MotoGP alarm: why have all the top riders ended up in the medical center?

A MotoGP season of 22 Grands Prix (presumably 21 with the imminent cancellation of the Lusail event), 44 starts with Sprints and “long” races plus practice and tests, is becoming something unsustainable for riders and staff.

The recent left-hand injury to Ai Ogura, sustained during a training session on the eve of the Aragon Grand Prix, highlights an astonishing fact. The current top 9 riders in the standings have all, every single one of them, had to deal with physical issues during 2026 and ended up in the medical center.

First in the standings, first also in the infirmary. Chronologically, Jorge Martin kicked off this unfortunate sequence of events by having to miss February’s tests following double surgery on the scaphoid and right collarbone in December 2025. Second in the championship, Marco Bezzecchi also recently suffered a displaced fracture of the left collarbone after his Sachsenring crash, combined with a deep wound to his left knee. Then there’s Ai Ogura, KO and forced to withdraw from Aragon due to a fracture near the left thumb.

This unhappy list also includes Marc Marquez (foot fracture at Le Mans and surgery on the right shoulder as well for the well-known issue lingering since Mandalika 2025), Fabio Di Giannantonio (left-hand pinky KO in the terrifying Barcelona smash), and, sixth in the championship, Raul Fernandez, who is still dealing with a troublesome shoulder. Pedro Acosta underwent surgery after Assen to address carpal tunnel syndrome, while during the first summer break Pecco Bagnaia had a double procedure (compartment syndrome and, in turn, carpal tunnel). For Alex Marquez, ninth overall, to round out this roster of nine banged-up riders in 2026, the frightening Barcelona crash resulted in a right collarbone fracture and a marginal fracture of the C7 vertebra. In effect, “Every man for himself” is, alas, becoming MotoGP’s new catchphrase...

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