Marc Marquez has emerged as the biggest winner from a decisive San Marino Grand Prix, taking another major step towards the 2026 MotoGP championship while several of his rivals saw their hopes take a hit.
With 14 rounds completed, Marquez has erased a 40-point deficit to Jorge Martin in just two race weekends. His victory at Misano, combined with another strong weekend, has put him at the top of the championship standings on countback.
Marquez has now won five of the last seven races and continues to show remarkable consistency on Sundays. While Aprilia riders have dominated qualifying in recent rounds, Marquez has repeatedly found a way to beat them when it matters most.
Marco Bezzecchi looked set to challenge for another strong result after taking pole position, but his weekend ended in disappointment when he crashed on the opening lap of Sunday's race. The result was particularly costly given Aprilia's growing title ambitions.
Bezzecchi had returned from injury in impressive form, scoring four straight podiums at Silverstone and Aragon. But the Misano crash handed Marquez another opportunity to extend his advantage.
Aprilia also lost the lead in the manufacturers' championship to Ducati. Jorge Martin was still running strongly before suffering from arm pump, adding to the team's concerns.
One of the other big winners at Misano was Pedro Acosta.
The KTM rider started only seventh in qualifying and finished sixth in the sprint, but overnight changes to his RC16 transformed his race pace. Acosta fought his way through the field and secured a podium, even running with the Marquez brothers in the closing stages.
The result was another reminder of Acosta's ability to extract strong performances from a KTM that remains behind Ducati and Aprilia in overall competitiveness.
For Francesco Bagnaia, meanwhile, Misano continued a difficult run of form.
The Ducati rider called the weekend another humiliating experience after struggling badly in qualifying and finishing as the slowest Ducati in the sprint. His Sunday race ended in another crash, marking his third consecutive grand prix without reaching the finish.
Bagnaia continues to struggle with rear grip, while Ducati has yet to find a clear explanation for why he has fallen so far behind his team-mates.
Luca Marini provided a brighter result for Honda. After qualifying sixth, his best qualifying performance of the season, Marini finished ninth in both the sprint and the grand prix.
He battled Fabio Di Giannantonio during Sunday's race before vibrations affected his Honda late on. With Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira crashing and Joan Mir absent, Marini became Honda's only rider to score points in the grand prix.
Franco Morbidelli endured a weekend to forget. A long-lap penalty for impeding Enea Bastianini in practice made his challenge even harder, but he also lacked the pace to fight for the top 10.
He finished 12th in the sprint and crossed the line 28 seconds behind Marquez on Sunday, leaving little to celebrate despite racing at his home event.
The Misano weekend has therefore produced a significant shift in momentum. Marquez is now leading the championship, Ducati has moved ahead of Aprilia in the manufacturers' standings, and several of the Spaniard's main challengers have been left chasing lost points.
With the season entering its final stretch, Marquez's recent form could prove decisive.
