MotoGP competitor Alex Marquez was airlifted to hospital following a devastating collision at today's Catalonia Grand Prix in Barcelona.
The 30-year-old Gresini Racing rider slammed into the rear of Pedro Acosta's machine on lap 12 after the race leader's bike suffered a sudden power failure.
Acosta, who had been heading the field, attempted to alert approaching riders but Marquez was travelling too close behind to take evasive action.
The impact sent the Spaniard's Ducati careering off the circuit, where it struck uneven ground and cartwheeled violently through the air whilst disintegrating into pieces.
Alex Marquez was airlifted to hospital after his serious crash
|REUTERS
Marquez remained conscious throughout the ordeal and was transported by helicopter from the Barcelona circuit for further assessment.
His team subsequently confirmed the extent of his injuries via social media: a marginal fracture to the C7 vertebra, with additional evaluation scheduled for next week, alongside a fractured right clavicle.
The collarbone break requires surgical intervention, with doctors set to stabilise the bone using a plate during an operation at Hospital General de Catalunya later today.
Spanish media reported that whilst the injuries were serious, they were not considered life-threatening.
The BK8 Gresini Racing rider did not participate in the race restart.
🚨🇪🇸🏍️ ALERTE INFO | Énorme CRASH impliquant Alex Márquez en course au Moto GP de Barcelone.
— Cerfia (@CerfiaFR) May 17, 2026
La course a été interrompue et le drapeau rouge a été brandi. pic.twitter.com/EQsbu3VTrC
The restart brought further chaos when French rider Johann Zarco crashed heavily at the opening corner, triggering a second red flag.
Zarco's accident also caught up reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia and Luca Marini, who were unable to avoid the incident.
The 35-year-old's leg became entangled with his motorcycle as the machine flipped repeatedly, leaving him trapped.
He was transported by ambulance initially to the circuit's medical centre before being transferred to hospital for examination of his left leg.
The successive stoppages meant the race was eventually decided from lap 11 positions when it resumed for a third time.
Reports indicate that Alex Marquez's injuries are not life-threatening
|REUTERS
Fabio Di Giannantonio emerged victorious from the twice-halted contest despite being struck by flying debris from Marquez's shattered machine during the initial incident.
The Italian Ducati rider crossed the line ahead of Joan Mir and Fermin Aldeguer when racing finally concluded.
"Today has not been an easy day for everybody. I really hope that Alex is fine," Di Giannantonio said afterwards. "We've been really lucky. We know that our sport is amazing. We try to give an amazing show, but also we are humans and we are in danger. So I really hope that everybody is safe."
His brother Marc Marquez was absent from the grid, still recovering from a foot fracture sustained at last weekend's French Grand Prix.