The Catalan Grand Prix arrives under an unusual cloud: Marc Márquez will not take start.
The defending world champion has been ruled out of both Le Mans and Barcelona as he continues recovery from injury and further surgery, leaving the home crowd without its most iconic figure.
With Márquez sidelined, the complexion of the weekend — and possibly the championship — has dramatically changed.
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CHAMPIONSHIP CONTEXT
Aprilia appear to arrive in Barcelona at the peak of their 2026 form. Jorge MartÃn’s dominant double victory at Le Mans, alongside Marco Bezzecchi’s consistent podium finishes, has underlined the RS‑GP’s strength on flowing, high‑load circuits like Catalunya.
With Ducati missing their talisman, Aprilia sense a decisive opportunity to assert control in the title fight.
THE CIRCUIT
Because of its balanced layout and technical demands, Catalunya is often seen as a reference circuit in MotoGP.
Performance here tends to reflect a bike’s true competitiveness rather than one‑off strengths.
It has produced: tactical, tyre‑management masterclasses, late‑race overtakes and dramatic collapses, key momentum swings in title fights.
CALENDAR 2026 (all times CAT, GMT+2)
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Catalunya GP (Circuit de Barcelona), 17 May
Friday, 15 May. SS Motorsport, Maximo 1
Practice 1: 10:40am
Saturday, 16 May. SS Motorsport, Maximo 1
Practice 2: 10am
Qualifying: 10:40am
Sprint: 14:55pm
Sunday: 17 May. SS Motorsport, Grandstand
Race: 1:55pm
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UPCOMING RACES
Qatar GP (Lusail), 12 April (postponed)
Italian GP (Mugello), 31 May
Hungarian GP (Balaton Park) 7 June
Czech GP (Brno), 21 June
Dutch TT (Assen), 28 June
German GP (Sachsenring) 12 July
British GP (Silverstone), 9 August
Aragon GP (MotorLand Aragón), 30 Aug
San Marino GP (Misano), 13 Sept
Austrian GP (Spielberg), 20 Sept
Japanese GP (Motegi), 4 Oct
Indonesian GP (Mandalika), 11 Oct
Australian GP (Phillip Island), 25 Oct
Malaysian GP (Sepang), 1 Nov
Portuguese GP (Portimão), 15 Nov
Valencia GP (Circuit Ricardo Tormo), 22 Nov
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COMPLETED RACES
1. THAILAND - 1 March
2. BRAZIL - 22 March
3. UNITED STATES GP - 29 March
4. SPANISH GP - 26 April
5. FRENCH GP - 10 May
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TEAMS & RIDERS
Ducati Lenovo — Marc Márquez, Francesco Bagnaia
Aprilia Racing — Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi
Gresini Ducati — Alex Márquez, Fermin Aldeguer
VR46 Ducati — Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Di Giannantonio
KTM Factory — Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder
Tech3 KTM — Maverick Viñales, Enea Bastianini
Yamaha Factory (V4 debut) — Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins
Honda HRC — Joan Mir, Luca Marini
LCR Honda — Johann Zarco, Diogo Moreira
Trackhouse Aprilia — Raul Fernandez, Ai Ogura