Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) closed the curtain on the 2025 Sprint season with a composed and authoritative performance at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, fending off late pressure from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to claim his third Sprint win of the year. Behind them, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) secured the final spot on the rostrum after a tense duel with Raul Fernández (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), a battle that ran right to the edge of the penultimate lap.

The result continues a strong end-of-season surge for Márquez, who adds Valencia to his Sprint success in Qatar and last weekend’s victory in Portimão.

Lights out: Márquez launches perfectly, Acosta pounces, Bezzecchi struggles

As the lights went out, Márquez reacted instantly, converting his front-row start into the race lead by Turn 1, beating polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) off the line. Acosta, starting from fifth, produced one of his trademark explosive openings, slicing rapidly through the pack and emerging in second before the first sector was complete.

Bezzecchi, by contrast, endured a disastrous opening lap. After a slight wheelie on launch and getting boxed in during the opening corners, he dropped to sixth and found himself mired behind Fernández, Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).

Team disaster for Honda: Mir wipes out Marini

The second lap brought immediate heartbreak for Honda. At Turn 2, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) tucked the front and slid directly into teammate Luca Marini, taking both factory Hondas out of the Sprint.
The incident earned Mir a Long Lap Penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix — a major blow for the struggling Japanese manufacturer, who is still chasing crucial concession points.

A lap later in the same corner, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) made contact with Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), forcing the Spaniard wide. Stewards handed Miller a three-position drop, which the Australian failed to complete in time, resulting in a Long Lap Penalty that ruined his Sprint prospects entirely.

Mid-race rhythm: Bezzecchi recovers, Morbidelli rises

Once Bezzecchi cleared Quartararo, the Italian settled into fifth, but the damage from his poor start was already done. More than a second separated him from the Fernández–Di Giannantonio battle ahead, and the gap proved too large to recover in the short Sprint format.

Further back, Franco Morbidelli continued his late-season resurgence. The VR46 rider slipped past Quartararo on Lap 9 to move into P6, while the Yamaha rider, still recovering from injuries earlier this year, began to fade in the closing laps.

At the front, Márquez appeared in full control, maintaining a consistent buffer of over a second on Acosta. The KTM rider, still chasing his first MotoGP race victory, was forced to manage tyre temperature rather than mount a direct attack.

Fight for third: Diggia vs. Raul Fernández goes to the wire

The most entertaining scrap of the Sprint emerged in the battle for the final podium spot.
In the closing stages, Fernández and Di Giannantonio traded overtakes across the Turn 4–6 sequence, each refusing to concede ground. Their side-by-side exchanges on the penultimate lap allowed Bezzecchi to close slightly, though not enough to launch a serious challenge.

Ultimately, Di Giannantonio — one of the strongest late-brakers on the grid — made the decisive move stick to secure P3, leaving Fernández frustrated but encouraged by his pace.

Final lap: Márquez in command as Acosta banks points

The final lap unfolded without drama at the front. Márquez hit his marks and brought the Gresini Ducati home to seal the Sprint victory, capping a strong season-ending run for the Spaniard.

Acosta’s P2 marks his fourth consecutive Sprint podium, continuing a level of consistency that has defined his remarkable rookie and sophomore MotoGP seasons.

The result carries significant implications for the championship standings:
Acosta leaps into P4 overall, six points clear of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who endured a disastrous Sprint and finished just 14th.

Sprint Classification Highlights

• 1st — Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP)
• 2nd — Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
• 3rd — Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
• 4th — Raul Fernández (Trackhouse MotoGP Team)
• 5th — Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) — but secures P3 in the Championship, marking Aprilia’s first-ever top-three riders’ finish
• 6th — Franco Morbidelli
• 7th — Fabio Quartararo
• 8th — Brad Binder
• 9th — Ai Ogura
• 10th — Johann Zarco — just missing crucial Honda concession points

Honda now remain nine points short of moving from Concession Rank D to C heading into Sunday’s race, leaving everything at stake for the Japanese brand in the final outing of the season.

🏁 BMW M Award: Marc Márquez secures record eighth title

Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) cemented his reputation as MotoGP’s ultimate qualifier by claiming the 2025 BMW M Award, extending his record to eight wins in the prestigious competition — more than double the tally of the next closest riders.

Despite missing the final four rounds due to a shoulder injury, Márquez had accumulated an unbeatable margin thanks to eight pole positions and five additional front-row starts earlier in the year.

His prize: a BMW M2 CS finished in Velvet Blue Metallic — the lightest and most powerful M2 produced to date, boasting 530 hp and a 0–100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds.

Márquez jokingly revealed that he learned he had clinched the award while “out buying fruit,” as brother Alex failed to score the result in Portimão needed to keep the contest alive for one more weekend.

Moto2: Holgado storms to pole, Gonzalez P5, Moreira P9

Moto2 qualifying delivered another intense session as Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) claimed his fourth pole of 2025 with a 1:32.408 — backing up his growing reputation as one of the class’s strongest one-lap riders.

Championship leader Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) advanced from Q1 but could only qualify P9, giving title rival Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) a clearer run from P5. With 24 points between them, Gonzalez must win on Sunday to have any chance of overturning the deficit.

Second on the grid went to Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), with Senna Agius securing P3 for Dynavolt Intact GP.

Moto3: Fernandez beats teammate Almansa for Valencia pole

Adrian Fernández (Leopard Racing) delivered a superb late lap to take pole position in Moto3 with a 1:36.990 — heading a Leopard 1–2 as teammate David Almansa secured second.

Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team), fighting Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) for the runner-up spot in the Championship, lines up third.

Luca Lunetta and Marco Morelli put four Hondas in the top five, while rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed the second row. Piqueras will start 10th.