Reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez saw his hopes of securing a Brazilian Grand Prix podium slip away after being caught out by the deteriorating track surface at Goiânia in a dramatic Sunday showdown.
Fresh from claiming his first Sprint victory of the season on Saturday, the Ducati Lenovo Team star looked poised to carry that momentum into the main race. However, changing track conditions proved decisive in a race defined by grip issues and strategic survival.
Marquez was locked in a fierce battle for third place with Fabio Di Giannantonio, as the Aprilia duo of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin controlled the race at the front.
Bezzecchi delivered a flawless lights-to-flag victory, while Martin capitalised early after a bold move from Di Giannantonio forced both him and Marquez wide—opening the door for the Spaniard to snatch second place.
As the laps ticked down, Marquez fought back, reclaiming position from Di Giannantonio with four laps remaining. But just as the podium battle intensified, the treacherous track conditions intervened.
At the very corner where he executed his Sprint-winning overtake a day earlier, Marquez ran into trouble.
“The podium was possible, but unfortunately, I made a mistake in a corner where the asphalt was coming loose,” Marquez admitted.
A patch of degrading asphalt on the racing line proved extremely slippery, forcing the Spaniard into a moment of survival rather than attack.
“I lost the front slightly and went onto the kerb. I knew ‘Diggia’ was close and would pass me, but it was better to finish fourth than crash.”
That decision ultimately cost him a place on the podium—but preserved valuable championship points.
The Goiânia circuit was under the spotlight throughout the weekend, with surface issues even forcing the race distance to be reduced from 31 to 23 laps.
Despite the challenges, Marquez acknowledged that overtaking opportunities were limited, making aggressive moves like Di Giannantonio’s block pass a necessity.
“That’s the only way to overtake here. Slipstreaming on the straight doesn’t really work.”
Marquez leaves Brazil in fifth place overall, trailing race winner Bezzecchi by 22 points. Encouragingly, the Spaniard showed improved pace compared to the season opener in Thailand, where he retired due to mechanical issues.
Meanwhile, Di Giannantonio sits as the leading Ducati rider in fourth overall, underlining the competitive reshuffle early in the 2026 season.
It was a tougher outing for Marquez’s factory teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who crashed out from P11 before the halfway mark.
Credit Photo : MotoGP
