Gresini confirms upcoming MotoGP races Alex Marquez will miss after horror crash

The Gresini Ducati MotoGP team has confirmed that Alex Marquez will miss the Italian and Hungarian Grands Prix following his horror crash at Barcelona.

The Gresini rider was involved in a horrible collision with KTM’s Pedro Acosta on lap 12 of last Sunday’s grand prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Acosta’s KTM suffered an electrical issue exiting Turn 9, which meant he lost power on the back straight, with Alex Marquez unable to react in time and avoid hitting the bike ahead.

Marquez speared off to the left of the circuit and was sent into a violent incident, and was taken to hospital for checks.

He suffered multiple fractures, and underwent surgery on the Sunday night, before being released on Monday.

Gresini has now confirmed that Marquez will sit out the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, as well as the Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park.

It has yet to be confirmed if he will miss any further races beyond that.

There has also been no word on who will replace him for those two rounds.

Gresini called up Ducati test rider Michele Pirro to fill in for Fermin Aldeguer at the season-opening Thai Grand Prix, while the Spaniard recovered from a femur injury.

This would be the most likely option, though it would depend on whether or not Marc Marquez is able to race at the Italian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion missed the French and Catalan rounds due to a foot fracture, with the Ducati rider also having surgery on his pre-existing shoulder injury.

Ducati didn’t replace Marc Marquez at the Catalan Grand Prix, but would be obliged to do so at Mugello.

Nicolo Bulega would not be available for the Mugello race due to a World Superbike clash with Aragon.

However, he could be an option for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

That said, with Bulega cruising to this year’s world title, having gone unbeaten so far in 2026, Ducati may be reluctant to risk this with a MotoGP outing.

One left-field option could be former Ducati rider Andrea Iannone, who will return to the MotoGP paddock from the Italian Grand Prix to compete in the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup.

Iannone last rode a MotoGP bike for VR46 at Sepang in 2024.