Marc Marquez’s relentless march toward the 2025 MotoGP crown took another huge step forward at Misano. In front of a record-breaking crowd, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider resisted unrelenting pressure from Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) to claim victory in a race that turned into a duel of pure speed and nerves. The win pushes Marquez to the brink of sealing his first world title since his comeback, with the possibility of clinching it as soon as the Japanese GP at Motegi.
Only one man can still mathematically deny him – his younger brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who capped off a brilliant weekend with a popular third-place finish on home soil.
Pre-race drama for Martin
The story began even before the lights went out. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) suffered a technical scare on the sighting lap, his RS-GP stuttering and forcing him to head out from pit lane for the warm-up lap. Although he was permitted to resume his original grid slot, the Spaniard was handed two Long Lap Penalties for the irregular procedure. It set the tone for a difficult afternoon that would end with him scrapping only for the lower points.
Bezzecchi leads early as Marquez attacks
When the race finally launched, Bezzecchi nailed the start to retain the holeshot. Behind him, Marc Marquez made one of his trademark rocket getaways, immediately climbing all over the back wheel of the Aprilia. Alex Marquez tucked into third, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) right there in fourth.
The opening laps were chaotic. Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) tangled at Turn 4 on lap one, both crashing out. Soon after, Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP) went down in Sector 3. By lap five, Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) also retired, leaving Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to carry the KTM flag as he muscled into the top five.
Acosta’s challenge, however, was cruelly cut short. Just as he passed Quartararo at Turn 8 on lap six, the chain on his RC16 snapped – the same mechanical issue that had plagued teammate Brad Binder earlier in the weekend. The frustration was clear as the promising rookie trudged away from his stricken bike.
Misano heartbreak didn’t stop there. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), still struggling to find rhythm all weekend, slid out of seventh place at Turn 10. The reigning champion’s miserable home round ended in the gravel.
Bezzecchi slips, Marquez pounces
At the sharp end, Bezzecchi was still fending off the elder Marquez while Alex shadowed a second behind. But on lap 10, Bezzecchi cracked. A wide line at Turn 8 handed Marc an open door, and the #93 didn’t hesitate – slicing past to take the lead for the first time on lap 12.
What followed was a high-speed chess match. Bezzecchi refused to give in, hovering within two tenths of the leader, studying every braking point and every acceleration zone. Alex Marquez kept a watching brief, but as the laps ticked on, he drifted to over two seconds adrift, leaving the spotlight firmly on the front pair.
Trading blows with the stopwatch
With seven laps to go, Marc threw down a hammer lap, the fastest of the race, and stretched the gap to nearly half a second. Bezzecchi immediately retaliated on the following lap, posting his own benchmark – only a fraction quicker, but enough to show he was still in the fight.
The crowd roared as the two gladiators traded purple sectors. Bezzecchi closed to within three tenths with four laps to run, even registering the outright fastest lap of the race. But just when momentum seemed to swing his way, Marc responded again, digging into his deep well of experience to reassert control.
Onto the final lap, the gap stood at 0.415s. Bezzecchi delivered his personal best lap of the race, but the Italian simply could not prise open a door. Marc Marquez was inch-perfect under pressure, crossing the line to bank 25 more points and put his Sprint crash firmly behind him. Bezzecchi, despite throwing everything at it, had to settle for second.
The pair were in a class of their own, finishing more than seven seconds ahead of Alex Marquez, who nonetheless savoured a podium that further cements his reputation as the only rider still in with a mathematical title chance.
Misano points scorers
Behind the podium, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) edged out teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio for fourth and fifth respectively. Rookie sensation Fermín Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing) impressed again with sixth, while Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) delighted home fans by finishing seventh.
Quartararo faded to eighth, ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Binder, who salvaged tenth after his earlier frustrations. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP) finished 11th, with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha) in 12th, Martin in 13th after serving his penalties, Augusto Fernandez (Yamaha Factory Racing) 14th, and Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda LCR) grabbing the final point in 15th.
What they said
- Marc Marquez: “Messi does his talking with a football, I do mine on the bike.”
- Marco Bezzecchi: “I gave it my all. Marc was perfect, but I’m proud of this fight.”
- Alex Marquez: “Barcelona gave me belief. Today confirms it – we’re here to stay.”
Fans also got a behind-the-scenes treat as the podium room chatter revealed the raw emotions of three riders who pushed each other to the limit.
Record crowds and looking ahead
The San Marino GP once again delivered a festival of MotoGP passion. Over the course of the weekend, 174,821 fansstreamed through the gates, setting yet another new attendance record – the perfect celebration of Misano’s place on the calendar, now guaranteed until 2031.
The riders won’t be leaving Italy just yet, with an official post-race test scheduled at the circuit on Monday. But all eyes are already on Motegi, where Marc Marquez could finally seal the comeback story and be crowned the 2025 MotoGP World Champion.
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