Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin holds a narrow lead at the top of the MotoGP standings, with the top five being separated by just 24 points heading into the summer break.
With defending champion Marc Marquez struggling in the opening rounds through injury, Aprilia pounced and showed their improvements. Collecting four wins from the first seven races, Marco Bezzecchi looked in complete control.
Here’s how we think the MotoGP standings will look at the end of the season. What would you change?
However, a string of poor mistakes and results has brought everyone back into the mix. Martin has the advantage over Bezzecchi, but the Trackhouse Aprilias are getting the better of the factory team, while Marquez is back fit and fully firing, with three wins from the last four races.
It is all to play for up and down the field in MotoGP. With that said, MotoGP News has assessed and ranked every rider’s first half of the season – there is no place for Cal Crutchlow on this ranking, as it will only feature the 22 full-time riders.
22 Maverick Vinales – Tech3 (Championship position: 22nd)
Injury woes and public outbursts; Maverick Vinales has had a disastrous 2026. Fitness issues have hampered him, but his performances have been below standard since returning, and his comments towards KTM will not help his situation as he looks set to bow out of MotoGP.
21 Franco Morbidelli – VR46 (Championship position: 16th)
Franco Morbidelli looks lost on the GP25, the bike that gave Ducati so many problems last season. With 46 points, he is miles behind every other Ducati rider, and looks to be leaving VR46 and the sport with a whimper.
20 Jack Miller – Pramac (Championship position: 20th)
Yamaha’s woes have been well-documented in 2026, and Jack Miller is a rider that has lost motivation on the YZR-M1. A strong ride to P8 in Hungary is overshadowed by his struggles to extract anything from the bike – another rider who knows his MotoGP career is at its end.
How would Jack Miller perform on Marc Marquez’s Ducati in 2026?
19 Alex Rins – Yamaha (Championship position: 19th)
Miller’s situation is almost the same as Alex Rins at Yamaha, but his results have been slightly better. That being said, he is still struggling at the back of the grid, having only finished in the top 10 once this season.
18 Johann Zarco – LCR (Championship position: 17th)
It seems harsh to rank Johann Zarco this low, considering he has missed the last five races after his horror crash in Barcelona. But the LCR rider has been struggling for pace on the RC213V – everyone hopes to see him back on the grid soon.
17 Joan Mir – Honda (Championship position: 18th)
On his day, Joan Mir is undoubtedly the fastest Honda rider, but that day is not often thanks to his persistent crash-proneness. The Spaniard has finished just four races this season, but his potential is there, evidenced by P5 at Brno.
16 Brad Binder – KTM (Championship position: 13th)
It has been another miserable season for Brad Binder at KTM, who continues to struggle for consistency on the RC16. The South African is a regular in the points, but he is nowhere near the pace of his teammate – his MotoGP exit also looks all but confirmed.
15 Toprak Razgatlioglu – Pramac (Championship position: 21st)
12 points from the first 11 races does not look good on paper, but factoring in that it is his rookie season, Toprak Razgatlioglu has performed well. The Yamaha is a poor package, but he is doing the most with the tools he has been given at Pramac for his debut year.
What grade would you give Toprak Razgatlioglu after the first half of his rookie season?
14 Enea Bastianini – Tech3 (Championship position: 12th)
Enea Bastianini does look more comfortable on the KTM this year compared to 2025. The Tech3 rider regularly breaks into the top 10 and is the closest to challenging Pedro Acosta, but he, Binder and Vinales are still miles away.
13 Fermin Aldeguer – Gresini (Championship position: 11th)
Injuries have destroyed Fermin Aldeguer’s season, with the Spaniard missing pre-season and suffering another long-term injury after his crash at Assen. But the Gresini rider has still produced some great results while not being 100% fit – P2 in Barcelona should not go unnoticed.
12 Diogo Moreira – LCR (Championship position: 15th)
Diogo Moreira has looked strong in his rookie season with LCR. His potential is clear to see with some strong points finishes and is edging closer to regularly breaking into the top 10 – it is no wonder that Honda are considering promoting him.
11 Luca Marini – Honda (Championship position: 10th)
Luca Marini remains the only rider to have finished in the points in every Grand Prix thus far. His consistency is admirable, but the Italian is perhaps lacking the pace of his crash-prone teammate to challenge for a podium.
10 Fabio Quartararo – Yamaha (Championship position: 14th)
It should come as no surprise, but Fabio Quartararo has continued to outperform the underwhelming machinery Yamaha have given him. He will not put up with it much longer as he joins Honda in 2027, but his recent results show the Iwata outfit are making progress.
9 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati (Championship position: 8th)
It is difficult to tell where Francesco Bagnaia is truly at with Ducati. Four consecutive P3 finishes mixed with inconsistency, crashes and a continued lack of feeling from the bike leave the Italian seemingly out of the title picture for the second year running.
8 Alex Marquez – Gresini (Championship position: 9th)
Like teammate Aldeguer, injuries have plagued Alex Marquez in 2026, but despite his horror accident in Barcelona, his performances have been admirable. His pace at the Sachsenring was impressive, and his win at Jerez should not be forgotten in what has been a tough year.
7 Raul Fernandez – Trackhouse (Championship position: 6th)
Raul Fernandez is starting to show the results everyone thought he was capable of from his Moto2 days. Two Sprint wins and three podiums have given him an outside chance at the title, but he has been largely outperformed by his Trackhouse teammate.
Here’s how the teammate battles look halfway through the MotoGP season. What stands out? 🆚
The table shows the points scored by each rider
6 Marco Bezzecchi – Aprilia (Championship position: 4th)
This seems like a harsh rating for Bezzecchi, but after looking so comfortable in the opening rounds, his momentum has completely collapsed. Four non-points finishes in a row, including a suspension at Brno, have hampered his title chances – the pressure is getting to him.
5 Pedro Acosta – KTM (Championship position: 7th)
Pedro Acosta continues to override his RC16 into positions that it has no right to be in. KTM’s major technical problems have cost him dearly, but the Spaniard is always a constant threat to the frontrunners, even if his bike does not let him beat them.
4 Jorge Martin – Aprilia (Championship position: 1st)
The championship leader has gained momentum from Bezzecchi’s failures, but some slight inconsistency could prove costly. With Trackhouse getting the better of Aprilia and Ducati starting to come back, Martin is under huge pressure to maintain his advantage.
3 Marc Marquez – Ducati (Championship position: 3rd)
If it were not for his stressful start to the season, with multiple injury concerns and setbacks, Marc Marquez might have run away with the lead by now. Turning a 102-point deficit into 18 points since Mugello is an outstanding effort, and it makes him arguably the favourite for the title.
2 Fabio Di Giannantonio – VR46 (Championship position: 5th)
Before the German GP, Fabio Di Giannantonio was Ducati’s top rider throughout the season, and not many would have expected the VR46 rider to be so strong in 2026. He may have fallen slightly behind the Aprilias in recent weeks, but Diggia should be taken seriously in the title fight.
1 Ai Ogura – Trackhouse (Championship position: 2nd)
No one would have expected Ai Ogura to be a title contender in 2026, but the Japanese rider has displayed extraordinary pace. With one win and four podiums, the Trackhouse rider is a serious threat – he is absolutely right to get himself a 10 out of 10 for the first half of the year.
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