The best MotoGP riders of 2026, after the Japanese Grand Prix on 4 October, are Jorge Martín (Aprilia, 333 points) and Marc Márquez (Ducati, 331), separated by two points with six races still to run. Behind them are Marco Bezzecchi (284), Pedro Acosta (243), Ai Ogura (237), Fabio Di Giannantonio (230), Raúl Fernández (216), Francesco Bagnaia (164), Álex Márquez (158) and Fermín Aldeguer (122).
Updated in October 2026, standings after the Japanese Grand Prix.
On 28 September 2025, at Motegi, Marc Márquez took his seventh premier-class title, the ninth world championship of his career. A year later, at the same circuit, he won the race and found himself two points behind Jorge Martín, with the championship returning to the track in Indonesia on 11 October. Two riders, two different factories (Aprilia and Ducati), two points apart: the title will be decided in the last six races. For anyone watching MotoGP from the sponsor’s side, this is also the season in which the rider market has moved more than usual: almost the entire 2027 grid is already settled, and more than one name in the top ten is changing team. Here you will find the standings, who the ten riders are, and what it means for those who sponsor.
The 2026 MotoGP standings after the Japanese Grand Prix
These are the official rider standings after the sixteenth of twenty-two rounds. The criterion for this list is points: “best” here means who is achieving the most on track in 2026. Below, for each rider, you will also find what they are worth to a sponsor.
| Pos. | Rider | 2026 team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jorge Martín | Aprilia Racing | 333 |
| 2 | Marc Márquez | Ducati Lenovo Team | 331 |
| 3 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | 284 |
| 4 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM | 243 |
| 5 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse Aprilia | 237 |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | Pertamina VR46 Ducati | 230 |
| 7 | Raúl Fernández | Trackhouse Aprilia | 216 |
| 8 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo Team | 164 |
| 9 | Álex Márquez | BK8 Gresini Ducati | 158 |
| 10 | Fermín Aldeguer | BK8 Gresini Ducati | 122 |
Six Grands Prix remain: Indonesia (11 October), Australia (25 October), Malaysia (1 November), Qatar (8 November), Portugal (22 November) and Valencia (29 November). The dates and the rest of the season are in the 2026 MotoGP calendar. For historical context, the list of the 10 best MotoGP riders of all time sets this grid beside the names that made the history of the premier class.
The ten riders, one by one
1. Jorge Martín (Aprilia): the 2024 champion is back in front
Martín won the 2024 World Championship and leads the 2026 standings by two points, having retaken the lead in mid-September. At Motegi he finished second behind Márquez. From 2027 he will ride for Yamaha, on a contract running to the end of 2028: a fact that weighs on his commercial value, because a sponsor who links him with Aprilia today will have to decide whether to follow him to the new team, in the year the rules change.
2. Marc Márquez (Ducati): seven titles, and another title chase
Márquez won the Japanese Grand Prix and is on 331 points. With seven premier-class titles, one fewer than Giacomo Agostini’s record, he is the rider around whom the championship’s narrative turns. He has renewed with Ducati until 2028, which makes him the most stable profile on the grid for a brand looking for continuity in a face.
3. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia): the third man in the title fight
Bezzecchi is third on 284 points, 49 behind Martín, and was on the podium at Motegi. He has a multi-year contract with Aprilia, where from 2027 his team-mate will be Francesco Bagnaia. For an Italian sponsor he is one of the most solid profiles: the lead rider of the home-country team, with a technical project that is not changing.
4. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM): the future is already Ducati
Acosta, Moto3 champion in 2021 and Moto2 champion in 2023, is fourth on 243 points. From 2027 he will move to the factory Ducati team on a contract to the end of 2028, alongside Márquez and in place of Bagnaia: the announcement came on 24 June 2026. It is the clearest case of a rider whose commercial value grows before he has even changed bike.
5. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia): the first Japanese win in 22 years
Ogura, the 2024 Moto2 world champion, won the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen on 28 June 2026: his first MotoGP victory and the first by a Japanese rider in 22 years. From 2027 he will ride for Yamaha, alongside Martín, until the end of 2028. For brands with interests in Japan and Asia, he is today the most interesting name on the whole grid.
6. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina VR46 Ducati): from VR46 to KTM
Di Giannantonio is sixth on 230 points. From 2027 he moves to the factory KTM team, and his departure closes a cycle in the team tied to Valentino Rossi: how that brand works, and why it carries weight off the track, is told in VR46 sponsorship: is the Doctor still bigger than MotoGP?
7. Raúl Fernández (Trackhouse Aprilia): the American project grows
Fernández is seventh on 216 points and has a contract with Trackhouse to the end of 2028. At Assen, in June, the American team scored its first one-two in a Grand Prix, with Ogura first and Fernández second. From 2027 his team-mate will be Enea Bastianini.
8. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati): two titles, a new project
Bagnaia, champion in 2022 and 2023, is eighth on 164 points. From 2027 he will ride for Aprilia on a four-year contract, leaving his place at Ducati to Acosta. For a brand looking for a recognisable Italian face, he is a rider with a story already written and a new stage.
9. Álex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Ducati): from Gresini to KTM
Álex Márquez is ninth on 158 points. From 2027 he will ride for KTM, the same team Di Giannantonio is joining. The Márquez family remains a case of its own in the paddock: two brothers, two different teams, a surname that draws attention everywhere.
10. Fermín Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Ducati): at VR46 in 2027
Aldeguer, tenth on 122 points, will move to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team for 2027 and 2028. He therefore changes environment after his season at Gresini, and for a sponsor the question is where he will take his name in 2027.
The 2027 rider market: who is changing team
The 2027 grid is already almost complete, and it is the most shuffled in years. These are the official moves among the top ten:
- Pedro Acosta moves from KTM to the factory Ducati team;
- Francesco Bagnaia moves from Ducati to Aprilia, alongside Bezzecchi;
- Jorge Martín moves from Aprilia to Yamaha, together with Ai Ogura;
- Fabio Di Giannantonio and Álex Márquez go to KTM;
- Fermín Aldeguer goes to the VR46 team;
- Fabio Quartararo, outside the top ten, goes to Honda.
2027 is also the year the rules change: the bikes go from 1,000 to 850 cc and the single tyre supplier changes from Michelin to Pirelli, on a five-year contract. Anyone choosing a rider today must therefore look not only at where he races in 2026, but also at where he will race in the year the hierarchy between the factories could change.
What it means for those who sponsor a rider
The standings say who is winning, but they are not enough to choose by. Sponsoring a rider is one of the most personal types of sports sponsorship: it ties a brand to a person’s story, and in 2027 that story changes for almost everyone on this list. Three questions help.
- Where does he race next year? A multi-year contract with a rider who changes team follows the rider, not the bike: it must be decided before the announcement, not after.
- What audience does he bring? Márquez brings the broadest audience, Ogura opens Japan, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia speak to the Italian market, Acosta and Aldeguer to those who want to build over time.
- What is there beyond the logo? Without activation, the presence stays a sticker: content, hospitality and meetings are what turn the rider’s name into a result, as we explain in sports sponsorship activation.
For the budget picture there is the guide to MotoGP sponsorship costs, to work out which rider suits your brand MotoGP 2026: which rider should you sponsor?, and to see who is already on track there is the analysis of the most famous brands in MotoGP sponsorship. To build a rider sponsorship plan you can start with RTR Sports Marketing, the best MotoGP sponsorship agency.
RTR Sports Marketing has been building motorsport sponsorships since 1995.
Sources: Crash.net, 2026 standings after Motegi; SuperSport, 2026 results and standings; MotoGP.com, 2026 calendar; MotoGP.com, the 2027 rider line-up; GPblog, the complete 2027 grid; Crash.net, Acosta to Ducati; Autosport, Acosta signs for Ducati; Crash.net, Márquez 2025 champion; Al Jazeera, Márquez’s title at Motegi; Motor Sport Magazine, Ogura wins at Assen; BusinessDay, Ogura’s historic win; MotoGP.com, Pirelli from 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the best MotoGP riders in 2026?
After the Japanese Grand Prix, Jorge Martín (Aprilia, 333 points) and Marc Márquez (Ducati, 331) lead, separated by two points. Bezzecchi, Acosta, Ogura, Di Giannantonio, Fernández, Bagnaia, Álex Márquez and Aldeguer follow.
How many races are left in the 2026 MotoGP championship?
Six: Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Qatar, Portugal and Valencia. The last is on 29 November.
Where will MotoGP riders race in 2027?
Acosta will be at Ducati with Márquez, Bagnaia at Aprilia with Bezzecchi, Martín and Ogura at Yamaha, Di Giannantonio and Álex Márquez at KTM, Aldeguer at VR46 and Quartararo at Honda.
What changes in MotoGP in 2027?
The bikes go from 1,000 to 850 cc and the single tyre supplier changes from Michelin to Pirelli, on a five-year contract.
Which MotoGP rider is worth sponsoring?
It depends on the goal: Márquez for the broadest reach, Ogura for the Japanese and Asian market, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia for the Italian one, Acosta and Aldeguer for a long-term project. His 2027 team must always be considered.
