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Marquez and Zarco remain hospitalised after separate high-speed crashes caused two red flags during a chaotic and frightening Catalan Grand Prix.
(Credit: AFP)
It was utter chaos and destruction in Catalonia last night.
The Catalan Grand Prix descended into chaos on Sunday after two terrifying crashes involving Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco forced the race to be red-flagged twice.
Both riders remain in hospital after sustaining fractures in separate incidents during a dramatic afternoon at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Marquez’s Nightmarish Crash
The first major accident involved Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez, who suffered a violent high-speed crash after slamming into the back of Pedro Acosta’s KTM.
MOTO GP: Catalan Grand Prix with a huge crash involving Alex Márquez and Frenchman Johann Zarco, seriously affected 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/KnVas5ek38— Mustapha (@Mustapha_Must_) May 17, 2026
Acosta’s bike reportedly lost power unexpectedly while Marquez was chasing the race leader. With little time to react, the Spaniard collided heavily with the slowing KTM before veering toward the wall and cartwheeling violently through the gravel trap.
Marquez was immediately taken to hospital, where scans revealed a marginal fracture to a vertebra near his neck along with a fractured right collarbone.
The Spaniard later confirmed he would undergo surgery.
“Everything’s under control. I’m due to go into the operating theatre tonight, but I couldn’t be in better hands,” Marquez posted on X.
“Thank you all so much for your concern and for the kind messages I’ve been receiving.”
The crash capped off a cruel end to what had otherwise been another strong weekend for Marquez, who won Saturday’s sprint race and had also triumphed at last year’s Catalan Grand Prix.
Unfortunately, the chaos was far from over.
Restart Chaos Descend Upon Zarco
After the restart, LCR Honda rider Johann Zarco triggered another frightening collision at Turn 1 when he braked too late on the opening lap, taking out Francesco Bagnaia and Luca Marini in a three-bike pile-up.
Zarco tumbled across the gravel with his leg trapped against Bagnaia’s Ducati, while both Bagnaia and Marini immediately signalled for medical assistance.
The Frenchman later revealed the extent of his injuries on Instagram.
“It’s mainly the knee, the ligaments have snapped. But the femur isn’t broken,” Zarco explained.
“There’s a small fracture at the bottom of the fibula, on the outside of my left ankle.”
Despite avoiding more severe injuries, Zarco confirmed he would remain under observation in hospital overnight.
(with agency inputs)
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