Spanish Moto GP rider hospitalised after wall impact following rival’s power loss on straight

The Catalan MotoGP Grand Prix was twice brought to a halt by red flags on Sunday after a harrowing high-speed collision involving Alex Marquez was followed, moments into the restart, by a separate multi-rider crash that sent Johann Zarco to hospital with serious leg injuries.

The most severe incident of the afternoon occurred on lap 12 of the scheduled 24-lap race. Race leader Pedro Acosta suffered a sudden mechanical failure on his KTM, losing all power on the straight between turns 9 and 10. Reports indicated a visible issue with his rear wheel, which appeared deflated. With his bike decelerating abruptly, Acosta attempted to alert the riders behind him, raising his hand as a warning. Alex Marquez, following closely in the slipstream on his Ducati, had no time to react.

Marquez slammed into the back of Acosta’s KTM at significant speed. The impact launched him and his machine towards the trackside wall before they cartwheeled violently through the air. His Ducati was destroyed in the process, with carbon fibre debris and a detached front wheel scattering across the tarmac. Marquez was thrown from the bike and hit the ground hard. Paramedics attended to him at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to the circuit’s medical centre and subsequently transferred to a local hospital for further evaluation. Spanish media reported that his injuries were not life-threatening, and by the end of the race, information indicated he was out of danger. He had been reported as conscious immediately after the collision.

The debris from Marquez’s wrecked bike caused further chaos. Fabio Di Giannantonio was struck by a wheel, which caused him to crash. Raul Fernandez and Johann Zarco were also hit by flying carbon fibre and were reported to be experiencing significant pain. The first red flag was shown immediately, halting the race on lap 12.

TNT Sports pundit Sylvain Guintoli commented on the danger of the incident, stating: “These types of crashes can be very dangerous when you have parts of bikes flying around the way Alex Marquez crashed. We really hope that there’s nothing bad with Alex. Unfortunately, when you have odd crashes like this, when you have speed differences like this, this is where really serious things can happen, so fingers crossed. It’s one of those where you just hope for no bad news.”

Restart chaos and a second red flag

With all riders technically eligible for the restart except Alex Marquez and Enea Bastianini, who had retired earlier with a technical problem, the grid was set based on the standings as of lap 11. Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio managed to get their damaged bikes back to the pits in time for the restart.

The race was resumed for a shortened 13-lap sprint, but it lasted only moments. Approaching the first corner, Johann Zarco missed his braking point and collided with Luca Marini and Francesco Bagnaia, triggering another multi-rider crash. Zarco became entangled with Bagnaia’s rear wheel and was trapped as the bikes tumbled through the gravel trap. The incident led to an immediate second red flag. Zarco was taken to the circuit’s medical centre and then to hospital for further examination, with reports indicating serious injuries to his left leg, specifically in the femur area. Bagnaia and Marini were able to walk away, though Bagnaia was later seen with an ice pack on his arm.

A remarkable victory amid the wreckage

After a second restart, Fabio Di Giannantonio produced a stunning turnaround. Despite being struck by debris and crashing in the initial incident involving Marquez, the Italian rider recovered to win the race. It was his second career MotoGP victory and the first for the VR46 Racing Team since the Indian Grand Prix in 2023. Joan Mir finished second, with Fermin Aldeguer taking third.

The final results, however, were marked as provisional. Several riders, including podium finisher Joan Mir and Francesco Bagnaia, were under investigation for potential tyre pressure regulation infringements. Ai Ogura was penalised three seconds for an incident on the final lap, dropping him from fourth to ninth. The top ten finishers were: Fabio Di Giannantonio, Joan Mir, Fermin Aldeguer, Francesco Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo, Luca Marini, Brad Binder, Ai Ogura, and Diogo Moreira.

The chaotic race stood in stark contrast to the day before, when Alex Marquez won a thrilling Sprint race on Saturday, beating Pedro Acosta by just 0.041 seconds in one of the closest Sprint finishes in MotoGP history. Jorge Martin had crashed out of that Sprint race.