Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) closed out the 2025 Tissot Sprint season in style, storming to a commanding victory on Saturday to secure back-to-back Sprint wins and his third triumph of the year.
The Spaniard delivered a flawless lights-to-flag performance at the season finale, fending off a spirited charge from rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), while Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) completed the podium after a dramatic late duel.
Starting from P2, Márquez timed his launch to perfection, immediately out-dragging polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) into Turn 1. The big mover, however, was Acosta, who surged from fifth on the grid to second in the opening seconds.
Bezzecchi endured a disastrous first lap, slipping from pole to sixth as Raul Fernandez, Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo swept past.
The second lap brought heartbreak for Honda as Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) tucked the front at Turn 2, sliding into teammate Luca Marini and eliminating both riders. Mir was issued a Long Lap Penalty for Sunday’s GP as a result.
One lap later at the same corner, contact between Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) pushed Aldeguer wide. Miller was penalised for failing to drop three positions and later handed a Long Lap Penalty, crushing his shot at Sprint points.
Bezzecchi regrouped and overtook Quartararo for P5, but the Italian faced a sizeable gap to the Fernandez–Di Giannantonio duel ahead. Meanwhile at the front, Márquez stretched his lead to 1.4 seconds, mastering pace and tyre management as Acosta tried desperately to stay within reach.
Further back, Franco Morbidelli continued his late-season resurgence by overtaking Quartararo to claim sixth.
The race’s fiercest exchange erupted on the penultimate lap. Di Giannantonio and Fernandez traded blows from Turn 4 to Turn 6, swapping positions in a tense scrap that kept Bezzecchi lurking just behind. But the VR46 rider held firm and carried his momentum into the final tour.
The final lap saw no change up front—Márquez remained unchallenged as he claimed a clinical Sprint victory. Acosta crossed the line second, securing four consecutive Sprint podiums and, crucially, moving into P4 in the Championship—six points ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, who could only manage P14.
Di Giannantonio sealed a hard-earned P3, followed by Fernandez in fourth and Bezzecchi in fifth. Although disappointed, Bezzecchi did secure third overall in the 2025 Championship, marking Aprilia’s first-ever top-three finish in the MotoGP Riders’ standings.
Behind them, Morbidelli held off Quartararo for sixth. Brad Binder climbed from P15 to P8, while Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) claimed ninth for his first Sprint point since Motegi.
Honda narrowly missed the points with Johann Zarco in P10—meaning the manufacturer still requires nine points on Sunday to improve their concession ranking from D to C.
The final race of the season promises heightened stakes—not only for Bagnaia and Acosta’s battle for P4, but also for Honda’s crucial concession fight. With Márquez peaking, Acosta pushing the limits, and Bezzecchi hunting redemption, Sunday’s decider could rewrite the final chapters of the season.
Credit Photo : MotoGP
