MotoGP News & Results: Martin vs Marquez Title Fight Heads to Phillip Island

By Techm Studios · 23 October 2026 · 8 min read

Two points separate Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez as the 2026 MotoGP season reaches the last-ever Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. Here is every MotoGP news and results update you need, from Aprilia's historic Indonesian one-two-three-four to the championship maths ahead of round 18.

Quick take

Marco Bezzecchi won the Indonesian GP at Mandalika (round 17 of 22) as Aprilia filled the top four.
Jorge Martin leads the standings on 355 points, just 2 clear of Marc Marquez (353).
Five rounds and 185 points remain, starting with Phillip Island this weekend.

Indonesian MotoGP results: Bezzecchi wins as Aprilia sweeps the top four

MotoGP results from Mandalika delivered a landmark for Aprilia. Marco Bezzecchi took victory by passing pole-sitter Raul Fernandez late on, with Fernandez second and Martin third after recovering from sixth on lap one. Ai Ogura made it four RS-GP26s in the top four with a late charge past Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez. The win was also the 300th for Italian riders in the premier class, according to Crash.net.

Fernandez later revealed he rode with two broken fingers after a Turn 1 tangle with Bezzecchi in the Saturday Sprint. Maverick Viñales picked up a 16-second post-race penalty for low tyre pressure, which did not alter the classification, and Honda stand-in Aleix Espargaró withdrew on Sunday morning.

2026 Indonesian MotoGP, Mandalika – top 10
Pos	Rider	Team / bike	Gap
1	Marco Bezzecchi (ITA)	Aprilia Racing	40m 46.582s
2	Raul Fernandez (ESP)	Trackhouse Aprilia	+4.260s
3	Jorge Martin (ESP)	Aprilia Racing	+6.890s
4	Ai Ogura (JPN)	Trackhouse Aprilia	+9.378s
5	Pedro Acosta (ESP)	Red Bull KTM	+9.492s
6	Marc Marquez (ESP)	Ducati Lenovo	+10.778s
7	Alex Marquez (ESP)	BK8 Gresini Ducati	+16.821s
8	Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA)	Pertamina VR46 Ducati	+19.840s
9	Fabio Quartararo (FRA)	Monster Yamaha	+19.999s
10	Enea Bastianini (ITA)	Red Bull KTM Tech3	+21.111s

Francesco Bagnaia, Fermin Aldeguer, Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu did not finish.

2026 MotoGP standings: Martin leads Marquez by two points

Martin's podium was enough to retake the lead from Marc Marquez, who had grabbed it by winning the Sprint. The reigning champion finished sixth on Sunday. With MotoGP standings this tight, the order can flip at any session. Only the top seven riders remain mathematically alive.

Riders' championship after round 17
Pos	Rider	Team	Points	Gap
1	Jorge Martin	Aprilia Racing	355	–
2	Marc Marquez	Ducati Lenovo	353	-2
3	Marco Bezzecchi	Aprilia Racing	309	-46
4	Ai Ogura	Trackhouse Aprilia	259	-96
5	Pedro Acosta	Red Bull KTM	258	-97
6	Fabio Di Giannantonio	Pertamina VR46 Ducati	245	-110
7	Raul Fernandez	Trackhouse Aprilia	236	-119
8	Alex Marquez	BK8 Gresini Ducati	172	-183

Australian MotoGP preview: the final Phillip Island weekend

Round 18 is the last MotoGP at Phillip Island. The race leaves the calendar after 2026, and reports say it moves to a street circuit in Adelaide from 2027. Marquez has won here four times (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2024), and the fast anticlockwise layout suits him. Martin says taking points off Marquez is always welcome, while Ducati's Fabio Di Giannantonio described the circuit as one MotoGP "shouldn't have touched" in a headline this week.

Weekend schedule (from Indonesian media listings, check official timing)

Sprint (13 laps): Saturday 24 October, 04:00 UTC (06:00 SAST)
Grand Prix (27 laps): Sunday 25 October, 03:00 UTC (05:00 SAST)

MotoGP scores around the world: 2026 race winners so far

Selected 2026 Grand Prix winners
Round	Grand Prix	Winner
7	Italy – Mugello	Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia)
13	Aragon – Spain	Marc Marquez (Ducati)
14	San Marino – Misano	Marc Marquez (Ducati)
17	Indonesia – Mandalika	Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia)

At Mugello, Bezzecchi beat Martin at his home race while Bagnaia led for the first time this year and held off Ogura for third. Marquez then won at Aragon, extending his perfect Ducati run there to six, and took the title lead at Misano after Bezzecchi crashed from the lead on lap one. For the complete calendar, see our MotoGP results archive.

Latest MotoGP news from the paddock

Aprilia team-orders talk

Bezzecchi and Fernandez deny holding a team-orders meeting at Phillip Island, while Marquez says a fast rider does not need such orders. With Aprilia holding three of the top seven, the subject will stay in the headlines.

Acosta the wildcard

Pedro Acosta says he has "no friends" in the fight between Marquez and the Aprilia riders, and sits just one point behind Ogura in fifth.

Sprint format debate

Alex Marquez has called for a radical change to the Sprint format, adding to the discussion after the Mandalika tangle between the Aprilia pair.

Qatar still on the calendar

Marc Marquez sidestepped a question about the Qatar round, which organisers still plan to run.

Moto3 and Moto2

Máximo Quiles clinched the 2026 Moto3 title at Mandalika, while Manuel González and Izan Guevara are locked in a close Moto2 fight.

Rider market 2027

Silly-season fallout continues, with Crash.net publishing its 2027 winners-and-losers rundown after Indonesia.

MotoGP FAQ

Who leads the 2026 MotoGP championship?

Jorge Martin leads on 355 points, two ahead of Marc Marquez, after round 17 in Indonesia.

Who won the Indonesian MotoGP?

Marco Bezzecchi won at Mandalika, ahead of Raul Fernandez and Jorge Martin.

When is the Australian MotoGP?

The Phillip Island Sprint is on 24 October and the Grand Prix on 25 October 2026. It is the final MotoGP at the circuit. Follow more MotoGP news on Techm Media.