Difficult Brazilian Race for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
The Grand Prix of Brazil was shortened to 23 laps due to track degradation, but it still proved a demanding outing. Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo wrapped up the Race in P14 and P16 respectively.
GRAND PRIX OF BRAZIL
RACE
Goiânia (Brazil), 22nd March 2026
14th
Á. Rins +22.699 / 23 LAPS
16th
F. Quartararo +26.403 / 23 LAPS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Álex Rins and Fabio Quartararo struggled to find the feeling they were looking for in today's 23-lap Grand Prix of Brazil MotoGP Race. The teammates took the chequered flag in P14 and P16 respectively.
The Grand Prix of Brazil MotoGP Race was shortened to 23 laps due to track degradation. Álex Rins was on the move at the start, riding from P17 on the grid to P11 at the midway stage, but he lost steam later on and finished in P14, 22.699s from first.
Quartararo didn't have the start he had hoped for from P4 on the grid. Unable to muscle his way up the order due to a lack of rear grip, he gradually dropped to P16, which El Diablo held across the finish line, taking the chequered flag 26.403s from the winner.
Today's race results put Quartararo in joint 15th place in the championship standings with 6 points. Rins is in joint 18th place with 3 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 9th position in the team classifications with 9 points, and Yamaha is fifth in the constructor rankings with 8 points.
The team will now travel to Austin, Texas in the USA for Round 3, the Grand Prix of the United States, held at the Circuit of The Americas from 27-29 March.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
"Today's Brazilian GP was a difficult one for us. The race was shortened to 23 laps due to track degradation, but we only heard about this on the grid. We felt quite confident at the time as we were one of the only teams using the soft rear, which should work for the shorter race distance. But then Fabio didn’t manage to have a good start like yesterday, and he suffered from a big lack of rear grip. That compromised his race results, and now we have to analyse the data to find out what caused this. Álex, on the other hand, had a good start and was able to be in a good position midway through the race. However, he couldn’t keep up the pace once he got riders in front of him, and it relegated him down the order. Today's results are not where we want to be, which is especially disappointing after a solid Saturday. Still, ups and downs are part of the learning process, especially as we are only in our second race weekend with the new bike. The team worked hard all weekend, and we gathered valuable data that we will take forward. Our focus now shifts to Austin."
ÁLEX RINS Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"The update on the shortened race length came when we were on the grid. I think nobody was expecting this, but it's great that Race Direction made this decision because it was for the safety of the riders. I felt really low grip today, I think because of the Moto2 race rubber. The race overall was nice. We did what we could and achieved two points. It was not the best, but there were some good overtakes and a bit of fighting with other riders after I made a great start."
FABIO QUARTARARO Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
"The start was not as good as yesterday, and then we struggled a bit more. We also had an issue with the rear grip. We were informed on the reduction of the race length just a few minutes before the start, so it was quite last minute, but I had planned to go with the soft rear anyway. Today something wasn't right, so I'm going to leave this GP behind me and enter the next round with an open mind. That said, all in all I really liked this circuit."
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director