Podcast: Was MotoGP right to restart the Catalunya race after two huge crashes?

The 2026 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix was marred by two major incidents, though the decision to restart it has been questioned by some riders.

The race was halted on lap 12 of 24 following a sickening incident involving Pedro Acosta and Alex Marquez, after the former’s KTM lost power on the back straight.

Alex Marquez suffered several fractures in a violent crash, but has since had successful surgery and is due to return home on Monday afternoon.

The race was restarted over 13 laps initially, but was instantly red-flagged when Johann Zarco collided with Pecco Bagnaia and Luca Marini at the first corner.

Zarco escaped with minor injuries despite getting tangled up with Bagnaia’s Ducati. He is now at home in France.

The race was restarted for a second time and eventually won by VR46 Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, who raced despite being hit by a part of Marquez’s bike during the incident.

But a number of riders, including Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta, questioned the decision to go for a second restart after two huge crashes.

MotoGP has often displayed a ‘show must go on’ mentality, with the last race to be cancelled because of an incident happening in 2011 following Marco Simoncelli’s fatal crash at Sepang.

Organisers were criticised by riders for running a shortened Moto3 race in Malaysia last year, following the serious incident between Noah Dettwiler and Jose Antonio Rueda.

The events at Barcelona have once again reignited this debate, while also drawing attention to the lack of a riders’ union.

Recently, Pecco Bagnaia remarked that less riders turn up to safety commission meetings on race weekends now because they don’t feel like they are being listened to.

But, in turn, this has made it harder for them to have a united front on matters of safety.

In the latest Crash MotoGP Podcast, host Dre Harrison is joined by Lewis Duncan and Peter McLaren to discuss whether or not the Catalan Grand Prix should have been restarted.

They also discuss the lack of a riders’ union, as well as what safety changes need to be made to Barcelona’s Turn 1 following the tangle between Zarco, Bagnaia and Marini.

Aprilia’s nightmare weekend is also talked about, as it faces major questions about how it is managing its title aspirations in 2026.