Marc Marquez continues his stroke of dominance in the MotoGP paddock with a bounce back finish on Day 1 of the French Grand Prix. Marquez who crashed out of the grand prix in Spain and lost the championship lead to his brother is looking to regain the championship lead this weekend in France. Marquez set a 1m29.822s lap time which cleared the next rider by over a half second in FP1. However, in practice ahead of qualifying, Fabio Quartararo was able to pull within 2 tenths of Marquez in his recent surge of performance.
Marc Marquez said, “We did a good job, but it’s only Friday, and there’s still something to work on. We made a few steps forward in the afternoon – I felt more comfortable especially in the second and third runs – so let’s see how things go tomorrow. I think the lap-times will be even closer, but I’m having fun and continuing to work to improve.”
Alex Marquez finished practice P5 which may or may not be an accurate indicator for his performance to come in the sprint. Insider reports suggest Alex Marquez was working on tire management strategy in practice. We believe his true pace in France is yet to be revealed.
Practice Results
Red Bull KTM’s rider Pedro Acosta underwent arm pump surgery on his right forearm. Acosta is expected to be fit and ready for the French Grand Prix which is set to take place in one weeks time. The team made the following social media post regarding the surgery update.
Acosta has faced adversity thus far this year after failing to podium and struggling to stay in the top 10 on more than one occasion. This was in part due to the destabilization that occurred at the beginning of the season when KTM’s financial problems were unveiled to the public. However, the team is still operational and functioning; business as usual.
The wait for Alex Marquez is finally over as the young Spaniard secured his first MotoGP win today at Jerez at the Spanish Grand Prix. Alex Marquez has been the most consistent rider in 2025 finishing on the podium in all but one race thus far this season. After securing his first win Alex Marquez reestablished himself as the championship leader again at the demise of his brother who crashed from third place early in the race. Alex Marquez now holds a 1 point lead in the MotoGP championship race over Marc Marquez.
Francesco Bagnaia fought hard for another podium to keep his championship fight hopes alive. “After the battle with Marc on lap one, I pushed hard to try and catch Fabio (Quartararo), but unfortunately I didn’t have enough to overtake him,” said Bagnaia. From then on, I wasn’t able to be as effective as Alex (Márquez) at turns 11 and 12; I couldn’t make the most of them to get closer. In any case, this is a third place that, with Marc’s crash, allowed me to narrow the gap down to the championship lead. Today I couldn’t fully exploit the bike’s potential, and therefore I’m not fully happy.”
Fabio Quartararo Returns to the Podium
Fabio Quartararo pulled out a surprising P2 finish after a long drought from finishing in the podium places for the former champion. Despite the challenges over the the past few years he found what was required to get the job don’t today at Jerez. He said, “It’s incredible! I am over the moon! To be on the podium is something super special. The moments we lived this weekend: with my team, with my crew, with my family, and my friends were amazing – especially making the pole position. Leading the Sprint and Race and making the podium was nice. Fighting at the front is a great feeling. Being at the front and leading a race is something I love.
The gap to the winner was not so big here, Alex Marquez just had a bit more today. To keep Pecco [Bagnaia] behind us all race by 0.5s was so difficult. It’s been a long time, but I’m super happy to be back on the podium in Jerez. Thank you to the fans at home voting for me as the ‘Rider of the Race’. Thank you also to all the fans that were here to support us. Also yesterday, after the crash, they all applauded, so a big thanks to them, and see you in Le Mans! I’m super happy to have done this podium before the French GP. Le Mans is also going to be super special because it’s a track that I like, there are many fans there, it’s my home GP, and there will also be some nice liveries there.”
Spanish Grand Prix Results
After a surprise pole position from Fabio Quartararo the pressure was on for Quartararo to perform and potentially bring home his first podium of the season. However, those hopes went up in smoke after he crashed during the sprint which paved the way for Marc Marquez to steal the show again and win the Spanish Grand Prix sprint. Marquez extended his championship lead with the win.
“Managing the situation is what I’ve been repeating to myself this weekend: it’s clear that I’d like to be on pole and win every time,” said Marquez.”…but if there’s no way of doing that, it’s surely still good. I got a couple of scary moments in two fast corners during my time attack in qualifying. The mistake is always around the corner: we’re very fast and we showed it. Today we took a few risks in order to pull away, then we managed the situation until the end. Tomorrow’s race will be a long one, and it’ll be hot. We’ll keep in mind that the feeling on the bike may change.”
Despite setting the lap record in practice Alex Marquez was not able to catch his older brother.
Sprint Race Results
Alex Marquez showed heart on day one of practice at Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix. After crashing for a second time on the day earlier in the session Marquez bounced back to set the al out lap record with a 1:35.991s lap. For the first time this season Alex Marquez looks to be running ahead of his brother Marc Marquez who has emerged as the fastest on the grid in MotoGP thus far in 2025. Alex Marquez will look ahead to maintain his place at the top and claim pole.
“Today I was maybe overconfident and then crashed twice, said Alex. “The second one, in particular, was a heavy one, even though I was almost unscathed. The best thing about this Friday was the reaction: I chose to stay put for half hour and then get back on track just for the time attack. It went well, even though we’ll have a lot of work to do tomorrow, especially with regards to race pace.”
Practice Results
Marc Marquez continued his dominance with the Ducati Lenovo MotoGP securing yet another sweep this weekend for the Qatar Grand Prix. Marquez had already won the sprint race yesterday and continues to capitalize on his current momentum by bring home yet another win. It was a great day for Ducati Lenovo after Francesco Bganaia fought for a P2 finish marking the first 1-2 finish for the team in 2025. Marquez said, The coming together at turn one with Alex was more my fault than his, but despite the missing wing I felt no behavior change on the bike. I managed the race as I wanted: I saw that Morbidelli was trying to pull away, but I wasn’t worried, as the priority for me was to manage the front-tyre wear. I knew that by riding this way, Pecco would have come closer, and it happened. When he overtook me, my real race started and I pushed a bit more in order to make the difference in the last ten laps.”
Francesco Break Through for P2 Finish
Francesco Bganaia has had a slow start to the season. Despite Marc Marquez winning all but one race thus far this season Bagnaia has fallen behind in the championship standings by a considerable margin. Howevere today was a nice consolation after a hard fought second place behind his teammate. He said, “All in all, I’m happy with today’s result, as you never know what can happen when you start from eleventh place on the grid. The only thing that upsets me a bit is that on Sunday I’m always a bit more competitive and effective, especially in the early laps, and I manage to complete some overtakes. On Saturday, on the other hand, I always struggle in doing the same, so I need to understand what to do in order to improve and make a step forward. That said, I’m happy with the outcome.”
Alex Marquez P2 Finish Streak Comes to End
Despite finishing second place in every race thus far this season Alex Marquez’ luck ran out in Qatar. The Gresini Racing rider never really seemed to get into a groove during the grand prix. After making contact with Marc Marquez at the start of the race Alex lost some body work which seemed to compromise his performance.
Qatar Grand Prix Results
Marc Marquez returned to the top of the tables after a late mistake in the last round. Marquez has solidified himself at the front once again with his brother Alex Marquez finishing in second place. Alex came into the weekend with the championship lead and has embraced the consistency is key mantra having finished second in every race to date this year. Ducati has dominated the MotoGP season thus far and no other manufacturer has shown they can close the gap as of yet. In his return, Jorge Martin finished P16 which was a disappointing finish for the champion. Martin’s title defense seems over with the recent form from the Marquez brothers.
Marc Marquez said, “We’re having a good weekend, one that I think is the most important of the season for me. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, with the full race still awaiting us tomorrow. At the moment, Pecco, Alex and I have a similar level. From the fifth or sixth lap onwards, with used tires, I normally feel better in terms of riding, and that’s why I chose to try and pull away as soon as I felt that the bike was sliding a bit more. But the real difference this year has been in the time attack.”
Francesco Bagnaia finished in a poor P8 which puts his point deficit to Marc Marquez at 21 points heading into Qatar Grand Prix
“We gave it a try today, but it wasn’t doable, said Marquez. “I didn’t want to overtake him at that braking spot, but Marc did it earlier to pass me back and the attack finished there. I almost crashed at turn two while I was still close to him, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t the case to take risks. We bagged some more important points for the championship and gathered valuable data ahead of tomorrow’s race. Today Marc was faster than us and we must be happy with how it went.”
Qatar Sprint Race Results
After dominating the World Superbike field in Portugal, BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu is looking to make up for lost points after multiple mishaps at the Phillip Island round. Despite completing a hat trick win in Portugal Razgatlioglu still has an uphill battle. Nicolo Bulega has been riding in great form consistently challenging for podium positions every race. Additionally, Danilo Petrucci is slowing starting to creep into the discussion as a championship contender. Despite this Razgatlioglu lived in the moment after the weekend hat trick.
“We have been pushing really hard this weekend, in every corner,” said Razgatlioglu. “A big thank you to the team, everyone is working really hard and we improved the bike in every session. Congrats also to Nicolò Bulega, he did a great job this weekend, he is really strong. I am really happy; we were fighting with Nicolò here and I think everybody enjoyed to watch the races. I am a fighter, I love to fight and I never give up.
“The bike is not 100 per cent yet, but I was only pushing for the win. Yesterday’s race was harder for me because I often lost the front. I just tried to follow Nicolò and to win the race. It has been a good battle. In today’s races, the pace was incredible and I was pushing really hard, but I felt a little bit better because we had improved the bike and I felt more grip. I came here with the target to get pole and three wins. We achieved all of that and for me, it has been an incredible weekend. After Phillip Island, we came back and have been really strong here. Now we will see how the next races will be.”
LAGOA, ALGARVE, PORTUGAL – MARCH 30: Toprak Razgatlioglu of Turkey and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team – BMW M1000RR jumps in a pool after winning Race 2 during the FIM Superbike World Championship at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on March 30, 2025 in Lagoa, Algarve, Portugal. (Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images)Words from ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport
“This weekend in Portimão was a milestone for BMW Motorrad Motorsport – a triumph of team spirit, technology, and unwavering dedication. With his hat-trick and new lap records, Toprak impressively demonstrated the full potential of our M 1000 RR, and Michael rounded off the strong overall performance with his consistent and very strong riding. I am incredibly proud of our entire team – both on the track and in the garage. This was more than just a victory – it was a statement. Now we turn our focus forward: Assen is waiting, and we are coming with momentum!”
Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrrad Motorsport
“It was a very intense weekend. First of all, apologies to Toprak for having to miss the first free practice on Friday due to a technical issue, but as a team, we stayed focused, worked cleanly, and were ready with both riders from FP2 onwards. I think you could see in almost every session that both performed well. Lap records, pole position, three wins for Toprak, and Mickey consistently in the top positions – it has been a very strong weekend for BMW. It was great to be back in Europe and to see on this track layout that our 2025 bike package is working very well.
That means what was discussed in the past is in the past, and we can now focus on the present. With many dry sessions both during testing and the race weekend, we had the opportunity to perfect and fine-tune the bike. The engineers, mechanics, and riders got the absolute maximum out of the bike, and the package is competitive. Now we’re looking forward to Assen.”
Consistency is key in the fight for the MotoGP title and BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP team racer Alex Marquez has been nothing but consistent thus far this year. After 6 second place finishes Alex Marquez has moved into the championship lead for Greisni Racing. After Sunday’s race he said, “Let’s enjoy the moment. This track is not among my favourites and I wasn’t feeling at my best today on the bike. Despite all of this and the chaos at the start of the GP, we did well in staying focused. When I saw Marc crashing out I realised I had to be twice careful and bring home the result. We’re leading the championship, for what’s worth, but it’s a great moment for me and my team. Let’s enjoy it.”
The headlines have been all Marquez until America. Though Alex hasn’t yet closed the gap to his brother his consistency and focus has put him in the position to lead the championship and keep the run a the title a realistic goal this year. The Marquez brothers have ignited the MotoGP world thus far in 2025. As the riders head into Qatar the on track action looks to be amounting to a showdown for a another change in championship lead.
Marc Marquez was on track to go three weekends undefeated but that feat all came to an end after a crash midway through the Americas Grand Prix. Marquez had built up a 2 second lead out front but on lap 9 of the race through turn 4 Marquez got a bit to far onto the curbing which were known to be wet from rain earlier in the day. Marques slid out and Bagnaia took the lead and never looked back.
Marquez ended up retiring for the race because the damage to his bike severely compromised performance. He said “It was obviously a big mistake, because I had the race under control I was managing the gap, but I cut the corner at turn five a bit too much and lost the front. Was it a disaster? Yes, it was, but we’re human and sometimes we make mistakes. The good thing is that we’re still very close to the top of the standings, so we keep going. We’ll have the same approach in Qatar, trying to understand how to interpret the track the best way. Last year, I had my first racing weekend with Ducati there, and it went well. The good thing is that I know the reason behind my crash – the way I cut the corner; I’m sorry for the team but tomorrow is a new day and the start of a new week.”
Bagnaia was well off the pace of Marquez but with the crash he inherited the win. “I’m really happy; it’s a special feeling to be back atop the podium after what wasn’t the easiest of times,” said Bagnaia. I knew I had to be patient, as the feeling was not ideal, but we started this weekend in a good way as we built upon the progress made in Argentina. It’s clear that Marc was stronger today, too, but the conditions were tricky, and the curbs were really wet, especially the one at turn five, which I had noticed already during the warm up lap. After his crash, I tried to pull away and it wasn’t easy, as Alex (Márquez) had a great pace. Winning is what keeps you going, especially when you miss that taste that you had many times before. It’s fantastic.”
Alex Marquez continued his run of second place finishes which allowed him to pass his brother in the championship standings. Alex Marquez took over the championship lead by one point ahead of Marc Marquez.
5 riders did not finish the race.
Grand Prix of the Americas Results