Moto2 Qatar 2026: Holgado wins, Guevara retires, Gonzalez eyes the title

Dani Holgado makes the GP of Qatar his own in Moto2 at the end of a race that changes shape in the opening stages and is only decided in the closing laps. Alex Escrig, starting from pole position, tries immediately to set the pace and even manages to build up almost a second of advantage, but the race ignites behind him with the duels between Holgado, Dani Muñoz and David Alonso. The Spanish rider finds the decisive overtake on lap 14 and from there pulls away to almost two seconds clear.

Behind him, the podium remains up in the air until the very end. Ivan Ortola, after passing Alonso, closes in on Escrig and in the final stages puts him behind, with second and third decided by just 20 thousandths. Holgado thus takes his second win of the season, after the one achieved in Brazil, in a race that delivers another big result in the Losail night.

World Championship

The turning point in the title battle comes from Izan Guevara's retirement, forced to wave the white flag because of a technical problem a few laps from the finish. Rosario Triolo on Sky reported the explanation from the Pramac team: «the Spanish rider's bike switched off and would no longer change gear». The team clarified that, at the moment Guevara released the clutch, the engine started running again, but the problem had already appeared on the first lap.

Gonzalez takes advantage of his rival's mistake and crosses the line in sixth place, taking his margin in the standings to 13.5 points with 50 still available between Portimão and Valencia. The Spaniard will thus have the first chance to close out the world title in the Portuguese round: to do so, he will need to gain at least 12 points on Guevara.