Raul Fernandez was able to take a crucial victory in the MotoGP Sprint race on Saturday at the Italian Grand Prix.
For the first time in 2026, Fernandez featured on the top step of a MotoGP Sprint podium as he dominated proceedings at Mugello.
The Spaniard took the lead on the opening lap and never looked back as he controlled the race from the front for the Trackhouse Racing squad.
Joining Fernandez on the podium was Jorge Martin on the factory Aprilia, and the VR46 Ducati rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio.
At the start of the race, it was Marc Marquez who grabbed the holeshot and led the way into the opening corner.
However, he was pushed further down the order after Fernandez grabbed the lead, from Martin and Diogo Moreira, who completed the top three positions on the opening lap.
The pole sitter ended the opening lap down in sixth place, after getting beaten up in the first few corners at Mugello.
At the final corner on the second lap, Bezzecchi made his way into fifth place after he forced Marquez out wide.
The first change within the podium positions came on the third lap as Di Giannantonio took third place away from Moreira.
Moreira’s positive start began to fade away as, at the end of the fourth lap, he dropped back to fifth, as Bezzecchi took fourth place away from the rookie.
The first faller of the Sprint came on the fifth lap as Enea Bastianini crashed out of eighth place at Turn 10, with Franco Morbidelli also crashing at the same circuit.
Marquez began to make his way back towards the front as the Spaniard overtook Moreira on the seventh lap of the race, taking fifth place from the rookie.
By the tenth lap of the Sprint, Moreira had found himself outside of the points in tenth place, after he dropped down the order.
After controlling the Sprint from the front, it was Fernandez who took the chequered flag and won his first Sprint race in MotoGP.
Martin was not able to catch his Aprilia colleague, as the Spaniard had to settle for second place around Mugello on Saturday.
Completing the podium was the Italian, Di Giannantonio, after a poor qualifying performance; he put together a solid ride in the Sprint race.
Bezzecchi lost ground to his Championship rivals on Saturday as the Italian crossed the line in fourth place, with Marquez rounding out the top five.
Fermin Aldeguer fought hard for a sixth-place finish on Saturday, with Francesco Bagnaia ending up in seventh place.
The final point scoring positions were taken by Ai Ogura in eighth place and Pedro Acosta in ninth place.
Moreira was the first non-point scorer as he crossed the line in tenth, with Brad Binder behind in 11th.
Alex Rins was the top Yamaha rider as he ended up in 12th, with Luca Marini in 13th, and Fabio Quartararo in 14th.
The top 15 was completed by Maverick Vinales on the Tech3 KTM, with the Pramac Yamaha riders of Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu in 16th and 17th.
At the rear of the field were the two replacement riders of Michele Pirro and Cal Crutchlow in 18th and 19th.
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