MXGP 2026: The statistics – Race wins, podiums and more

Coming into the 2026 MXGP World Championship season, there was plenty of intrigue surrounding the season. On New Year’s Day, HRC Honda announced the signing of Jeffrey Herlings, while Factory Yamaha confirmed Tim Gajser as their new rider.

After spending the majority of their careers with KTM and HRC Honda respectively, the high-profile switches added another fascinating storyline to the season. With both riders looking to prove themselves in new colours, there were plenty of questions heading into the opening round.

Now that the 2026 season is over, we take a look at the key statistics via MXGP.com to see how the leading riders stacked up across the campaign.

MXGP overall wins 

Only three riders managed to win an MXGP overall in 2026, highlighting just how dominant Jeffrey Herlings and Lucas Coenen were throughout the season.

Between them, the pair won 18 of the 19 overall victories on offer, with Tom Vialle the only other rider to claim an overall win. Herlings finished the campaign with 13 victories, while Coenen took five before his injury at Foxhill brought his title challenge to an end.

Herlings’ tally of 13 overall wins also underlined just how effectively he capitalised on Coenen’s absence, establishing himself as the dominant force in the championship during the latter part of the season.

MXGP race wins 

It comes as little surprise to see Herlings at the top of the race-win standings, with the Honda rider taking an impressive 22 victories (out of a possible 38) throughout the campaign.

Despite suffering his injury in the UK, Coenen still finished second in the rankings with 13 race wins, demonstrating just how competitive the young Belgian was before his season was disrupted.

Interestingly, Gajser managed to win two races during his first season with Yamaha, one more than Vialle, but the Slovenian was unable to convert those victories into an overall win.

MXGP overall podiums

Herlings’ consistency was impeccable throughout 2026, with the Dutchman recording 16 overall podium finishes. That means he missed out on the top three on just three occasions across the season.

Romain Febvre also deserves plenty of credit for his consistency. Although the Frenchman failed to win an overall, he finished on the podium 11 times, regularly putting himself in contention at the front of the field.

Considering it was Vialle’s rookie season in the MXGP class and on a 450cc machine, the Frenchman can be pleased with his campaign. He secured nine overall podiums, an impressive return for his first year competing in the premier class.

Meanwhile, it was a more challenging season for Gajser and rookie Kay de Wolf, who recorded five and four podium finishes respectively.

De Wolf’s campaign was particularly affected by injuries, preventing the talented Dutchman from building the consistency he would have wanted. With a full winter of preparation and being fully fit, expectations will be considerably higher for him heading into the 2027 season.

MXGP laps led

Once again, Herlings tops the statistics, having led an impressive 328 laps during the 2026 season.

Coenen finished second with 243 laps led, a considerable distance ahead of the rest of the field. The figures underline just how frequently the two riders controlled races and established themselves at the front of the pack.

MXGP Qualifying race wins 

Qualifying races have not always been Herlings’ strongest point. Historically, the Dutchman has sometimes struggled to get the best starts, leaving him with plenty of work to do if he wanted to fight his way to the front.

That changed in 2026, as Herlings proved that he was stronger in the qualifying races this year – perhaps due to better starts on the Honda. He claimed nine qualifying race victories, compared to Coenen’s five.

Vialle also enjoyed success, taking two qualifying race wins, while Fernández, Gajser and Febvre each secured one victory.

Herlings’ nine wins are another indication of how well he adapted to his new surroundings at HRC Honda, delivering strong performances across all aspects of the race weekend during his first season with the manufacturer.