Marquez sweeps Misano, takes MotoGP lead from Martin
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 13, 2026
Marquez wins at Misano
Marc Marquez won the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano and took over the MotoGP championship lead for the first time this season after a tense, attrition-heavy race that kept shifting at the front. Marquez had to work for it. Marco Bezzecchi led early but crashed out on the opening lap, and Jorge Martin seized the chance to move ahead after passing Marquez. That brief change at the front set up the rest of the race, with Marquez waiting for the right moment before he went back on top on lap 12. Once he reclaimed the lead, he controlled the finish and left Misano with his 78th MotoGP victory. The result carried more weight than a single race win. It moved Marquez into the top spot in the standings and gave him another landmark in a career that keeps adding new numbers. At a circuit where the lead changed hands and the pressure never let up, Marquez handled the chaos and stayed clear of the mistakes that swallowed several of his rivals.
Bezzecchi crash reshapes race
Bezzecchi’s crash on the opening lap changed the race immediately. He had the lead, then lost it before the field had settled in. That left Martin and Marquez to sort out the front end of the Grand Prix, and it gave the race a sharp edge from the start. Martin made his move and briefly led, but he could not hold Marquez off once the Spaniard found his rhythm again. Behind them, Alex Marquez turned in one of the strongest recoveries of the day. He started ninth on the grid and finished second, a steady climb that stood out in a race where position changes at the front came with real risk. Pedro Acosta claimed third and Fermin Aldeguer followed in fourth, giving the podium and the next spot a new look after the early chaos. Martin settled for fifth after his time in front. The lower part of the results sheet told the same story as the front of the race. Only 14 riders finished the Grand Prix, a reminder of how much punishment Misano handed out over the course of the afternoon. Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia both failed to score after crashing, and their exits helped clear the path for the riders who stayed upright and kept pushing through a race that became survival as much as speed.
Championship lead goes to Marquez
Marquez left Misano tied on points with Martin, then took the championship lead on countback because he had more grand prix wins. That detail gave the result its biggest consequence. Marquez moved to the top for the first time this season, and the title picture changed without a points gap opening between the two riders. The tiebreaker mattered because it reflected the difference between a rider who has piled up victories and a rival who has matched him step for step in points. Marquez now holds the edge by the criterion that counts when the total is level, and Misano gave him that edge at a critical stage of the season. The win also reinforced how quickly the championship can swing when the front of the field turns unstable. One crash pushed Bezzecchi out immediately. Martin briefly moved ahead. Marquez took control again on lap 12. By the end, the race had produced a winner, a new points leader and a pack of finishers that was thin by MotoGP standards. Marquez’s 78th career win also adds another line to a record that keeps growing, and it came in the kind of race that often rewards patience, timing and a clean ride more than raw pace alone. At Misano, Marquez had all three when it mattered most.
