Marc Marquez’s championship bid has remained a careful balance of pace and restraint. Earlier in the season, reports had him fifth and 40 points behind Marco Bezzecchi, and after Assen he was described as 40 points behind leader Jorge Martin. After a season shaped by late crashes, shoulder and foot surgery, Marquez said he was trying to close the gap without taking unnecessary risks.

That approach carried into Sachsenring, where cold and rainy conditions made patience more important than overcommitting. He arrived as the clear favorite and, in another standings snapshot, led Alex Marquez by 68 points and Pecco Bagnaia by 126. Marquez said he wanted to fight for victory, but he was also keeping the championship in mind, noting that this season he had sometimes lost important points at tracks he liked while scoring better at more difficult venues.

Marquez’s caution paid off at Sachsenring, where he won for the ninth time at the German circuit in MotoGP and moved past Giacomo Agostini into second on the all-time wins list behind Valentino Rossi with his 69th top-class victory. He called the weekend nearly perfect, dedicated the win to Borja Gomez, and said only 11 Grands Prix had been completed, so the title race was still early. Alex Marquez, who raced injured and said the closing laps were especially hard, praised Marc’s adaptation to the Ducati and said no one had beaten him this season with the same machinery.

Johann Zarco’s knee injury recovery took a positive turn after a medical reassessment in Lyon on July 1, with doctors saying surgery no longer appeared necessary after his crash at the Catalan Grand Prix. The medial collateral ligament was healing well, the posterior cruciate ligament was improving, and the more serious injury first feared was not confirmed. The anterior cruciate ligament remained torn, but his medical team recommended rehabilitation because his overall progress was satisfactory.

Zarco had delayed any operation while a separate burn injury healed, and training during that period helped make non-surgical rehabilitation viable. He will continue rehab and is aiming to return to racing in September, although no exact comeback date has been confirmed. A September return would likely keep him out of the German Grand Prix, Silverstone and Aragon.

LCR confirmed that Cal Crutchlow will replace Zarco at next week’s German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring from July 10-12. The 40-year-old Briton will make his fifth start as Zarco’s substitute on the Honda RC213V, after previous appearances in Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Zarco’s return remains on hold because surgery cannot be done while there is still a risk of infection, and the update was a boost for Castrol Honda LCR.

Gresini Ducati has confirmed a major 2027 rider reset, naming rookie Dani Holgado and Joan Mir for its MotoGP lineup ahead of the championship’s switch to 850cc engines and Pirelli tires. Holgado, a 21-year-old Spaniard, will step up from Aspar in Moto2 on a two-year deal and becomes the first rookie confirmed for the 2027 grid. Mir will leave Honda and bring nine seasons of premier-class experience to the all-Spanish pairing.

Holgado arrives after a rapid rise through the junior classes. He has won seven grand prix races across Moto3 and Moto2, finished second in Moto3 in 2024, was named 2025 Moto2 Rookie of the Year and sits sixth in the 2026 Moto2 standings in his second season. Gresini announced his signing on July 2.

The lineup change is part of a wider overhaul for Gresini ahead of the new technical era. Alex Marquez is expected to depart for KTM after 2026 and Fermin Aldeguer is linked with a move to VR46 Ducati. The all-Spanish Gresini pairing also comes as Dorna has said it wants more non-Spanish riders on the MotoGP grid.

Bob Barnard, who designed both the Phillip Island and Adelaide Grand Prix layouts, has warned that two of motorcycling’s best-known venues could be lost forever as MotoGP prepares to leave Phillip Island for Adelaide in 2027. In an open letter, Barnard said the shift could undermine Phillip Island’s heritage value and argued that Adelaide’s revised layout would not replace the original circuit concept or Phillip Island’s status as one of motorsport’s most respected venues. He said the issue goes beyond racing, touching on motorsport, environmental heritage and land use, and placed Liberty Media and the South Australian government at the center of the decision.

MotoGP has confirmed the move to a new street circuit in Adelaide from 2027, following a deal reached with the South Australian Government in February that runs through 2032. Adelaide officials are redesigning the track to meet motorcycle safety requirements, in what has been described as the biggest change to the circuit since Barnard’s original 1985 Formula 1 layout, later shortened for Supercars in 1999. Reports also say officials may consider staging the race at night to suit European television audiences.

The final MotoGP race at Phillip Island is set for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, after the series began racing there in 1997. Barnard has warned that if MotoGP and WorldSBK both leave, owner Lindsay Fox may repurpose the site as a golf course, a rumor that drew strong backlash from fans online. Phillip Island is also expected to lose the World Superbike Championship in 2028, and the Victorian Government is looking for ways to support the island’s tourism economy, including attracting other motorsport events.

MotoGP agreed to a new five-year extension that will keep the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit on the championship calendar from 2027 through 2031. The deal was reached with the Government of Malaysia and was approved by the Malaysian Cabinet on April 15, 2026. One source said the race would remain at Sepang through at least 2032, but the other facts in the package specify five more editions through 2031.

Malaysia has hosted Grand Prix motorcycle racing since 1991, when the Malaysian Grand Prix was first staged at Shah Alam, with earlier editions also held at Johor before the race moved to Sepang in 1999. Youth and Sports Minister Dr. Mohammed Taufiq Johari said the renewal was a strategic decision tied to tourism, hospitality, transportation, small and medium-sized enterprises, jobs, and the development of local motorsports talent, pointing to riders Hakim Danish and Qabil Irfan as examples. He also said MotoGP supports Malaysia’s broader motorsports economy.

MotoGP chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta said Malaysia is an important market for the championship and cited Sepang’s large fan base and economic impact. The circuit drew a record 190,977 spectators for the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix, and it also hosted MotoGP’s 2026 season launch in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. The 2026 Malaysian MotoGP is scheduled for Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit, which also remains a key venue for shakedown running, official pre-season testing and private testing activity.

Pedro Acosta underwent successful minor surgery on Tuesday on his right wrist to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, after a problem that had bothered him for nearly a year and flared again during the Dutch MotoGP at Assen. KTM said the operation had originally been planned for the summer break but was moved up.

Acosta retired from Sunday’s race after his wrist went numb and he lost feeling in three fingers on his throttle hand. He was running sixth when he sat up at Turn 1 on lap 13, rode back to the pits and recorded a non-finish. Acosta said the issue likely cost him a chance to finish inside the top six, and KTM said the exit was caused by a physical problem rather than a mechanical failure.

KTM expects the 22-year-old to be fit for the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring on July 10-12, pending a medical check on Thursday. The Assen retirement was his third in the last five grands prix and left him seventh in the championship with 133 points, 60 behind leader Jorge Martin. Acosta has already been confirmed to join Ducati in 2027 alongside Marc Marquez.

Aprilia set the pace through the Dutch MotoGP weekend at Assen, with Jorge Martin taking pole position and Ai Ogura, Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez filling the next three grid spots in qualifying. Aprilia riders were fastest in every session except Q1, and Bezzecchi briefly had his best lap deleted for a yellow-flag infringement while Fernandez also lost a lap for track limits. Francesco Bagnaia led the non-Aprilia group in fifth, Fabio di Giannantonio was sixth, Marc Marquez qualified seventh after losing two laps for track limits, and Pedro Acosta was eighth after a technical issue on his KTM.

The sprint underlined Aprilia’s strength. Raul Fernandez won the 2026 Dutch MotoGP sprint, his second Sprint victory of the season, ahead of Ogura in second for a Trackhouse Aprilia one-two. Di Giannantonio finished third, Bezzecchi recovered from an early mistake to take fourth, Martin was fifth, Marquez sixth and Bagnaia seventh after a wheelie at the start. Fermin Aldeguer did not start because of a vertebra fracture suffered on Friday. Riders used medium front and soft rear tires in the sprint, and Michelin said the medium front tire was the preferred choice for Sunday’s 26-lap race, with rear choices likely to vary between soft and medium.

Marquez said the weekend had been a difficult one at Assen, calling himself uncomfortable and inconsistent and saying he was riding in “safe mode” because the circuit’s direction changes did not suit him. He said he could not push hard enough, that he was giving 100% but could do no more, and that at some circuits simply surviving could still leave him well outside the podium places. He had said his goal was to survive and limit damage, and after a sixth-place warm-up finish he expected to run around seventh in the grand prix. In the warm-up, Bezzecchi led the session, Ogura was the only other rider in the 1m 31s range, Bagnaia was third and Alex Marquez, who was injured, was fifth. Yamaha also brought test rider Augusto Fernández in as a wild-card entry to gather data and continue development work at the 4.54-kilometer circuit known as The Cathedral of Speed.

Marco Bezzecchi was taken to hospital for further evaluation after a violent crash during the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix at Assen. The Aprilia rider lost the front at Turn 15 while battling Marc Marquez for a podium place, was launched into the gravel, barrel-rolled to a stop near the barriers and was treated first at the circuit medical center before being transferred to Groningen Hospital for more scans. Doctors said he was conscious, had normal movement in all four limbs and showed no signs of major neurological or systemic complications, but he was in severe pain and needed tests to rule out hidden injuries.

Bezzecchi had started the race from the front row in third place but lost positions on the opening lap before the crash. Reports varied on whether the fall came on lap two or lap three, but all accounts placed it at Turn 15 in a high-speed incident that drew immediate medical concern.

The crash also ended Bezzecchi’s lead in the 2026 MotoGP championship. After the Dutch Grand Prix, he stood second in the standings, seven points behind Jorge Martin, who finished third at Assen. The result marked Bezzecchi’s third consecutive points-free race during a difficult June in which he had already lost the championship lead.

Fermin Aldeguer withdrew from the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen after a heavy crash in Friday practice left him with a fracture in his T7 vertebrae. MotoGP medical director Dr. Angel Charte declared the Gresini Racing rider unfit to continue, and MotoGP confirmed on June 27, 2026 that Aldeguer would miss the rest of the weekend. Gresini said he was taken to a local hospital for chest and back examinations after the crash.

The incident happened at Turns 11 and 12 while Aldeguer was riding his Ducati GP25. His teammate Alex Marquez also crashed around the same area, but he escaped serious injury, with his shoulder X-ray coming back negative and a recheck planned before FP2 to decide whether he could continue. Marquez reported only scratches in one update, along with a contusion to his right shoulder and abrasions to his left arm.

The withdrawal marked another setback in Aldeguer’s 2026 season. He had already missed winter testing and the Thailand season opener because of a broken left femur, and his best result of the year remained second place at the Catalan Grand Prix last month. After nine rounds, Aldeguer sat ninth in the championship with 76 points.