Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

Quartararo & Rins Take P7 and P10 in First Ever Flag-To-Flag Sprint

An overcast Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto set the scene for the Grand Prix of Spain Saturday. With rain hammering down midway through the race, it became the first ever flag-to-flag Sprint. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo rode from P17 on the grid to P7 at the chequered flag. Álex Rins turned a P21 start into a P10 result.

GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN

SPRINT

Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 25th April 2026

7th

F. Quartararo
+13.525 / 12 LAPS

10th

Á. Rins
+15.821 / 12 LAPS

Today Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins showed experience and clever riding in a spectacular flag-to-flag Grand Prix of Spain MotoGP Sprint. They wrapped it up in P7 and P10 respectively.

Quartararo launched from P17 and gradually moved up the order. He had climbed as high as 13th place, when the first drops started to fall. El Diablo came into the pits on lap 9 to switch to his wet bike and then settled in P8. Gaining another position in the final stages as the rain intensified, he finished in seventh place, 13.525s from first.

Rins commenced the Sprint from P21 and spent the majority of the 12-lap dash battling with the Prima Pramac Yamaha Moto2 teammates. He was riding in P21 when sudden rain turned his fortunes around. Coming in on lap 8, he moved up the rankings and, after some battles in the final laps, salvaged a P10 finish, 15.821s from the winner.

Today’s Sprint results put Quartaro in 16th place in the championship standings with 9 points. Rins is in 18th with 3 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 10th position in the team classifications with 12 points, and Yamaha is fifth in the contructor rankings with 12 points.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action on Sunday for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+2), and the 25-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.

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MASSIMO MEREGALLI
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

"Today the weather conditions played a big role in the on-track action and the results. The riders already did some laps in damp conditions this morning in FP2, but it was nothing compared to the rain the riders faced midway through the Sprint. It was the first flag-to-flag of the season. When this happens, the riders have to assess the situation and decide for themselves what is the best time to come in. Both Fabio and Álex handled it well, though Fabio could have come in one lap earlier. Considering our grid positions, we can take comfort from the fact that we made the most of this afternoon's sudden opportunity. However, with the weather forecast predicting dry weather tomorrow, we have to now switch gears again and prepare for a very different sort of race on Sunday."

FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"I would say that for me this flag-to-flag was positive. Unfortunately, I came in one lap too late, but we still took three points. I didn't expect to be fast in the wet today as this was one of the first times riding in these conditions with this bike. But tomorrow will be a different story if it's dry. We will have to work hard and find something."

ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

"More than 'survival' this was a race where you really had to use your head. It was quite easy to make a mistake. I'm happy about how I managed the Sprint: I entered the pits at the perfect time, and I made the flag-to-flag in a good way. I had hoped for more than P10 because of this. Overall, we are struggling, in the wet and the dry. But I will take away from today that I can be happy with how I handled the race and adapted to the situation, and let's see what tomorrow brings us."