MOTOGP RETURNS TO MUGELLO FOR ROUND SEVEN OF 2026
The MotoGP championship arrives at Mugello this weekend for the seventh round of the 2026 season. The famous Italian circuit, set in the Tuscan hills, is ready to welcome one of the most exciting races of the year.
This Italian Grand Prix feels even more important because Aprilia and Ducati are fighting at the front of the championship. Aprilia comes to Mugello with its two factory riders leading the standings. Marco Bezzecchi is still on top after winning three races this season, but he is still looking for his first MotoGP victory at Mugello.
Jorge Martin is second in the championship, 15 points behind his teammate. He will want to bounce back after a difficult weekend in Barcelona, where he crashed several times and had to go to hospital for checks. Luckily, he did not suffer any serious injuries.
Fabio Di Giannantonio is the first rider chasing the Aprilia pair. After winning in Catalonia, he is now 26 points behind the championship leader and has shown that he can be a real title contender. He is also the strongest Ducati rider at the moment.
Ducati has been very strong at Mugello for many years, but the Italian manufacturer arrives with some problems. Alex Marquez will not race because he is still recovering from injuries to his right collarbone and C7 vertebra after his crash in Barcelona, Michele Pirro will replace him. Marc Marquez is returning for at least FP1 after his heavy crash in the Sprint Race at Le Mans, he will then be evaluated by the medical staff.
Pecco Bagnaia is another rider to watch. He has been improving recently, but he hurt his wrist in the crash with Johann Zarco at the restart in Catalonia. Zarco will miss the race after injuring the ligaments in his left knee. He is expected to have surgery once the swelling goes down.
Pedro Acosta will also be looking for a strong result after crashing at the final corner in Barcelona following contact with Ai Ogura. Joan Mir will want to respond too, after losing what could have been Honda’s first podium of the season because of a tyre pressure penalty.
Yamaha could also be interesting at Mugello. The Italian track has been good to Yamaha in the past, and since 2017 it is the only brand to beat Ducati there, thanks to Fabio Quartararo’s victory in 2021 during his championship-winning season.
The circuit is 5.2 kilometres long and 14 metres wide. It has 15 corners, with nine right-handers and six left-handers. The longest straight is 1,141 metres, making top speed and braking very important.
The main MotoGP race on Sunday will be 23 laps, while the Sprint on Saturday will be 11 laps.
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