MARC MARQUEZ EYES ARAGON TITLE RESPONSE AS ZARCO AND ALDEGUER RETURN FOR 2026 GRAND PRIX

MotorLand Aragon hosts the 2026 MotoGP weekend on August 28-30, with the championship picture tightening as Marc Marquez looks to respond to his recent struggles and close the gap to Jorge Martin. Heading into round 13, Martin leads the riders’ standings by 31 points over his works Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi, after a near-perfect run at Silverstone. The Madrid native took pole, won the Sprint, and then finished second in the Grand Prix after a rear ride-height device issue forced him to fight back from the early stages.

Marquez, by contrast, had a weekend to forget at the British GP. Extreme tyre wear cost him dearly, with the reigning champion losing 22 points to Martin. Yet Aragon is widely seen as a circuit where Marquez can turn momentum quickly. MotorLand Aragon has produced a remarkable record for him: he has won the MotoGP Aragon GP a record seven times, and his overall tally at the venue stands at eight MotoGP wins from eight career victories at the circuit. He also won Moto2 at Aragon in 2011 before moving through his dominant years on Honda and Ducati. The track’s counter-clockwise layout is also a key factor, with Marquez particularly strong in left-hand corners—an advantage that makes him the clear favourite heading into the weekend, even if the bigger question is who can prevent him from adding another win.

The weekend’s storylines extend beyond the title fight. LCR Honda are set to welcome Johann Zarco back for the first time since the Catalan Grand Prix, where he suffered serious anterior and posterior cruciate ligament injuries along with meniscus damage after his leg got stuck in Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati. Zarco has been sidelined for the past six rounds, and his return at Aragon is conditional on passing a late fitness test this Thursday, with LCR confirming he has exceeded expectations in his recovery timeline. The team also noted that the comeback will not be straightforward: Zarco must serve a double long-lap penalty for causing a crash with Bagnaia and Honda’s Luca Marini.

Gresini will also see Fermin Aldeguer return at Aragon. He has missed the last three rounds after withdrawing from the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen in June due to a T7 vertebra fracture suffered during practice in the Netherlands. His return adds another layer of intrigue to a weekend that already features a championship battle at the front.

Elsewhere on the grid, Tech3 will be without Maverick Vinales. KTM have announced that test rider Pol Espargaro will deputise at Aragon because Vinales is still recovering from a shoulder injury. The report states that Vinales has ruled out surgery and is instead targeting a return at Misano for the San Marino Grand Prix, scheduled for September 11-13.

Weather is another factor at Aragon, with the region under a yellow warning due to extremely high temperatures. Conditions are expected to cool slightly by the time MotoGP riders arrive. Friday’s forecast has temperatures around 24°C for FP1, rising to about 29°C for timed practice, with wind speeds forecast at roughly 8-9 mph. Saturday morning’s FP2 is expected to be cooler, with highs around 21°C and lighter wind near 3 mph, before temperatures climb again for qualifying (around 24°C) and the Sprint Race (around 31°C). A daily high of 32°C is forecast shortly after the Sprint ends. Sunday’s warm-up is expected to be around 20°C before temperatures rise toward roughly 32°C for the Aragon Grand Prix itself, which should finish before the day’s peak of about 34°C.

For fans in the UK, TNT Sports will broadcast the event live, with Quest airing a replay of the Sprint Race shortly after the chequered flag. Free highlights of qualifying, the Sprint, and the Grand Prix are also available via the official MotoGP and TNT Sports YouTube channels.

The 2026 schedule begins with FP1 on August 28 at 10:45 local time (09:45 UK), followed by timed practice at 15:00 local (14:00 UK). Saturday features FP2 at 10:10 local (09:10 UK), qualifying at 10:50 local (09:50 UK), and the Sprint at 15:00 local. On Sunday, warm-up runs at 09:40 local (08:40 UK) before the Aragon Grand Prix starts at 14:00 local.

Looking back to the last time MotoGP raced at MotorLand Aragon in 2025, Marquez delivered a record-extending eighth Aragon GP win and seventh in MotoGP alone. His victory also marked back-to-back wins at the circuit, following his maiden Ducati triumph in 2024. Since the race joined the calendar in 2010, only a handful of riders have also managed to win at Aragon in the premier class—among them Alex Rins, Francesco Bagnaia, and Enea Bastianini—while Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, and Jorge Lorenzo are the other previous winners since 2010.