MotoGP: Di Giannantonio wins dramatic GP of Catalunya as Michelin's tires deliver for all three race-starts
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) ended up winner of the Grand Prix of Catalunya – Round 6 of the 2026 MotoGPTM World Championship. It was the Italian's 10th premier-class success, a whole 910 days after his last (Qatar, 2023). Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) were second and third after two red-flag interruptions caused by falls for Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR). Read on for more about what happened during the weekend in Catalonia.
The first of the afternoon's three starts saw Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) get away well to pull clear of a chasing pack led by Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and soon joined by Marquez. The latter appeared in front on Lap 10 but Acosta recovered control until he was slowed by a problem down the straight into Turn 10. Marquez couldn't avoid striking the Spaniard's KTM and fell. Di Giannantonio's race seemed to have come to a halt in the same incident but the action was swiftly red flagged.
After a long break, racing resumed for a further 13 laps, this time without Marquez who had been taken to hospital. The red flag was shown again almost immediately, however, when Zarco, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) collided shortly after lights-out, leading to the afternoon's third start – for 12 laps.
This time, it was Mir who caused a surprise as he tucked behind the leader – Acosta – in second place, tailed by Di Giannantonio and Aldeguer.
With two laps to go, Di Giannantonio squeezed into the lead and went on to take the win, but Acosta fell out of the race after contact with TrackHouse MotoGP Team's Ai Ogura who took a three-second penalty for his role in the tangle. Mir crossed the line in second spot, with Aldeguer third.
With the track-temperature standing at 32°C, all of the riders opted for medium MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear for the first start, but most then switched to the soft rear for the rest of Sunday afternoon.
The combination of the medium front and soft rear had also been the main choice for the previous day's sprint when the track temperature reached as high as 43°C, and much of the rubber laid down during practice had been rinsed away by overnight rain.
The weekend's appetizer saw winner Marquez clock the fastest race lap (1m39.209s), bettering the benchmark posted by Acosta in 2024 (1m39.664s).
Sixth place in the grand prix for Marco Bezzecchi (139 points) sufficed for the Aprilia Racing rider to extend his lead in the provisional Riders' standings to 12 points over team-mate Jorge Martin who also fell in Catalonia. Di Giannantonio (116) is third.
Next round: Brembo Grand Prix of Italy, Mugello (May 29-31).