Di Giannantonio injured his hand in a crash caused by a wheel from Marquez’s damaged bike, but recovered to secure his first MotoGP win in three years. | Photo Credit: AFP

Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio won a crash-hit Catalunya MotoGP on Sunday, with Alex Marquez taken to hospital after being thrown off his bike.

The race was red-flagged twice, first after Pedro Acosta’s bike cut out and Marquez made contact with him, leaving the Ducati-Gresini rider’s bike destroyed in a heavy crash.

At the first corner after the restart, French rider Johann Zarco crashed, forcing the race to be red-flagged again before it resumed with 12 laps remaining.

Acosta started on pole and led until Di Giannantonio took the lead with two laps remaining.

Joan Mir and Fermin Aldeguer also moved ahead of Acosta, who then crashed out shortly before the end after contact with Ai Ogura.

Race organisers said Mir, who finished second, and several other riders were under investigation for tyre pressure regulations. Aldeguer completed the podium.

Overall leader Marco Bezzecchi struggled through the weekend but extended his advantage after his closest contender, Jorge Martin, suffered his fifth crash of the weekend.

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Raul Fernandez took out Martin after attempting an aggressive move down the inside, leaving Bezzecchi, who finished sixth, 13 points clear.

Di Giannantonio hurt his hand in the first crash when the Italian was hit by a wheel from Marquez’s damaged bike, but recovered to claim his first MotoGP win in three years.

“I’m so happy. But first of all I was really worried about all the riders who crashed,” Di Giannantonio said.

“Today has not been an easy day for everybody. I really hope that Alex is fine. We’ve been really lucky.

“We know that our sport is amazing. We try to give an amazing show, we are humans, we are in danger.”

Alex Marquez, who won last year’s Catalan Grand Prix and Saturday’s sprint, was chasing leader Acosta when the accident happened.

Acosta lost speed because of a technical issue and Marquez hit his bike, veering off the track in a heavy crash before being taken to hospital.

Last weekend, Alex’s older brother Marc Marquez, the reigning champion, was injured after another heavy crash at Le Mans.

The second major incident involved Zarco, Luca Marini and Pecco Bagnaia, with Zarco taken by ambulance for medical checks.

Published on May 17, 2026