Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez leads the MotoGP world championship by 120 points heading into the summer break. His victory at the Czech Grand Prix last weekend was his eighth in 12 races.
Before the season, he was expected to engage in a title battle with teammate Francesco Bagnaia. Unfortunately for the neutrals, perhaps, Bagnaia has only been able to win one race.
Here, MotoGP News ranks every full-time rider on the grid from worst to best, based on their performances so far. There’s no place for the reigning world champion Jorge Martin, though, because he’s missed all but two events.
21. Somkiat Chantra, LCR Honda (Championship: 26th)
Somkiat Chantra’s position at the bottom of the ranking is clear-cut. He’s below numerous wildcard riders in the standings with only one point, and even that was effectively handed to him by Aleix Espargaro. Chantra could be out of MotoGP after just one season, having done little to prove he’s at the level required.
20. Miguel Oliveira, Pramac (Championship: 25th)
To be fair to Miguel Oliveira, he did miss out on seven events due to an injury that wasn’t his fault. But his performances when available simply haven’t been good enough, with just six points on the board. Oliveira is set to lose his Pramac seat despite having a contract because he hasn’t met a performance clause.
19. Alex Rins, Yamaha (Championship: 18th)
Alex Rins may not have fully recovered from the severe leg injury he sustained in 2023. But Rins’ Yamaha future is in doubt amid a brutal comparison with Fabio Quartararo – the Frenchman has more poles (four) than his teammate has Q2 appearances (three).
18. Enea Bastianini, Tech3 (Championship: 17th)
Enea Bastianini bagged a Sprint podium at the Czech Grand Prix last weekend, a commendable feat on his return from injuries. But his ranking reflects his first half-season as a whole, and he’s the lowest-ranking KTM rider by a considerable distance. Bastianini has only just confirmed he’ll honour his contract, such is his discomfort on the bike.
17. Brad Binder, KTM (Championship: 12th)
Speaking before the race at Brno, Brad Binder said he’d reached a turning point. He then qualified 19th, and while P8 in the race represented a solid fightback, he’s fallen far from the top-five heights of last year. Pedro Acosta leads the head-to-head 24-3 when both riders are classified.
16. Joan Mir, Honda (Championship: 19th)
16th may seem a little harsh on Joan Mir, who’s been among the unluckiest riders on the grid with eight DNFs. But it’s hard to put him much higher when he’s only scored 32 points – perhaps things will even out in the second half of the season.
15. Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse (Championship: 13th)
Raul Fernandez is currently heading in the right direction. A P5 in Brno matched the best result of his MotoGP career so far. He’s now on a run of five straight races in the top 10, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that he was outclassed by rookie teammate Ai Ogura before the Japanese rider’s injury. Keep this up, though, and Fernandez could be on for a top-10 berth by season’s end.
14. Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini (Championship: 10th)
Fermin Aldeguer has shown the inconsistency typical of a rookie. He’s already scored one Grand Prix podium and two in the Sprints, but he needs to start putting pressure on Alex Marquez more regularly. With 97 points, he’s detached from his fellow Ducati riders.
13. Luca Marini, Honda (Championship: 15th)
It’s emerged this week that Luca Marini has signed a new contract at Honda after Martin’s move was blocked. The Italian has done enough to deserve another year, with the highlight of his season a P6 in an attritional German Grand Prix as he returned from a scary testing crash.
12. Ai Ogura, Trackhouse (Championship: 16th)
The opposite to teammate Fernandez, Ogura has slipped down this table in recent rounds. The reigning Moto2 champion made a spectacular start with a P4 and a P5 in Buriram, but he’s in a rut right now, having qualified 19th or lower in each of the last four rounds. On balance, he’s still been the most impressive of the three rookies.
11. Jack Miller, Pramac (Championship: 14th)
Jack Miller has been one of the least predictable riders on the grid. Occasionally popping up in the top six, the veteran Australian also notched three straight DNFs earlier in the year. It’s averaged out at 14th in the standings, which makes him the second-best performing Yamaha. While he has the edge over Oliveira, Miller still faces competition for his Pramac seat after the arrival of Toprak Razgatlioglu.
10. Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati (Championship: 3rd)
Some would put Bagnaia further down the table, and it’s true that a 168-point gap to Marquez is far larger than he would have expected. But up against one of the greatest riders of all time, his performances have still been respectable – he’s the only other rider on the grid who’s won a race and bagged a pole position, with 12 podium finishes in total.
9. Franco Morbidelli, VR46 (Championship: 6th)
Franco Morbidelli missed the races in Germany and the Czech Republic after a crash that could have been an awful lot worse. It’s telling that there hasn’t been more noise about his future even though he’s approaching the end of his deal – he’s performed well enough to avoid major scrutiny.
8. Fabio di Giannantonio, VR46 (Championship: 5th)
In truth, the two VR46 riders could easily swap positions. And that reflects their close fight in the championship, with a fully-fit Fabio di Giannantonio just three points ahead. It’s difficult to gauge whether his GP25 is a meaningful upgrade on Morbidelli’s GP24 in the hands of a non-alien rider.
7. Maverick Vinales, KTM (Championship: 11th)
Many fans feel Maverick Vinales should be higher in the championship after he lost a popular podium at the Qatar GP due to the widely-loathed tyre pressure regulations. Still, Vinales picked up three top-five finishes before the first injury absence of his career, so he can be confident of winning with yet another manufacturer.
6. Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia (Championship: 4th)
Marco Bezzecchi is currently the lead non-Ducati in the championship, which automatically earns a high ranking. But it’s been difficult to gauge the strength of the RS-GP25 with Martin out, so the picture will be much clearer come the end of the season.
5. Pedro Acosta, KTM (Championship: 7th)
Pedro Acosta’s sophomore MotoGP season has arguably been underrated, perhaps because he’s complained about his bike so regularly. While he wanted to be winning races this year, Acosta had to wait until last weekend for his first podium. Still, with 124 points, he’s almost doubled the tally of the next-best KTM (Vinales), even though he remains somewhat accident-prone.
4. Johann Zarco, LCR Honda (Championship: 8th)
Johann Zarco’s momentum has rather faded in recent events, a front-row start in Germany aside. But his lofty ranking isn’t just based on one of the most memorable MotoGP victories of recent years. Honda’s best rider by a distance across the last five months, Zarco is unfortunate to miss out on a factory move for 2026.
3. Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha (Championship: 9th)
Quartararo has faced criticism for crashing in the races after starring in qualifying. Indeed, four of his eight starts from the front have ended in the gravel. But the 2021 world champion needs to override to have any chance against the Ducatis, which shows he’s effectively outperforming the bike over one lap. Is he the only rider who could take it to Marquez on equal machinery?
2. Alex Marquez, Gresini (Championship: 2nd)
Second in the championship, second in the ranking. Alex Marquez has ruled out winning the title after his first blank of the season in Brno, but that shouldn’t take the shine off his breakout season. With 17 podiums across the two disciplines (and finally a first Sunday win), he’s shown remarkable consistency and shocked the entire paddock.
1. Marc Marquez, Ducati
To put Marquez any lower would be an injustice. He’s beaten three times on pure pace in 24 races. Marquez will wrap up the title months before the end of the season, and it’s possible, perhaps even likely, that he breaks his own record for most wins in a single campaign (13).
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