, a sprint victory in Thailand that was affected by a Márquez penalty, and four rostrums overall but no run of back‑to‑back podiums. Acosta is the only KTM rider inside the championship top ten, while Binder sits 12th. The Balaton round will test whether Acosta can convert his clear qualifying speed into a maiden grand prix victory or whether KTM’s weaknesses seen at Mugello will reassert themselves over a race distance.