MotoGP: Horrific crash in Spain sent Alex Marquez into the wall and destroyed the bike

Spanish rider Alex Marquez was taken to hospital after a terrifying high-speed crash during the Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday 17 May. The incident, which red-flagged the race midway through the race, left Marquez with multiple injuries and his bike was completely destroyed on impact.

The crash occurred on the back straight of the circuit after race leader Pedro Acosta suddenly slowed due to a technical fault on the bike. Marquez, who was riding close behind at high speed, had no time to react and crashed into Acosta from behind.

The impact threw Marquez violently off the bike and into the barriers, while his bike flipped several times before disintegrating on the track. Debris from the crash was strewn around the circuit and also hit other drivers, including Fabio Di Giannantonio and Raul Fernandez.

NEWS | standard CRASH involving Alex Mrquez racing the Barcelona Moto GP.

The race was stopped and the red flag was waved. pic.twitter.com/EQsbu3VTrC— Cerfia (@CerfiaFR) May 17, 2026

Trackside medical staff attended to Márquez immediately before he was taken by ambulance to hospital for further examination. According to his team, the Spanish rider suffered a fractured right collarbone and a vertebra injury. Marquez was scheduled to undergo surgery to stabilize his collarbone on Sunday, with further medical tests expected next week.

Despite the severity of the accident, Spanish media reports said Marquez’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.

The chaos at the Catalan Grand Prix did not end there. Another big crash during the restart led to a second red flag after Johann Zarco tangled with another bike in a scary incident.

Zarco’s leg reportedly caught on the back of another rider’s motorcycle as both motorcycles overturned across the track. The French rider was initially taken to the circuit’s medical center and was later taken to hospital for further examination.

A very serious accident at the Catalunya Grand Prix at the start between Joan Miro, Pecco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco, the most injured, after spinning several times with his leg hooked on Pecco’s bike.#Catalan GP #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/sEltXTg9CC— hsb0905 (@hsb0905) May 17, 2026

The race eventually resumed after long delays and Di Giannantonio recovered from the previous incident to return to the grid and take victory in the Catalunya Grand Prix.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

17 May 2026 23:41 IST