Pain, frustration & a slap in the face: the biggest MotoGP setbacks of 2026 so far

Marco Bezzecchi. Yes – there’s no question that the Italian from the official Aprilia factory team really belongs among the beaming winners. Right up to and including the seventh round of the current season, Bezzecchi raced unflinchingly from one success to the next. He didn’t let the crash in the first sprint race of the season throw him off his stride. In the big races, the curly-haired rider was right up there. Bezzecchi left Mugello as a celebrated Italian hero, the clear number one in the championship and thus the logical favourite for the title. Trailing by 102 points, Marc Marquez seemed to be out of the running for the time being.

But MotoGP proved just how unpredictable it can be. In just four rounds, the tide turned completely against the championship leader. From Balaton onwards, it was nothing but a nightmare. After being unluckily taken out by his team-mate at the Hungarian GP, grim memories of the 2025 Japanese GP were brought back to the surface. This was followed by a mental low point in Brno. Bezzecchi, who had already lost 31 points to Marquez, crashed in the sprint and, seconds later, lost control of himself. The slap in the face for the marshal made headlines around the world. Bezzecchi was rightly suspended from the Grand Prix – a huge gift to his World Championship rivals. ‘MM93’ struck and snatched the next 25 points.

Zuletzt fiel der Held des Aprilia-Projekts: Marco Bezzecchi

Foto: Gold and Goose

The quartet of disastrous GPs was completed by the heavy crashes at Assen and the Sachsenring. Zero points from three further races – and that was the end of his championship lead. For Marco Bezzecchi, fresh from surgery, the World Championship in England begins not just from scratch – but 22 points in the red. Rarely has there been a more dramatic superhero-style fall in MotoGP.

Johann Zarco. The Frenchman made MotoGP history last year with his Hollywood-style home victory at Le Mans. In terms of popularity, the oldest rider in the 2025 World Championship climbed several rungs at once. It is not only in France that ‘JZ5’ has been and continues to be celebrated for his remarkable fighting spirit and realistic self-assessment. This made the outcry at the Catalan Grand Prix all the louder. The moment Johann Zarco crashed into the gravel seconds after the second race start – caught in a bizarre entanglement with and beneath Bagnaia’s factory Ducati – the day was over even for the most die-hard MotoGP fans.

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Seit dem Horrorcrash in Barcelona verletzt: Johann Zarco (Honda)

Foto: Gold and Goose

But Zarco’s guardian angel was on hand. Although the two-time Moto2 world champion’s left knee was torn to shreds, on the whole the 36-year-old got off lightly. As things stand, an attempt at a comeback in September is under discussion. One thing is certain: when Zarco lost control of the RC213V during the braking phase – partly due to the slipstream effect – the 2026 season was effectively over from a sporting perspective. The good news is that, according to the doctors treating him, Zarco can return to 100 per cent fitness.

Yamaha. It wasn’t just star rider Fabio Quartararo who had high hopes for his employer’s technical reorientation. By the end of 2025, the four-cylinder in-line engine had been phased out and – with an eye also on the new 850cc generation due in 2027 – all bets had been placed on the new V4 power unit.

Nicht nur Rookie Razgatlioglu ist auf der Yamaha M1 abgeschlagen

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

But ten months on, the mood in the Yamaha camp is gloomy. If you take away a handful of brilliant laps, what remains is a devastating record that leaves the second Japanese manufacturer languishing in last place in the Manufacturers’ World Championship. The M1 riders have scored a mere 69 points so far. A year ago, they had at least 133 points at the summer break.

The best Yamaha rider remains outgoing rider Fabio Quartararo, in 14th place in the World Championship. All the other riders are well off the pace. The technical hopelessness of the situation is particularly bitter for the ambitious rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu. ‘El Turco’ was well aware of the bike’s competitiveness, but the fact that he would struggle so badly on the MotoGP Yamaha came as an unpleasant surprise even to the Superbike World Champion.

Joan Mir. By the end of 2025, Joan Mir and the entire Honda organisation were delighted with a clear upward trend. In both Japan and Malaysia, Mir rode his bike across the finish line in third place. In 2026, however, Joan Mir’s only improvement was in his propensity for crashes. The Mallorcan went down 15 times in the first half of the season.

Auch 2026 König der Rennstürze: Joan Mir

Foto: Gold and Goose

It is worth noting that the Honda works rider usually slipped up in the key races. Six crashes in the Sprint races, six crashes in the Grand Prix races – such was the disastrous tally – resulting in 18th place in the World Championship. Jorge Martin showed how it’s done. The championship leader went off the track 16 times, but only failed to see the chequered flag on three occasions. In the end, however, Joan Mir is still a winner. For his relentless destruction of the factory Honda, he was rewarded with a contract with Nadia Padovani’s private Ducati team (Gresini).

Maverick Viñales. There were many signs that 2026 would be a brilliant season for Maverick Viñales and KTM. The partnership had got off to a promising start in 2025. When the newcomer overtook the two Ducati-Lenovo bikes in Qatar – in only his fourth outing on the RC16 – moved into P1 and crossed the line more than ten seconds ahead of Pedro Acosta, everyone involved was thrilled. A strong fourth place followed at Jerez. As a result, plans were already being made in early summer to promote the experienced rider to the factory team for 2026.

Ausgebremst: Maverick Vinales

Foto: Gold and Goose

The plan remained in place even when Viñales injured his shoulder at the 2025 German Grand Prix. It was the beginning of the end. To this day, the Spaniard has not fully recovered. Adding to the frustration of being just a few crucial percentage points short of peak performance came further trouble. KTM, having switched their focus to Alex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio due to time constraints, backtracked and put Viñales on ‘Plan B’ – continuing his collaboration with Tech3. For the self-assured Spaniard, this was not an option. By turning down KTM and the long-established team from the south of France, the 31-year-old effectively brought his career to a halt.