The Catalan GP promises great emotions. The Circuit never disappoints and its mix of curves, in addition to its long straight, makes it a complicated territory where the perfect balance is needed. A balance that Aprilia has found and that can mean a gradual increase in the “heat” within the Italian box.
And if Marco Bezzecchi has been the strong man of the brand since the British GP last year, where he achieved his next victory, Jorge Martín has been getting closer and despite not having been as effective as him until Le Mans, he has made fewer mistakes and now both are separated by one point.
Taking into account the situation of the rest of the brands and drivers, the trend seems to indicate that the two of them are going to end up being the direct contenders for the title and although there have only been five GPs this season and counting Catalonia there are 17 left, the superiority seems evident. It is no longer about the points advantage that Di Giannantonio has, who is third, 44 points behind Bezzecchi and 43 behind Martín, it is that what is seen on each track they have visited is that they are far ahead of the rest. To this we must add that Ogura and Fernández are fifth and sixth overall, that is, Noale’s four bikes are among the six best.
Ducati continues to go through its particular ordeal. All of the brand’s drivers crashed after losing the front axle at some point during the French GP and the situation does not seem to improve. To this we must add the loss of the second Ducati rider in the classification for now, Marc Márquez, who is seventh. That fact speaks for itself.
And meanwhile, between Aprilia and Ducati, Acosta is still looking for his first victory with the KTM. Although there are brilliant moments, in the end there is always a need to finish and the shortcomings of the Austrian motorcycle compared to the Italian ones are patent.
We must not lose sight of Honda and Yamaha either. Although it is true that they are not at the level, especially Yamaha, it is also true that there are moments when they come to light. In the case of Honda, it is Joan Mir, without a doubt, who is most often seen in the front positions, but he is paying the price through crashes and, because of the last one in Le Mans, he will arrive in Catalonia with his hand damaged.
In the case of Yamaha, it is Fabio Quartararo who was able to come out on top in the home GP and the truth is that he attracted attention, because he was far ahead of the rest of the bikes in the three ranges. Is it a lack of motivation that makes Fabio not bother the top5 more often? It is a question that only the French can answer.
Where to watch the 2026 Catalan Grand Prix
For those who cannot come to Montmeló to enjoy the races live, this weekend the Grand Prix will be broadcast openly. On the one hand, DAZN will allow you to watch the entire GP without having to pay, you just have to register in its APP to be able to do so.
On the other we have the Mediaset channels, which will broadcast during the weekend first on Be Mad and Mediaset Infinity and then the races on Telecinco. Finally, as always, there is the MotoGP videopass which will continue to be paid as usual.
Schedules of the Grand Prix of Catalonia 2026
Friday, May 15
- 09:00-09:35 – Moto3™ – Free Practice
- 09:50-10:30 – Moto2™ – Free Practice
- 10:45-11:30 – MotoGP™ – Free Practice Nr. 1
- 13:15-13:50 – Moto3™ – Practice Nr. 1
- 14:05-14:45 – Moto2™ – Practice Nr. 1
- 15:00-16:00 – MotoGP™ – Practice
Saturday May 16
- 08:40-09:10 – Moto3™ – Practice Nr. 2
- 09:25-09:55 – Moto2™ – Practice Nr. 2
- 10:10-10:40 – MotoGP™ – Free Practice Nr. 2
- 10:50-11:05 – MotoGP™ – Qualifying Nr. 1
- 11:15-11:30 – MotoGP™ – Qualifying Nr. 2
- 12:50-13:05 – Moto3™ – Qualifying Nr. 1
- 13:15-13:30 – Moto3™ – Qualifying Nr. 2
- 13:45-14:00 – Moto2™ – Qualifying Nr. 1
- 14:10-14:25 – Moto2™ – Qualifying Nr. 2
- 15:00 – MotoGP™ – 12 laps – Sprint
Sunday May 17
- 09:40-09:50 – MotoGP™ – Warm Up
- 11:00 – Moto3™ – 18 laps – Race
- 12:15 – Moto2™ – 20 laps – Race
- 14:00 – MotoGP™ – 24 laps – Race
