Daniel Holgado won the Qatar Moto2 Grand Prix this Sunday (the 8th) at the Lusail circuit, while a mechanical problem sidelined Izan Guevara and altered the landscape of the 2026 world title battle. The Spanish rider for Aspar claimed his second victory of the season, but the biggest beneficiary in the standings was Manuel González, who finished sixth and widened his lead over Guevara to 13.5 points, with two rounds remaining.
Guevara’s retirement occurred on lap 14, when his bike developed a problem approaching turn 1. Second in the championship, the Pramac Yamaha rider couldn’t continue and suffered his first DNF since the 2025 Japan Grand Prix. As a result, González will have the chance to secure the title early at the next round, in Portugal, if he accrues 12 more points than his rival.
In the race for victory, Holgado demonstrated a superior pace in the latter part of the race. After shadowing Alex Escrig, who had started from pole, the Aspar rider moved to the lead and quickly established a gap. The margin grew to 1.2 seconds and then 1.6, until the checkered flag came with him 2.2 seconds clear of his rivals.
Iván Ortolá finished in second place, a result earned after a strong recovery from 14th on the grid. The Spaniard reached the podium contention in the middle of the race and managed to pass Escrig in the final acceleration to the line, securing second in a tight finish. Escrig completed the podium.
David Alonso came home fourth, 1.8 seconds behind the Ortolá-Escrig battle, while Daniel Muñoz finished fifth. González, who had made a good start and briefly held third position in the opening laps, lost ground during the race and ended sixth, just ahead of his teammate Senna Agius.
The start of the race also featured an incident involving Collin Veijer and Celestino Vietti. The KTM Ajo rider touched the Italian’s bike in the first corner and crashed, while Vietti dropped positions and had to mount a comeback, finishing tenth. José Antonio Rueda claimed eighth, matching his best Moto2 result, and Filip Salač finished ninth.
For Holgado, who had been runner-up at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the result confirmed his recent progress ahead of his transition to MotoGP. González leaves Qatar in a more favorable position in the world championship fight, with a possibility of sealing the title at the penultimate round of the season, in Portimão.
