Winners and Losers: MotoGP 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix
- Isha Reshmi Mohan
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Written by Isha Reshmi Mohan, Edited by Morgan Holiday
The riders couldn’t catch a break with everything that unfolded during the comeback race in Brazil. After the two week break following Buriram, Aprilia claimed the 1-2 spots in the Championship standings while track problems dominated the headlines.
Following wet practice sessions on Friday, a sinkhole on Saturday delayed the Sprint and postponed the Moto2 and Moto3 qualifying sessions to Sunday.
The race length on Sunday was then reduced by 8 laps just minutes before the start. This change was made without consulting the teams, leaving barely any time for adjustments despite the track degradation that forced the decision.
Nevertheless, the weekend delivered an entertaining race with plenty of action in the top five. Here are the Winners and Losers from the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Winner: Aprilia Racing
Riding high from the season opener, the Aprilia factory riders claimed a 1-2 finish on race day and in the championship standings. This result marked a fourth consecutive win for Marco Bezzecchi, who took hold of his lead and pulled away from the grid to secure his comfortable victory.
It was also a significant podium for Jorge Martín, marking his first return to the podium since being crowned World Champion at the 2024 Solidarity Grand Prix. Additionally, Martín also joined Marc Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio on the Sprint Race podium on Saturday.
Winner: Fabio Di Giannitonio
Di Giannantonio put in a solid performance over the weekend, making appearances on the podium in both races.
While catching Bezzecchi seemed out of reach, the three-way battle between Martín, Márquez, and Di Giannantonio was a highlight.
Before Martín pulled away, Di Giannantonio continued to entertain, securing vital points by fighting Márquez for P3 right until the end. For that grit alone, he deserves a spot on this week’s "Winners" list.
Winner: Marc Márquez
Some might argue a fourth-place finish is a loss for Marc, but it is a step up considering he actually finished the race this time, unlike the race in Buriram earlier this month.
Simon Patterson later revealed on X that the track at Turn 11 was "crumbling." This made the surface slippery, causing Márquez to run wide and allowing Di Giannantonio to reclaim his P3 spot.
With the momentum on his side, he now heads to COTA, one of his favored tracks. All eyes will be on the World Champion as fans hope to see him back on the podium on race day.
Loser: Jack Miller
Miller’s race lasted less than half a lap after an early electronic issue and a subsequent technical lock-up forced him out near Turn 2.
Despite his history of crashes, Miller had shown signs of progress with the bike and came close to securing a direct Q2 spot, unlike his teammate.
While the conditions at Goiânia meant that qualifying required a mix of luck and skill, the underlying pace from Pramac was evident. This performance provides a sense of hope for the upcoming races.
Loser: Yamaha Factory Team
It was a frustrating Sunday for the Yamaha duo, starting with Álex Rins. Despite climbing from P17 to P11, he eventually slipped back to finish P14. It was a tough result to witness, especially given a more competitive showing on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo was unable to capitalize on his P4 qualifying position. Although he had a stronger Sprint session the previous day with a P6 finish, those results did not carry over to the main race.
He dropped behind his teammate to P16, compromised by a significant lack of rear grip. Quartararo shared that he had planned to use the soft tyres even before the last minute decision to shorten the race distance.
It was revealed by Enea Bastianini that information of the reduced track distance was being spread from the front to the back of the grid, giving the leading teams more time to adjust their tyre choices. However, this clearly did not impact Quartararo.
Loser: Brad Binder
While Binder has not necessarily been at the ‘top’ positions, he showed good signs in Buriram when he quietly moved from P11 to P7. It did not seem like Acosta was the only KTM rider up front for once, which was a positive sign for the factory team.
However, this did not continue in Brazil as Binder only managed to qualify in P20. He finished the sprint session in P15, though he managed to push up to P13 for a while. He could not push harder on race day, as he locked the front tire in Turn 1 during the early stages and crashed on lap four.
Don’t miss the next race at the Circuit of the Americas on the 29th of March at 8pm GMT before the next big break!
