Perfection Realised: Marc Marquez’s Flawless Masterclass at MotorLand

When you think of a perfect weekend, you imagine a rider who dominates every single session—and that’s exactly what Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) achieved at the GoPro Grand Prix of Aragon. It’s a feat no one has managed since Marquez himself did it at the 2015 German GP: he led every free practice, qualifying, the Sprint and Sunday’s main race, capping it off with a seventh career win at MotorLand. On home soil, younger brother and championship rival Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing) finished second, while Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) regained his podium form in third. As they say, form may fade, but true class endures.

Lights Out: Marc Nails the Holeshot

For the first time all weekend, Marquez nailed his start. He rocketed off the line, grabbed the holeshot, and steered his factory Ducati cleanly through the first sector. Alex followed in his wake, slotting into P2, with Bagnaia in hot pursuit.

Behind them, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46) dropped from the front row to seventh on the opening lap, squeezed out by a pair of Red Bull KTM Factory machines. Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder shadowed Bagnaia, each throwing a leg out at Turn 1 on Lap 2, only for the Italian to bite back at Turn 12 and reclaim third—making for thrilling viewing but costing the quartet critical seconds to the two Marquez brothers.

Early Battles and Rookie Woes

Rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing) paid the price for pushing too hard, making a mistake that dropped him 1.2 seconds off Bagnaia by Lap 3. Alex Marquez, meanwhile, remained glued to his brother’s gearbox, the gap oscillating around half a second in the initial laps.

Factory KTM Charge—Then Marquez’s Hammer Blow

By Lap 7 of 23, the top five riders were split by just 1.4 seconds, with Acosta and Binder setting successive fastest laps. But on Lap 8, Marquez unleashed a 1:47.275—a full two-tenths quicker than anyone else—stretching his lead to 0.8 seconds. He backed it up the very next lap with an even quicker 1:47.180, extending the gap to 1.3 seconds, as Alex found himself the slowest of the front five.

Drama and Attrition

MotorLand’s unforgiving corners claimed Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) at Turn 12, ending his streak of back-to-back podiums. Then, on Lap 12, both Binder and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) crashed out—in Turn 2 and Turn 1 respectively—reminders that even the smallest error can have huge consequences.

Closing Laps: Chasing the Perfect Weekend

With nine laps remaining, Marquez’s advantage hovered just under two seconds. Alex continued to fend off Bagnaia by half a second, while Acosta trailed another 1.6 seconds back but had a three-second buffer to the scrap for fifth between Morbidelli and Aldeguer.

Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) chased Joan Mir (Honda HRC) for seventh but ultimately succumbed to the same Turn 12 that had claimed Zarco—illustrating how even mid-pack battles carry high stakes. Meanwhile, Marquez set the final fastest lap of the race, underlining his weekend-long supremacy.

Podium Secured and a Weekend of Firsts

Alex Marquez and Bagnaia both lowered their times into the 1:46s on the closing laps, but neither could match Marc’s blistering pace. The result: Marc Marquez joins a very exclusive club as the first rider since… himself, in 2015, to top every session of a Grand Prix weekend.

• 1st: Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team)
• 2nd: Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing)
• 3rd: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)

Top 10 and Championship Implications

4. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory) produced a solid fourth.
5. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46) narrowly beat Fermin Aldeguer for fifth.
6. Joan Mir (Honda HRC) enjoyed his best result since the 2023 Indian GP.
7. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) scrambled from P20 on the grid to eighth.
8. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46) achieved a strong ninth.
9. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) completed the top ten.

Alex Rins, Enea Bastianini, wildcard Augusto Fernandez, Jack Miller, and Miguel Oliveira filled the remaining points-scoring positions.

Marquez now heads to Mugello with a commanding 32-point lead over his brother. Can anyone halt this home-turf phenomenon? Will Bagnaia strike back? Only time—and the Tuscan hills—will tell.

Perfection, unlocked.

Official MotoGP Press Release