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
The US grand prix sprint race podium was a familiar one as Marc Marquez continued his dominance ahead of the field along side his brother Alex Marquez who has finished second place in every race thus far this season.
Marquez commented on another win saying, “I was pushing a bit too much during lap one and came very close to a disaster. The track conditions were very different, and I had noticed it immediately on the long right-hander during lap one. The pace was slower compared to Practice, which made the situation more difficult; then I understood how to tackle these conditions and, without taking excessive risks, I pulled a gap and managed the situation. We’ll see about tomorrow, as we have to improve a couple of things: it’s going to be a long race and the warmup will be very useful to understand how to approach it, but I’m happy with today’s sprint race win.”
Alex Marquez once again finished in 2nd further solidifying Francesco Bagnaia’s gap to Marc Marquez in the championship standings. Bagnaia doesn’t seem to have an answer for Marc Marquez’s recent leap in performance. Whether there is intra-team cause for concern is unknown. What is known is that the lon term outcome may make or break the Ducati Lenovo team.
Bagnaia certainly has not been a championship caliber rider thus far in the season. However, despite a swing in fortune looming. Bagnaia is 30 points behind Marc Marquez in the championship standings. The championship race can be decided early if Marquez continues to gain group every race round. Only time will tell where we will end up come mid season.
US Grand Prix Sprint Race Results
Marc Marquez recovered from an early FP1 crash to lead day one of the US Grand Prix practice sessions. Marquez was seemingly unfazed by day one’s activities as he continued his run of dominance securing another pole position for the races this weekend. Marquez has won every race thus far this year and clearly has shown no signs of slowing down. He led qualifying on tenth ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and in third his brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing).
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) was in no mans land down in P6 which raises questions as to what’s happened to his championship contending form. He has more experience on this Ducati platform than Marquez yet Marquez continues to out perform him. Bagnaia is currently 31 points behind in the championship fight and needs to mount a defense in the sprint race to cut into Marc Marquez’s lead.
Words from the Ducati Lenovo Riders
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st (74 points); Qualified P1
“We arrive in Austin after two practically perfect weekends, especially the first in Thailand. COTA is a track where I have always managed to be fast, even last year when I was here for the first time on the Ducati. A physically demanding track and in terms of riding too where I have won a lot. We must stay focused, not make mistakes, take care of the details and work hard with the whole Team to be competitive”.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd (43 points); Qualified P6
“The atmosphere in Austin is always special. A very long track, one of the most demanding on the calendar both physically and in terms of riding, with 20 corners. In 2023 I scored a nice win in the Sprint, while last year I have struggled more. In Argentina we scored two solid placings, but we weren’t as perfect and competitive as we want. We need to continue working with the Team to find good riding feelings again”.
Qualifying Results from Circuit of the Americas
Macr Marquez has made a statement thus far in the 2025 MotoGP championship race. The spainiard and multi-time champion has shown no signs of slowing down after securing his 4th win of the season. Behind him his brother Alex Marquez finish P2 in both the sprint race and grand prix in Argentina. The Marquez brothers have finished 1-2 in every race thus far in 2025.
Marc Marquez said, “The race pace was incredible and a had a few moments in the final laps. Alex pushed me to the limit: we were both able to lap in the low 1’38s, and we really made the different. It wasn’t easy to overtake him, as the only spot was at turn five. The first time I tried, I ended up wide, but then I was able to make it stick at the second attempt as I was a lot closer to him. I’m happy for my team as they did an incredible job. We weren’t in such a perfect condition as in Buriram, my riding was not as smooth, but the lap-times came and that’s what matters. I can’t wait for the next race weekend at Austin, especially given the moment we’re living right now.”
Ducati Paves the Way
It’s clear that Marquez and Ducati have a new found synergy that is seeing them to the top of the MotoGP world thus far in 2025. After falling short last year to Jorge Martin’s championship winning finish to the 2024 season. Francesco Bagnaia Marquez’ teammate fell victim to an attakc from behind by Johann Zarco which saw him lose time to the front runners. Poised to take advantage for Franco Morbidelli who snuck by both Zarco and Bagnaia to steal away the last podium spot.
Of note, Marco Bezzecchi crashed out at Turn 1 after getting out of shape from launch. His day was ended early due to the crash. Ai Ogura had a sensational race that was later cancelled out by a disqualification. The stewards made the decision based on non-homologated software being used on his machinery.
Results from Argentina
Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez duplicated their last sprint race outing with a 1-2 in Argentina today in the Tissot Sprint race. Thus far Ducati has emerged as the front running manufacturer having secured all of the podium positions so far in 2025. Francesco Bagnaia settled for P3.
Marc Marquez said, “I was expecting this type of race today. I knew Alex (Márquez) was very competitive and he pushed me to the limit until the end. In the final laps, with the grip fading, I pushed a bit more because I saw the conditions were good, but tomorrow’s race will be a long one and I expect a very competitive Alex, and Pecco always makes a step forward on Sunday. I feel fast with the medium tyre, but we still need to decide which tyre to use; we’ll check the data to understand the actual drop of the soft tyre and then we’ll choose. A good start will be crucial, and we’ll need to manage the tyre wear, especially in the left-hand corners where there are more bumps.”
Marc Marquez extended his championship point lead ahead of the Argentina Grand Prix. Thus far Ducati Lenovo are satisfied with Marquez’ performance. WIth on race to go it is yet to be determined if Marquez will win another double race weekend.
Sprint Race Results