Chaos at the start
The triumph of Marc Marquez at Aragon did not come without some difficult moments for the reigning world champion, who nevertheless feels at home on the MotorLand track. In particular, during the series of overtakes and counter-overtakes at the start that saw Ducati’s #93 opposed to Marco Bezzecchi, the rear slipper clutch on Marquez’s GP26 did not immediately disengage. A delicate situation that caused the Spaniard’s red Desmosedici to first almost touch the asphalt, sparking a shower of sparks, and then to slow down significantly exiting turn 2, allowing Bezzecchi to momentarily regain the lead of the race.
Read more Acosta: “Could I beat Marquez with more engine revs? Hard to say”
This episode was commented on by those directly involved in the behind-the-podium area, just before the top three at the finish line went up on the podium to receive their respective trophies. Bezzecchi in particular explained rather colorfully that he was taken aback by Marquez’s problems.
Marquez: “Do you know what happened to me?”.
Bezzecchi: “It stayed down, I saw it”.
Marquez: “I forgot [to disengage it]”.
Bezzecchi: “I figured, in fact when you closed the throttle at turn 2 I was a bit to your left. I said to myself ‘I’ll try to cross over’ and then I saw the sparks and said ‘what the hell happened?’.
Marquez: “I made a big mess”.
Read more GP Aragon 2026: the race report
The decisive overtake
The conversation then moved to the decisive overtake for the outcome of the race, when during the sixth lap first Marquez and then Acosta in the section between turns 14-15 and the very long straight leading to turn 16 managed to overtake Bezzecchi, in a three-way battle that was brief but extremely spectacular and decided the podium order. Bezzecchi commented with Marquez on the side-by-side battle that saw them opposed on the longest straight of the circuit. “Then damn you arrived”, Bez added again, addressing Acosta who smartly took advantage of the opportunity to claim the second step of the podium which he defended until the checkered flag.
Read more MotoGP 2026 Riders World Championship after the Aragon GP
