Record sprint
In Catalonia, the all-Spanish derby between Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta in the Sprint provided a spectacle. On the Barcelona track, the Catalan Marquez ultimately prevailed, securing his first victory of the season in a short race and holding off Acosta’s comeback, who in the last two laps came very close to threatening the Gresini rider’s Ducati. In the end, at the finish line, the gap between the two contenders was just 41 thousandths. This is the lowest gap ever recorded in a short race since they were introduced in 2023.
Read more Martin falls again: “What a pity, the pace was top-3 level”
The previous closest gap was 108 thousandths between Acosta and Marc Marquez in this year’s first Sprint in Thailand. In that case, the winner was the KTM Shark, who was allowed to pass #93 after the indication received from the stewards.
How close do you want it? 💨⏱️ The #CatalanGP 🏁 is a gift that keeps on giving! #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/s9YESXbVRI
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 16, 2026
Alex Marquez actually seemed capable of winning by a much wider margin today after taking the lead of the race at the expense of Acosta. However, in the last two laps, #73 appeared to struggle and was caught up by his compatriot from a lead of almost half a second. However, Acosta lacked the burst to attempt an attack during the last lap. The final sprint ultimately rewarded the Ducati rider, who entered the last corner ahead and, thanks to the power of the Ducati engine, resisted Acosta’s last assault.
