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The breathless run to Valencia really begins this weekend as MotoGP's enthralling 2026 title fight arrives in Aragon

After two weekends off, MotoGP is ready to launch into the second half of the season – and it starts with a trip to MotorLand for the Michelin® Grand Prix of Aragon. The mouthwatering, relentless run to Valencia has arrived, and despite Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) extending his standings lead to 31 points with a strong weekend at Silverstone, the 2026 title race remains a box office thriller. Five riders split by just 41 points. And sixth overall is British GP winner Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) who lurks 56 points adrift after becoming our seventh different winner of the year – already as many as 2025.

A lot can change very quickly in the most exciting sport on earth, and a lot will change in the coming weeks. So let’s have a look at the hot topics as MotoGP rolls into the historic Alcañiz.

APRILIA MARCH ONA pole, Tissot Sprint victory and a Sunday 20-pointer signalled a classy Silverstone for Martin. That’s the consistency the 2024 Champion will continue to try and churn out as he sets his sights on a second MotoGP title, but the #89 knows there’s a long way to go this season – and Aprilia won’t be the favourites this weekend at MotorLand. But they were the favourites at Silverstone. And as a quartet fleet, the majority delivered. Sticking with the factory side, Marco Bezzecchi’s (Aprilia Racing) heroics were a much-needed boost after the Italian’s miserable few weeks leading into the summer break. And it was a good collection of points that sees Bez rise into P2 in the championship. We should be seeing a fitter #72 in Aragon too, so the vibes in the Noale camp will be high.

Those vibes will spread to the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP set-up too – at least to Fernandez’s side of the box. A second MotoGP victory was huge for the #25’s title aspirations, showing what he’s capable of when he’s on song. To the left of Fernandez sits teammate Ai Ogura (SuperFiles Trackhouse MotoGP Team), and the Japanese star will be eager to put his Silverstone mistake behind him in Aragon. 37 points is Ogura’s deficit to Martin now, but that’s only a weekend’s worth of points. And really, coupled with his final corner clash with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in Barcelona, the DNF was one of Ogura’s very limited number of mistakes so far this year. It was a crash that brought his three-race podium streak to an end, so Ogura will be fighting back at a circuit he didn’t race at last year in MotoGP.

RELOADING FOR A RESPONSEAnd now we come to who many will see as the favourites this weekend in Aragon: specifically, Marc Marquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team. Silverstone was one of the trickiest weekends the reigning World Champion has had since signing with the famous Italian marque, but MotorLand has historically been MM93 land. Pole position, Tissot Sprint win, Grand Prix win, fastest lap – all accolades that have gone the #93’s way in the last two visits to Aragon. And despite a rough weekend in the UK, Marc Marquez remains just 40 points away from Martin. The seven-time MotoGP World Champion will know this is a weekend, with seven MotorLand wins already, where he can respond. Expect a different animal than what we saw at Silverstone.

Meanwhile, finishing P2 behind Marc Marquez in last year’s Aragon encounter in both the Sprint and Grand Prix was Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). The #73 was the standout Ducati rider at Silverstone, where the 2025 championship runner-up picked up a pair of P4s; while he’s not thinking about winning the title at this stage, he will be a huge player in the remaining 10 Grands Prix. Plus, like Bezzecchi, we’ll be seeing a fitter Alex Marquez arrive this weekend. It’s also a very warm welcome back to Fermin Aldeguer – the 2025 Rookie of the Year returns to action having been sidelined since his Dutch GP crash, looking to rebuild his form.

We say Alex Marquez isn’t thinking about the title because he’s 134 points off the lead after his big slice of bad luck earlier in the season. But a rider who absolutely is in the title frame is Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). The Italian sits just 41 points back from Martin and is another who will be expecting to show a stronger hand in Aragon after a P6 finish at the British GP – and after a run of six Grands Prix without a podium, maybe this weekend is where Di Giannantonio reels in those just up the road. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) will also be looking to secure a first Sunday top 10 since the Catalan GP at a circuit he won at back in 2020.

Speaking of MotorLand winners, can Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) bounce back from a weekend to forget at Silverstone and get his momentum going again? It was the Italian who joined the Marquez duo on the rostrum here last season, his first win was here against Marc Marquez himself, and he was half of that awesome 2022 duel at the track. Silverstone was tough, Bagnaia will be looking to bounce back.

CAN ACOSTA MAKE A PODIUM ASSAULT?It’s safe to say Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is getting everything and a little bit more out of the RC16 this season, and that was evident again at Silverstone. Back on home soil this weekend, and having clinched a P4 in Aragon last season, can the #37 throw his name in the hat for a return to podium ways – or maybe more?

Elsewhere in the KTM stable, Brad Binder’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Silverstone P8 means the South African has bagged back-to-back Sunday top 10s for the first time this season. He now sits just four points back from Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Can ‘The Beast’ put his British GP DNF behind him and bounce back with a good result at a venue he won at in 2022, a few days on from the news he's penned a 2027 deal with SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP? Lining up next to Bastianini in Aragon we wait to see if it will be KTM Test Rider Pol Espargaro once more, or Maverick Viñales back from his shoulder injury recovery.

HONDA ON THE HUNT, ZARCO RETURNSThe only rider to score points in every Grand Prix this season? Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol). The Italian lies P10 on 86 points after his super consistent opening to 2026, with rookie Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) the next best HRC rider in the standings in P15. They handed HRC a double top 10 last time out; can they do the same in Aragon? Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) endured his eighth DNF of the season at Silverstone, so the 2020 World Champion will be wanting to first and foremost see the chequered flag on home soil. And completing the Honda line-up… Johann Zarco! The Frenchman is set to be back on his Castrol Honda LCR machine at MotorLand for the first time since his Catalan GP crash, pending a Thursday medical check in Aragon, as we look forward to seeing the #5 back doing what he does best.

LOOKING FOR MORE THAN MILEAGEThe best is yet to come this season when we chat about Yamaha, and while Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins failed to score points last time out, they also had test rider Augusto Fernandez out on track as development work continues to get them back in the mix. Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP’s Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu racked up some points for the Iwata brand at Silverstone however, and MotorLand is a venue the Turkish rider knows his way around a little more intimately than last time out – so he will be an interesting watch once more. As ever.

Before the British GP, it was the closest title fight in history. As we head for MotorLand, the form book flips completely and the venue beckons revenge for those on the chase - the perfect follow up venue to shake it up once more. See you in Aragon?