It had been a long wait, but MotoGP’s first Sprint race in Goiania delivered instantly. Aggressive racing, late drama, and big names fighting at the front made sure Brazil’s return to the calendar started with a bang.
At the centre of it all was a gripping duel between Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). The pair pushed each other to the limit across all 15 laps, eventually crossing the line separated by just two tenths of a second after a tense final-lap showdown.
Rounding out the podium was Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), whose third-place finish carried real emotional weight. The reigning 2024 World Champion marked his first podium since the Solidarity Grand Prix last season, underlining that he’s firmly back to full fitness and ready to fight again at the front.
Fast start and early battles
Di Giannantonio made the perfect launch from pole position, grabbing the holeshot and immediately setting the pace. Behind him, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) made one of the best starts of the race, jumping into third and quickly challenging Marc Marquez for second place.
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) initially slipped back to fourth, while further down the grid there was early drama for returning rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). His bike momentarily lost traction off the line, costing him several positions as the pack streamed past.
Despite that moment, the opening laps were relatively clean, and the field quickly settled into a high-speed rhythm as the Sprint began to take shape.
Di Giannantonio builds a gap
By Lap 3, Di Giannantonio had already stretched his lead to over half a second. Marc Marquez responded by reclaiming second place from Quartararo into Turn 1, with the Frenchman running slightly wide and losing momentum.
That small mistake opened the door for both Bezzecchi and Martin to move through soon after, shuffling Quartararo down the order despite his strong start.
At the front, Di Giannantonio continued to control the race, extending his advantage to over a second. Behind him, Marquez sat in second, with Bezzecchi and Martin fighting closely behind—until Bezzecchi ran deep through Turns 10 and 11, allowing his teammate Martin through into third.
Mid-race intensity and rising pressure
While the leaders established their positions, the midfield produced its own share of action. Quartararo found himself locked in a fierce but clean battle with Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), defending aggressively but fairly.
Meanwhile, Marquez began to steadily close the gap to the leader. His pace improved lap by lap, and by Lap 10 he had reduced the deficit to just half a second, setting up a late-race fight.
Further back, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), the current Championship leader, was engaged in a scrap with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) for eighth place. The two exchanged positions more than once, with Bagnaia eventually getting the upper hand and beginning to chase Alex Marquez ahead.
Final laps: Marquez makes his move
With three laps remaining, the pressure at the front finally boiled over. Marquez closed right up to Di Giannantonio and made his decisive move, slipping past into the lead after a bold attempt out of Turn 12.
However, the race was far from over. Di Giannantonio stayed glued to the back of the Ducati, refusing to let Marquez escape and keeping the fight alive heading into the final lap.
The Italian searched for an opportunity, particularly into Turn 6, but couldn’t find a safe way through. Marquez held firm under intense pressure, riding a near-perfect final lap—despite a small twitch in the final corner that briefly hinted at late drama.
In the end, it wasn’t enough to stop him. Marquez crossed the line to take victory, securing his first Sprint win of the season and the 16th of his career in the format. That result also draws him level with Martin as the most successful Sprint winner since the format was introduced.
Martin’s emotional return
While Marquez took the headlines, Jorge Martin’s third-place finish was one of the standout stories of the day.
After capitalising on Bezzecchi’s mistake earlier in the race, Martin rode a controlled and intelligent Sprint, avoiding risks and maintaining consistent pace all the way to the finish.
The result marked his first podium since late 2024 and his first with Aprilia Racing, making it a significant milestone in his comeback journey. His emotional cool-down lap reflected just how much the result meant after a challenging period following his championship-winning campaign.
Strong performances throughout the field
Bezzecchi ultimately finished fourth, maintaining second place in the overall standings, although he now trails Acosta by two points after the Spaniard finished ninth.
Ai Ogura impressed once again with a strong fifth-place finish, continuing to show maturity beyond his experience. Just behind him, Quartararo secured sixth, making the most of his excellent start and holding firm despite heavy pressure throughout the race.
Alex Marquez crossed the line in seventh, ahead of Bagnaia in eighth, while Acosta claimed the final point in ninth.
Just outside the points, Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) delivered a standout performance in front of his home crowd, finishing tenth in an impressive showing for the rookie.
Eyes on Sunday’s Grand Prix
With the Sprint race complete, attention now turns to Sunday’s main event. MotoGP’s return to Brazil—its first Grand Prix in over two decades—has already delivered excitement, and expectations are high for another dramatic race.
Fans can tune in from 15:00 (UTC-3) as the grid prepares for what promises to be a memorable Grand Prix in Goiania.
Moto3: Esteban claims maiden pole in dramatic qualifying
Earlier in the day, Moto3 qualifying provided its own share of drama.
Joel Esteban (LEVELUP-MTA) secured his first-ever pole position in a chaotic and incident-filled session, marking a major milestone in his young career. He will be joined on the front row by Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Malaysia’s Hakim Danish (MT Helmets – MSI), who celebrated his first front-row start in Moto3.
The session was briefly halted following a heavy highside crash for Cormac Buchanan at Turn 4, along with a separate fall for Danish. Fortunately, both riders were unharmed, and qualifying resumed after a short delay.
Lap times quickly dropped into the 1:26 range as several riders traded top positions, including Marco Morelli and Maximo Quiles. Brian Uriarte looked set for pole late on, but crashed in the closing stages, mirroring an earlier incident involving his teammate.
Esteban timed his final run perfectly to snatch pole position, while Perrone secured his best qualifying result since last season. Danish’s performance also marked a significant moment, becoming the first Malaysian rider on a Moto3 front row since 2016.
Just behind them, Veda Pratama achieved a career-best fourth place on the grid, followed by Morelli and Uriarte.
Championship contenders faced a tougher session. Quiles, recovering from a crash, could only manage 11th, while David Almansa’s chances were repeatedly disrupted by yellow flags, leaving him down in 14th.
With both MotoGP and Moto3 already delivering drama, all eyes are now on Sunday as racing continues in Goiania.
