Horror took over the motorcycle party in Montmeló for moments after a chilling accident at the midpoint of the MotoGP Catalunya GP this Sunday. A technical problem with Pedro Acosta (KTM) on the back straight, while leading the race, caused the severe crash of world runner-up Alex Márquez, the worst affected in an incident involving several riders. The 30-year-old Cervera rider was immediately evacuated by ambulance to the circuit’s medical center after being treated on the track. He was conscious and relatively well, out of danger, according to his family members present at the circuit. The Ducati Gresini rider was later transferred to the General Hospital of Catalunya, in Sant Cugat del Vallés, for more thorough care.
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The crash occurred at high speed on lap 12 of the originally scheduled 24 before the red flag caused by the accident. The Murcian, who took pole, suddenly slowed down on the straight due to an electronic failure, at a point where speeds close to 300 km/h are reached. Márquez, who started third on the grid and won the sprint race on Saturday, was stalking the race lead and was very close to the leader’s tail. The unexpected change of pace meant he could do nothing to avoid the hit and was thrown towards the right side of the track, with the wall very close at that point. The Catalan slid on the grass but could not control the bike and fell, hitting the ground and the side wall violently. He was attended there by the medical team led by Dr. Ángel Charte.
The Catalan’s machine flew through the air and ended up destroyed in the middle of the path of the other riders, hitting several parts against Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati), who ultimately won the race, and Madrid’s Raúl Fernández (Aprilia), both also hurt but able to return on their own to the garages.
The tremendous accident of Álex Márquez, seen from Fabio Di Giannantonio’s bike #MotoGP #CatalanGP pic.twitter.com/qQE5DumErz
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) May 17, 2026
All riders except the younger Márquez and Italian Ennea Bastianini took part in the first restart of the race, which lasted very little after a new accident at turn one after the start. Johann Zarco, French rider for LCR Honda, was the worst affected in the second stoppage after being sandwiched between Luca Marini (Honda) and Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati). The 34-year-old veteran, conscious and also out of danger, was also evacuated by ambulance to the circuit’s medical center after the second red flag and ended up in the hospital with a left leg injury.
Di Giannantonio wins amid chaos and Acosta’s drama
The third restart of the grand prix, which was finally held over just 12 laps, was decisive. Against all odds, Di Giannantonio of VR46 Ducati won, followed on the podium by Joan Mir’s Honda and Fermín Aldeguer’s Ducati Gresini, who had started the day in 15th place. Acosta was able to defend his leading position on the grid in the three starts of the day, but the day that promised his first victory in the premier class ended with a crash on the last lap for him despite having led most of the day.
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After resisting his rivals’ attacks again and again, the Murcian talent and KTM lost momentum three laps from the end. Diggia overtook him first at the braking zone of turn 10 and escaped comfortably to win the second race of his career in front of his boss Valentino Rossi, present at the barriers. On the last lap, Mir tore the stickers off the poleman at the end of the main straight. His lifelong rival, Aldeguer, took advantage of a near crash to sneak past and snatch the podium at turn 3. The final blow to a chaotic and dramatic day was missing: in the last curve of the circuit, Ai Ogura was so ambitious that he sent him to the ground. The Japanese Trackhouse rider was penalized for the maneuver.
Fabio Di Giannantonio leads in Barcelona 💥
Crazy finish with Pedro Acosta’s crash❌#MotoGP #CatalanGP pic.twitter.com/xOl8LYlqAn
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) May 17, 2026
Acosta was not the only one who ended the day heated, as sparks flew between Raúl Fernández and Jorge Martín at Aprilia. When they were running in podium positions, the Trackhouse rider was very ambitious at turn 5, the slowest on the track, and pushed his Madrid teammate off the racing line, who ended up in the gravel and lost the chance to become championship leader. Marco Bezzecchi, finally fifth after starting twelfth, extended his lead at the top of the standings to 13 points over the 2024 champion.
Amid chaos and drama, the best news is that the day ended with all grid members out of danger.
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10
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| pos rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1
| DUCATI | 15:48.100 |
| 2
| HONDA | +1.250 |
| 3
| DUCATI | +1.466 |
| 4
| DUCATI | +4.320 |
| 5
| APRILIA | +4.679 |
| 6
| YAMAHA | +4.876 |
| 7
| HONDA | +4.971 |
| 8
| KTM | +5.137 |
| 9
| APRILIA | +5.377 |
| 10
| HONDA | +6.839 |
| pos rider |
|---|
| 1
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| 2
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| 3
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| 4
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| 5
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| 6
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| 7
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| 8
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| 9
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| 10
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| pos rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1
| APRILIA | 32 |
| 2
| HONDA | 20 |
| 3
| DUCATI | 16 |
| 4
| DUCATI | 17 |
| 5
| APRILIA | 12 |
| 6
| YAMAHA | 10 |
| 7
| HONDA | 9 |
| 8
| KTM | 8 |
| 9
| APRILIA | 9 |
| 10
| HONDA | 6 |
View full classification
| pos rider |
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| 1
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| 4
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| 8
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| 9
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| pos rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1
| APRILIA | 140 |
| 2
| APRILIA | 127 |
| 3
| DUCATI | 116 |
| 4
| KTM | 92 |
| 5
| APRILIA | 76 |
| 6
| APRILIA | 68 |
| 7
| DUCATI | 67 |
| 8
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| 9
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| 10
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| pos team |
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| 1 APRILIA |
| 2 DUCATI |
| 3 KTM |
| 4 HONDA |
| 5 YAMAHA |
| pos team | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 APRILIA | APRILIA | 179 |
| 2 DUCATI | DUCATI | 165 |
| 3 KTM | KTM | 113 |
| 4 HONDA | HONDA | 74 |
| 5 YAMAHA | YAMAHA | 39 |
| pos rider |
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| 1
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| 2
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| 3
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| 4
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| 5
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| 6
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| 7
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| 8
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| 9
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| 10
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| pos rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1
| APRILIA | 140 |
| 2
| APRILIA | 127 |
| 3
| DUCATI | 116 |
| 4
| KTM | 92 |
| 5
| APRILIA | 76 |
| 6
| APRILIA | 68 |
| 7
| DUCATI | 67 |
| 8
| ||
| 9
| ||
| 10
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View full classification
View full classification
