{"id":238319,"date":"2023-06-01T15:00:11","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/who-are-the-top-10-riders-in-motogp\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T15:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:14:25","slug":"who-are-the-top-10-riders-in-motogp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rtrsports.com\/en\/blog\/who-are-the-top-10-riders-in-motogp\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 best MotoGP riders in 2026: updated standings and sponsor value"},"content":{"rendered":"

The best MotoGP riders of 2026, after the Japanese Grand Prix on 4 October, are Jorge Mart\u00edn (Aprilia, 333 points) and Marc M\u00e1rquez (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), Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez (216), Francesco Bagnaia (164), \u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez (158) and Ferm\u00edn Aldeguer (122).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Updated in October 2026, standings after the Japanese Grand Prix.<\/em><\/p>\n

On 28 September 2025, at Motegi, Marc M\u00e1rquez 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 Mart\u00edn, 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.<\/p>\n

The 2026 MotoGP standings after the Japanese Grand Prix<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pos.<\/strong><\/th>\nRider<\/strong><\/th>\n2026 team<\/strong><\/th>\nPoints<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/td>\nJorge Mart\u00edn<\/td>\nAprilia Racing<\/td>\n333<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nMarc M\u00e1rquez<\/td>\nDucati Lenovo Team<\/td>\n331<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nMarco Bezzecchi<\/td>\nAprilia Racing<\/td>\n284<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nPedro Acosta<\/td>\nRed Bull KTM<\/td>\n243<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nAi Ogura<\/td>\nTrackhouse Aprilia<\/td>\n237<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nFabio Di Giannantonio<\/td>\nPertamina VR46 Ducati<\/td>\n230<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nRa\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez<\/td>\nTrackhouse Aprilia<\/td>\n216<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nFrancesco Bagnaia<\/td>\nDucati Lenovo Team<\/td>\n164<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\n\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez<\/td>\nBK8 Gresini Ducati<\/td>\n158<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nFerm\u00edn Aldeguer<\/td>\nBK8 Gresini Ducati<\/td>\n122<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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<\/a>. For historical context, the list of the 10 best MotoGP riders of all time<\/a> sets this grid beside the names that made the history of the premier class.<\/p>\n

The ten riders, one by one<\/h2>\n

1. Jorge Mart\u00edn (Aprilia): the 2024 champion is back in front<\/h3>\n

Mart\u00edn 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 M\u00e1rquez. 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.<\/p>\n

2. Marc M\u00e1rquez (Ducati): seven titles, and another title chase<\/h3>\n

M\u00e1rquez 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.<\/p>\n

3. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia): the third man in the title fight<\/h3>\n

Bezzecchi is third on 284 points, 49 behind Mart\u00edn, 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.<\/p>\n

4. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM): the future is already Ducati<\/h3>\n

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 M\u00e1rquez 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.<\/p>\n

5. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia): the first Japanese win in 22 years<\/h3>\n

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 Mart\u00edn, until the end of 2028. For brands with interests in Japan and Asia, he is today the most interesting name on the whole grid.<\/p>\n

6. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina VR46 Ducati): from VR46 to KTM<\/h3>\n

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?<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez (Trackhouse Aprilia): the American project grows<\/h3>\n

Fern\u00e1ndez 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 Fern\u00e1ndez second. From 2027 his team-mate will be Enea Bastianini.<\/p>\n

8. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati): two titles, a new project<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

9. \u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez (BK8 Gresini Ducati): from Gresini to KTM<\/h3>\n

\u00c1lex M\u00e1rquez is ninth on 158 points. From 2027 he will ride for KTM, the same team Di Giannantonio is joining. The M\u00e1rquez family remains a case of its own in the paddock: two brothers, two different teams, a surname that draws attention everywhere.<\/p>\n

10. Ferm\u00edn Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Ducati): at VR46 in 2027<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The 2027 rider market: who is changing team<\/h2>\n

The 2027 grid is already almost complete, and it is the most shuffled in years. These are the official moves among the top ten:<\/p>\n