Former world champion excels at Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna to lie second overall.
Jorge Martín tucked in behind winner Marco Bezzecchi to finish second at Sunday's Brazilian GP and give himself a strong start to the 2026 season as fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta finished seventh to lie third overall. Here is all you need to know:
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- Acosta started the season with a Thailand GP Sprint Race victory and second-placed race finish to take the overall lead, however he struggled to get a grip on the track as MotoGP racing returned to Brazil again after a long hiatus.
- Saturday's delayed Sprint Race - due to a sinkhole found on the main straight after qualifying - saw Acosta finish down in ninth place but Martín found far more speed in finishing third.
- Further track degradation issues led to Sunday's race suddenly being shortened from 31 laps to 23 laps with Italian Bezzecchi storming straight into the lead after starting second on the grid.
- By the start of lap five, Bezzecchi had pulled clear of Marc Márquez however the seven-time MotoGP champion was soon caught by the Aprilia of Martín as well as Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio.
- 2024 MotoGP champion Martín showed that he is back in form after his injury plagued 2025 by creating a gap to the rest of the field behind Bezzecchi that remained until the finish.
- Martín, 28, revealed: "Some laps I feel super-strong, then I start to feel weak and then strong again. So, I just need to find that consistency throughout the long runs. But overall the speed is there, the confidence is there, and every day I'm a bit closer to the top guys."
- Spaniard Álex Márquez had to settle for sixth for Gresini Racing with Red Bull KTM Factory's Acosta battling hard to end in seventh as Frenchman Johann Zarco wrapped it up in ninth on his Honda.
- Brazilian Diogo Moreira was 13th for Pro Honda LCR, Italian Enea Bastianini 15th, Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu 17th and Spaniard Maverick Viñales 18th for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 as Red Bull KTM Factory's Brad Binder crashed out ahead of the next US GP race in Austin on March 29.
Brazilian GP result
1) Marco Bezzecchi ITA Aprilia Racing 30m 19.76s
2) Jorge Martín SPA Aprilia Racing +3.231s
3) Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Pertamina VR46 Ducati +3.780s
4) Marc Márquez SPA Ducati Lenovo +4.089s
5) Ai Ogura JPN Trackhouse Aprilia +8.403s
2026 MotoGP rider standings
1) Marco Bezzecchi ITA Aprilia Racing 56 points
2) Jorge Martín SPA Aprilia Racing 45
3) Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull KTM 42
4) Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Pertamina VR46 Ducati 37
5) Marc Márquez SPA Ducati Lenovo 34
