Grand Prix Brazil Sprint recap: Marc Marquez victorious in Goiania, securing his first victory for Ducati in 2026 after chaotic day in Brazil

It has been a chaotic day in Goiania with a sinkhole on the track delaying the Sprint race by an hour and 20 minutes.

Marc Marquez emerged as the victor through the confusion, winning his first race since Japan last season.

He led a Ducati 1-2 with Fabio Di Giannantonio coming home in second place for VR46 with a steady Sprint performance.

It was an emotional day for Jorge Martin, who made it to the podium for the first time since back-to-back injuries plagued his title defence last year.

Pedro Acosta remains at the top of the drivers' standings after securing a ninth-place finish this evening.

It was a glorious day for Marc Marquez, who found himself in the lead of a chaotic Sprint race. He claimed his first win of the season at Goiania.

Marquez said: "Yeah, I mean it's an important victory.

"Super important victory, especially because, as you know, in Thailand, I was suffering.

"Here, I feel already a step ahead.

"But I'm still not riding as I want, but I will just keep pushing.

"This is the key in life, and we will try tomorrow to fight again with DiGi and Fabio who are super fast."

The polesitter launched off the line with a great start and held the lead of the Sprint race until the final two laps, where he lost the victory to Marc Marquez.

Di Giannantonio said: "I think today, the conditions were a bit different, especially compared to this morning.

"In two corners, there was less grip compared to the rest of the day, and there, in the same corner, I made two mistakes and I ruined my race.

"Let's say I raised my chance to fight back Marc.

"I think we have to be super happy with second place, super close to Marc.

"So let's give it another go tomorrow."

Aprilia rider Jorge Martin gained two positions in the Sprint to claim his first emphatic podium finish since his title-winning campaign in 2024. He finished in third place at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna.

Martin said: "I'm really, really happy.

"Thanks to all the people who helped me arrive here. It's been a tough journey.

"Two months ago, I couldn't eat - my girlfriend was feeding me.

"Now I'm here, so yeah, thank you.

"I hope that we continue improving."

It was a brilliant day for Ducati despite delays and doubts, with Marc Marquez back on the top step of the podium. Fabio Di Giannantonio settled for a second-place finish at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna, after a slip-up in the closing stages of the Sprint saw Marquez snatch his lead.

Jorge Martin will be elated to score his first podium finish since his championship victory in 2024, with a third-place finish in Goiânia.

1. Marc Marquez

2. Fabio Di Giannantonio

3. Jorge Martin

4. Marco Bezzecchi

5. Ai Ogura

6. Fabio Quartararo

7. Alex Marquez

8. Francesco Bagnaia

9. Pedro Acosta

10. Diogo Moreira

11. Luca Marini

12. Raul Fernandez

The reigning champion is victorious once again, snatching the lead from polesitter Fabio Di Giannantonio in the closing stages of the Sprint race. It is Marc Marquez's first win of the season.

In a shocking move, Fabio di Giannantonio made a slight mistake on Lap 13, running wide in Sector 2. This allowed Marc Marquez to usurp the lead from the VR46 rider, but Marquez has yet to pull away.

Heading into the final lap of the Sprint, Marc Marquez holds the lead but DiGi is awfully close to the rear of the Ducati.

Marc Marquez may have to settle for second place as Fabio Di Giannantonio is riding into the sunset in Brazil. Although Marquez has managed to cut his lead down to just 0.2s, DiGi gains the time back in the final sector.

Maverick Vinales has also crashed out of the Brazil Sprint race, which tallies our lost riders up to just three in what we thought would be a much more chaotic race.

This is the driest the conditions have been at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna so far this weekend, with track temperatures heating up and ridding the pack of some of those wet splotches.

A battle has unfolded on Lap 10 between Pedro Acosta and Francesco Bagnaia, with Acosta lunging down the inside of the Ducati. He briefly held P8, but Bagnaia snatched it right back just a corner later.

At the front of the pack, Marc Marquez knocked off another tenth on Fabio Di Giannantonio's race-leading pace. It may not, however, be enough to knock DiGi off the top step. The VR46 rider has been impeccable so far in the Sprint, confident and comfortable at the front of the pack.

Home hero Diogo Moreira is running in 10th place at his home circuit at Goiânia, hoping to score points in front of a very passionate Brazilian crowd.

Reigning champion Marc Marquez has started to gain some time on the race leader Fabio Di Giannantonio on Lap 7. The Ducati rider is all over the back of DiGi, who has set the fastest lap of the race.

Behind, the Aprilia duo of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin seem to be following each other around the circuit. They look for a scrap towards the closing stages of the race, but trade positions on Lap 7. Martin sits in the top three by the start of Lap 8, but is vulnerable to the speedy Fabio Quartararo who is picking up the pace.

Johann Zarco crashed out of the race at Turn 1 on Lap 8, but has safely walked away from the track. There are many riders who have ran wide on that corner, including Franco Morbidelli.

Fabio Di Giannantonio held onto the lead of the race on Lap 4, pulling 1s away from Marc Marquez who looks to secure his first win of the season. Both riders are running much quicker than the rest of the pack, but neither are looking comfortable on their bikes.

Track conditions at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna have been tricky, with damp patches still littered across the circuit.

After the wobble, Fabio Quartararo found himself in fifth place, battling with Ai Ogura for the position. Behind is Alex Marquez, who gained a position and tails the duo.

It was a decent start for Francesco Bagnaia, who gained two positions on the start. The riders are in a tricky position as they essentially can't use the entire track due to the risks of the sinkhole.

Joan Mir crashed in Sector 2 on the second lap of the race, while Fabio Quartararo locked up the rear of his Yamaha on Lap 3, in the same spot that caught Marc Marquez out earlier.

The polesitter Fabio Di Giannantonio got off to a good start, running wide to block the path of Marc Marquez, who jumped Marco Bezzecchi off the line. Behind, Fermin Aldeguer jolted right before he even left the grid, but was able to get racing.

Both Aprilia riders have slotted in fourth and fifth on the opening lap, with Bezzecchi losing out to Fabio Quartararo.

The riders have set out on the warm up lap (finally)!

1. Fabio Di Giannantonio

2. Marco Bezzecchi

3. Marc Marquez

4. Fabio Quartararo

5. Jorge Martin

6. Ai Ogura

7. Fermin Aldeguer

8. Alex Marquez

9. Pedro Acosta

10. Johann Zarco

Despite a sinkhole opening up on the surface of the main straight, racing is set to go ahead with a 15-lap shoot-out to follow shortly.

The riders have lined up on the grid, and all seems to be normal.

Stay tuned for an interesting race, with an all-new feature added to the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna. No other track has a hole in the ground!

It has been a very interesting day in Goiânia so far, with a sinkhole proving to be an insane plot point in the Brazil Grand Prix.

Gresini Team Manager Michele Masini commented on the state of the track, and Gresini’s prospects if we get racing this evening.

Masini said: ”I think that the priority for everyone, also for the championship, is the safety of the rider, of course.

”It is not our ideal start, starting from the third row, but I think that we could manage a sprint race to stay in the top five at least today.

”I cannot ask them for more. We have to see, because now he's coming from the worst part of the weekend, so putting on a lot of laps on the sprint, a lot of laps tomorrow on the race should help.

”So I think that the priority is the physical condition, and we will see during the race.”

The pitlane is open after an hour delay due to a sinkhole on the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna. Some riders are on the track, on a sighting lap to ensure the safety of the circuit.

21-year-old Diogo Moreira scored his first points as a MotoGP rider on his debut race in Thailand, and is hoping to impress on home soil. He managed to qualify in 13th place in Buriram, and retained that position during the Grand Prix to score his first three points in the premier class.

Moreira is a decorated rider in the rookie class this year, having won the 2025 Moto2 championship with four wins and nine podiums. The young Brazilian is racing for Pro Honda LCR, partnered with Johann Zarco for the 2026 season. He is the only rider on the grid who has experience racing in Goiânia, and looks to use that as an advantage.