More from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Excellent start for Aprilia Racing in Valencia.
The first day of practice on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit ended on a positive note for Aprilia Racing. Marco Bezzecchi kicked off his Friday with the eighteenth-best time in FP1. In the afternoon practice session, the Italian rider took a decisive step forward, finishing the session with an outstanding second place, in spite of a crash on turn 4 in the early stages of the session. This result puts him straight through to Q2.
On his return after the injury suffered in Motegi, Jorge Martín underwent a medical exam on Thursday by the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Medical Team and was declared fit to race. For him, Friday was a day of adapting after more than a month and a half of downtime. He finished the practice session twenty-second, which means that he’ll need to go through Q1 on Saturday.
Also worth a mention is the performance by Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Ai Ogura, who finished the practice session fifth, thereby earning the right to go straight through to Q2 along with Bezzecchi.
Marco Bezzecchi: “It was a great day because we improved significantly between the morning and the afternoon. The team did an outstanding job. I was able to do the second time attack with the bike I had crashed on and I’d like to thank them for that. I made a small mistake on turn 4 and crashed because I released the brake too soon.”
Jorge Martin: “I feel much better than I thought I would. On one hand, that’s positive because it means that I have recovered – not one hundred percent, obviously – but still good in such a short amount of time. On the other hand, however, I feel like I want to do more. I just focused on turning laps and finding my pace and the sensations.”
Paolo Bonora: “We are extremely happy because, with Marco, we confirmed the good feeling on this track and with the RS-GP25, as the second place in Q2 demonstrates. We are also pleased with Jorge’s return. The goal with him is obviously to build back confidence with the bike in view of 2026. We already demonstrated that we have a good setup this morning, also with Ogura. We need to continue working in order to be ready for qualifying and the sprint race on Saturday.”
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More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Racing Team:
In Valencia from Q2.
- Free Practice 1 – ValenciaGP
6 th – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’30.884s)
11th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 (1’31.113s)
- Practice – ValenciaGP
4th – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’29.473s) Q2
8th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 (1’29.597s) Q2
Alex Marquez: “It was a Friday in which we started already some work in preparation for Tuesday’s test. It’s clear that this activity took some time away from the weekend’s work, but we still achieved our goal. This year, we secured 21 direct seeds to Q2 and this surely is something I’m proud of. For tomorrow, it’s true that Pedro and Bezzecchi are fast, but even those behind have gotten closer compared to Portugal.”
Fermin Aldeguer: “It wasn’t an easy track today, especially in the afternoon. The morning crash took away a bit of feeling and we didn’t manage to return to the track in FP1. We still worked well and in the end we secured our spot in Q2, which was the goal. There’s surely plenty of margin to do better tomorrow, even though there’s a lot of difference in terms of performance between compounds, and we’ll need to be accurate.”
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More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Jack Miller Leads the Charge for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP with a Strong P6 on Friday in Valencia.
Jack Miller was one of the standout performers on the opening day of the Valencia GP, the 22nd and final round of the MotoGP World Championship. At the end of the afternoon Practice session, the Australian rider of Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP — already fastest in the morning‘s FP1 — secured an excellent sixth place, earning direct access to tomorrow‘s Q2 at 10:50 local time. That session will determine the grid for both the afternoon Sprint at 15:00 and Sunday‘s Grand Prix, which starts at 14:00 and will close the season. A more difficult Friday, instead, for Miguel Oliveira, who struggled with rear grip and ended the day 21st.
Jack Miller has often been very fast at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia where MotoGP returns after last year‘s forced cancellation due to flooding, and which traditionally closes the MotoGP season. The Australian has stood on the Valencia podium four times in his career, including one win, and two years ago he led the race for a long stretch before crashing out. So, his intense and competitive Friday comes as no surprise: in the morning, the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider topped the timesheets, then confirmed both his own strong form and that of the Yamaha YZR-M1 in the afternoon Practice, finishing sixth (1’29″556) and locking in direct Q2 access for tomorrow morning.
It was a complicated Friday for Miguel Oliveira, who — just as last week in Portimao — continued to struggle with rear-end grip, a limitation preventing him from exploiting the full potential of his bike. In the end, the Portuguese rider had to settle for 21st place, which means he will have to fight his way through Q1 tomorrow.
Valencia GP schedule:
Saturday: 10.10 Free Practice 2; 10.50 Qualifying; 15.00 Sprint Race (13 laps – 52,065 km)
Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up; 14.00 Race (27 laps – 108,14)
GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha:
“I‘d say it was a very good Friday, especially for Miller, who was already very strong this morning — even though he used a new tire to set his time — and then performed extremely well again in Practice. Well done to him and his team, they worked really well. I‘m sorry for Oliveira: once again we haven‘t been able to find a good balance between him and the bike. Everyone is working very hard, but we still haven‘t found the right setup. Hopefully we can discover something between today and tomorrow that allows him to improve.”
Jack Miller: “I felt great from the start. I love this place and the bike is working very well. This isn‘t a crazy-fast circuit — it‘s actually quite tight for MotoGP bikes, almost like a go-kart track — and I feel we can do a good job this weekend. We can manage the pace and use the tyres well. I feel competitive, definitely more competitive than I‘ve been in recent weeks in terms of staying with the other bikes and following them.”
Miguel Oliveira: “It was a bad day, I have to admit. I wasn‘t expecting to have such low rear grip. I‘ve been complaining about this since Portimao: I don‘t have the edge grip to make the bike turn, and I feel like I‘m taking a lot of risks on the front end. I can‘t use the bike‘s full potential to exit the corners. I‘m spinning too much and I can‘t pick the bike up and drive out. So yes, it‘s a very frustrating day, because I feel comfortable when I‘m riding — but the bike just isn‘t performing.”
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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:
Mir straight to final Q2 of 2025 in Valencia.
An intense final Friday of 2025 action for the Honda HRC Castrol team, Joan Mir leading the Honda charge in ninth as Luca Marini was edged out of the top ten by barely two tenths – a single second splitting 20 riders.
Returning to Valencia for the first time since 2023, both Joan Mir and Luca Marini were keen to quickly get back up to speed and understand the condition of the circuit. With stable weather conditions throughout the day, both Honda HRC Castrol riders were able to make improvements over the course of running as their preparations for the final round of year continued at pace.
Working to understand the different condition of the circuit on his return to Valencia, Mir put together an overall positive Friday. Encountering very different conditions to 2023 the #36 had to work hard for his lap times today but it will no doubt pay off with a position on the front four rows of the grid already guaranteed. Ninth when the day came to a close, Joan Mir would once again lead the Honda charge and secure his spot in Q2.
Marini had a somewhat more challenging day, managing a best time of 1’29.896 for 16th overall – but only 0.2s shy of the top ten. Also struggling to get the most out of the Honda RC213V in the low-grip conditions, the Italian is hoping for improvements on Saturday. Securing a good position on the grid will be vital, overtaking in Valencia often a tricky affair.
Joan Mir: “A happy day but one that was more difficult than I was expecting. The conditions didn’t help, here in Valencia the grip has reduced a lot compared to what I remember. Even without things going their best we are in Q2 which is a really positive sign. I was using the hard front which shows the confidence I have in the bike, it’s very good for braking but we need to find something more in the longer corners. This is where we need to find those three tenths we are missing and make another step!”
Luca Marini: “The grip has changed a lot compared to two years ago, so how our bike is behaving here is really different. In the past it was a circuit where Honda was really strong and now we are struggling a little more. I was really expecting more, and we need to work to improve it overnight, there’s still the possibility to do something but it’s not like we thought it would be. It was warmer than we were expecting which is always nice because sometimes here in Valencia it can get really, really cold.”
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More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Quartararo in Line-Up for Valencia GP Q2, Rins to Tackle Q1.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team had a mixed Grand Prix of the Valencian Community Friday. Despite a setback mid-way through today’s Practice, Fabio Quartararo managed to secure P10 and a direct entry into Q2. Álex Rins wrapped up the afternoon session in P17, putting him on the entry list for tomorrow’s Q1.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins had to push hard on the Friday at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The Practice times at the short track were all very close together, promising an exciting Grand Prix of the Valencian Community race weekend. Quartararo ended the Practice session in 10th and will take part in tomorrow’s Q2, while Rins placed 17th, which puts him on the entry list for tomorrow’s Q1.
Quartararo completed this morning’s Free Practice 1 in 13th place. He made progress in the early stages of the afternoon Practice session and was featuring inside the top 10 when at the midway stage he encountered a sudden technical problem. The Frenchman was quick to return to the box though. As he headed back out on track, he had to push to regain a direct Q2-entry, but he was unfazed. His best time of 1’29.673s, set on lap 18/23, got the job done. It earned him 10th place in the classifications, 0.433s from the top.
Rins ended FP1 in 15th place with a 1’31.301s, but he felt that he would be able to make a step forward at the Ricardo Tormo track in the Practice. The Spaniard worked diligently in the afternoon session and dropped under the 1’30s mark when he set a 1’29.999s on his 22nd and final lap. However, it was not enough to contend for the top 10. It put him in 17th place in the classifications, 0.759s from first.
The teammates will be back in action for FP2, held tomorrow from 10:10-10:40 (GMT+1). The qualifying sessions will follow from 10:50-11:30, and the 13-lap Sprint will start at 15:00.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI – Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha
“We had a bit of a complicated start. Fabio made good progress between the morning session and the afternoon Practice. He was showing good pace, but a sudden technical error cost him time and spoiled his plans for the Practice. However, Fabio showed his adaptability and still got the job done. In the end, Álex was not fast enough in the time attacks. The team will help him prepare for tomorrow’s Q1 session, because we expect that it will be a tough battle for those top two spots. Overall, the times of the entire MotoGP field are close together: with 19 riders within 1s it promises to be an entertaining final showdown for the fans.”
Fabio Quartararo: “I had an issue with leaking fuel in the Practice. Other than that, I was struggling to find a good feeling with the front. Hopefully tomorrow we can make a step, also on one-lap speed, so I’ll feel a bit more comfortable. It looks like our base at the last two races doesn’t translate well here, but we are trying to figure out what we can do.”
Alex Rins: “Our weekend started in the Practice – let’s say it like that – because in FP1 I really struggled with the setting of the bike. We were using a ‘normal’ set-up in the morning, but I couldn’t turn well and was going wide. So, we did a drastic set-up change for the Practice, and I noticed a big positive change. We have given it everything we have since the first session, but we still need to polish some small things to be a bit more towards the front.”
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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:
Aleix Espargaro shows his speed with 13th on Friday in Valencia.
The Honda HRC Test Team immediately made their hard work known at the final round of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship season. A fiercely competitive Aleix Espargaro converted a stunning third place in FP1 to a 13th place in the afternoon, finishing ahead of Bagnaia on the factory Ducati.
Aleix Espargaro: “We’ve had a really good start today, the bike I am riding has improved a lot since the start of the year and I have also been riding a lot more, so everything is coming together. There is more potential there from the bike, I was pushing but that final bit – I have margin, and we can go faster. There’s more stability, speed, everything has improved over the course of the year. We need to make the most of Qualifying because overtaking here is very hard.”
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More from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:
The Ducati Lenovo Team prepares for Q1 after opening day at Valencia: Bagnaia fourteenth in Practice, Bulega twenty-fourth.
The Ducati Lenovo Team tackled the final Friday of the 2025 MotoGP season at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Francesco Bagnaia finished a hard-fought Practice session in fourteenth place, while Nicolò Bulega was twenty-fourth at the flag.
Bagnaia, twenty-first in Free Practice, climbed to the top of the timesheets in the early minutes. In the final stages of the session, however, Pecco was unable to make his way back into the top ten and was eventually fourteenth, less than six tenths from first place. Bulega, in his second-ever MotoGP event, continued his adaptation to the Desmosedici GP as he wrapped up the afternoon in twenty-fourth position.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will resume action tomorrow morning at 10:10 local time (GMT +1) for Free Practice 2, followed by Q1 at 10:50 and Q2 at 11:15. The twenty-second Sprint of the season will be contested over 13 laps from 15:00.
Francesco Bagnaia: “Today we unfortunately didn’t work in the right direction. There was a slight improvement between the two sessions and I hope that – as the grip increases – we’ll be able to make a more significant step forward. We need to improve the bike behaviour under braking and in the turning phase. Looking at the data, it’s clear that we’re missing speed on corner entry and when opening the throttle, which costs me quite a bit of time. The lack of feeling, in this sense, doesn’t help me give clear indications, and I knew this was a track where we could struggle. In any case, we keep working to find a solution.”
Nicolò Bulega: “Riding at this track with a MotoGP bike is not simple and I’m still struggling in some areas of the circuit. This is a very technical track with very interconnected corners: if you don’t have full confidence with the front-end, it becomes challenging to make the bike turn. I can’t exploit the tyres as much as I’d like, especially the soft ones, as I end up with the same lap-times as with the other compounds. When that happens, it means you still haven’t found the limit. In any case, it was overall a positive day and we’ll try to make a step forward tomorrow.”
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More from a press release issued by CASTROL Honda LCR:
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finishes Friday in 15th place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
- Returning to Valencia after two years, Frenchman Johann Zarco began Friday’s track action with consistency and showed solid performance throughout the morning.
- In the afternoon, while pushing to secure a Q2 spot, Zarco admitted that a lack of confidence in the braking areas prevented him from completing the lap time he needed.
- Despite the challenges, the times remain extremely close, and the team is confident there are strong opportunities to reach Q2 and fight competitively in the Sprint.
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More from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:
After two years, MotoGP™ finally roared again at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, with Friday’s action at the Grand Prix of Valencia giving the whistle for the last game of the season. Red Bull KTM Tech3 was honoured to finally welcome back Maverick Viñales returning to competing after missing out the last three rounds. The Spaniard closed his first day back in the office in 18th, and teammate Enea Bastianini followed in 19th, as both Tech3 riders will face Q1 on the final qualifying day of 2025.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s full line-up was then ready to go on Friday morning, with both Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales hitting the track for FP1 with a slightly delayed start following a red-flagged Moto2™ FP1. Both got their first taste of the RC16 on the Valencian layout, as we saw Bastianini close the opening session 0.944 seconds off the top, yet in 17th, and Viñales’ pace saw Top Gun end just 1 second from early pace setter, Jack Miller. The main class hit back the track at 15:00 sharp in the afternoon for the final Practice of the season, and the time attacks promised sparklings, with 21 riders less than one second of each other, with just under 20 minutes left on the clock. Pedro Acosta was at the top with a 1’29.790, Viñales’ best in 1’30.623 had him in P17 before the final time attacks, and teammate Bastianini was not far behind with a 1’30.706, in 20th. As all riders began pushing to make the final top 10 cut of the year, we saw Bastianini sneak into the top 10 for a few seconds with a first attack in 1’30.237, but the others followed, and he dropped to 13th. He continued to push, but somehow he could not put it all together to improve his lap time, and we saw him finish the session in 19th. Viñales could improve to a 1’30.147, but that was just 0.474 seconds short of Q2! The Spaniard will face Q1 on Saturday, alongside his teammate, in the final qualifying session of 2025, starting at 10:50 local time, shortly after FP2. Then, lights of the Tissot Sprint will go out at 15:00 local time (UTC+1), for 13 laps.
Maverick Viñales: “I had not been on that bike for a few weeks, so of course it was tough today, but the goal at the moment is to feel comfortable again on the bike, before being able to push. I am still missing some flexibility, so we just need to make a few twists on my position, and then it will be good! It has been positive to see that my shoulder has improved a lot, we are no longer feeling pain, which is good. The bike is good otherwise, it is super fast, and we just have work to catch up on my side, since I have not been able to push since my injury! Good feeling heading to Saturday!”
Enea Bastianini: “Similar story to usual of course, but the start of the day was not so bad to be honest. We struggled again as soon as we switched tires, which is an ongoing issue we are trying to solve from our end. Also, the feeling when I put the soft rear changed, I could not, once again, turn the bike like I wanted, the rear was pushing the front a lot, and I am really waiting for Tuesday’s test, because it is a very important issue we need to address. Let’s continue working, and see if we can make some improvements for tomorrow.”
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More from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team:
Augusto Fernández Begins Final 2025 Wild-Card Weekend on Valencia GP Friday.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team continued their V4-powered prototype testing programme at the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community today. Wild-card entry Augusto Fernández resumed his mission of gathering useful data to boost bike development. He finished the Friday Practice session in 20th place.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team started their V4-powered prototype testing plan for the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community weekend. Augusto Fernández’s goal is again to gather data to aid bike development. He wrapped up today’s Practice in 20th place, putting him on the entry list for tomorrow’s Q1.
Fernández was satisfied with the FP1 proceedings, which he finished in 10th place with an encouraging 1’31.035s. The Spanish rider was keen to keep the positive trend going in the 1-hour Practice session in the afternoon, but an early crash lost him a bit of time. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team still managed to make steps in accordance with today’s V4-powered prototype testing plan as Fernández completed 25 laps in total. A 1’30.267s, set on lap 19, had him finish in 20th place in the Practice results, 1.027s from first.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will continue their testing programme during the Saturday MotoGP sessions: FP2 will be held from 10:10-10:40 local track time (GMT+1), followed by the qualifying sessions from 10:50-11:30, and the 13-lap Sprint, which starts at 15:00.
Augusto Fernandez: “Today was good, there weren’t any negatives. I noticed a slight improvement. I had a small crash in the Practice, but overall we worked well today. FP1 was okay, and I was riding on the pace from the start, so I could feel everything better than in Sepang. We are noticing consistency in our findings, which is positive as well. Valencia and Sepang are quite different, but the feelings are similar, which is good. Tomorrow, we want to see if we can make a step, especially with the front of the bike, and we’ll try to find a good base.”
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More from a press release issued by IDEMITSU Honda LCR:
IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Somkiat Chantra finished 23rd on Friday at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
- Returning to Valencia after two years, the Thai rider began Friday’s track action determined to find the best possible feeling on the MotoGP bike for the first time at this circuit.
- Identifying areas for improvement, Chantra and the team opted to try different setups throughout Practice in order to make progress.
- Despite the final result, he managed to close the gap to his rivals and found several positives that will help him tomorrow in Q1 as he aims to secure the best possible grid position and fight in the Sprint.
