Marco Bezzecchi broke a decade-long MotoGP record when he took the chequered flag at the 2026 US Grand Prix on Sunday.
When the Aprilia Racing star crossed the finish line at the Circuit of the Americas for his fifth Grand Prix win in a row, it was also his 121st consecutive laps led, overtaking the previous record of 103 held by Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.
It did not come easy because, despite initially qualifying on the front row, the 27-year-old was hit with a two-place grid penalty for impeding another rider in qualifying.
Bezzecchi made a strong start to immediately move into second place before seizing the lead when Pedro Acosta ran wide at Turn 11.
View this post on Instagram
From there, he controlled the race to take the chequered flag, finishing 2.036 seconds ahead of team-mate Jorge Martin to secure an Aprilia one-two, with Acosta completing the podium.
Pole-sitter Fabio Di Giannantonio finished fourth, just ahead of reigning world champion Marquez.
For Bezzecchi, the US Grand Prix win also lifted him back to the top of the riders’ standings after dropping points in Saturday’s sprint.
He added further milestones in Austin, becoming only the third Italian rider to win five consecutive premier-class races and the first rider since Marquez in 2014 to start a season with three straight victories.
View this post on Instagram
