BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Izan Guevara won the Moto2 race at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community on Sunday. CFMOTO Aspar Team’s Daniel Holgado, QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI’s Ivan Ortola, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Collin Veijer and ELF Marc VDS Racing Team’s Filip Salac completed the top five. With an 11th-place finish, Diogo Moreira won the Moto2 World Championship, becoming the first Brazilian to win a motorcycle Grand Prix Championship.
Moto2 race Classification
Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez won the Moto3 race on Sunday at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Alvaro Carpe, Honda Team Asia’s Taiyo Furusato, Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP’s Guido Pini and CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team’s Maximo Quiles rounded out the top five.
Moto3 race Classification
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Fabio Quartararo set the pace at Circuit de Valencia in the Sunday warmup at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community with a 1’30.111 lap. BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Marquez, Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Raul Fernandez, Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi and Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top five.
MotoGP Sunday warmup Classification
More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Team:
Alex Marquez storms to Valencia Sprint, Fermin Aldeguer pushed outside the points.
1st – ALEX MARQUEZ #73
11th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54
2nd – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (457 points)
Runner Up MotoGP 2025
8th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 (203 points)
Rookie of the Year 2025
Alex Marquez: “It went better than expected, but we made a good start and then attacked early in order to dictate the race from the lead. We achieved the goal and the Spanish crowd surely helped to take a bit more risks for the win. Tomorrow won’t be easy, but we can fight for the podium and who knows, maybe finish this great season on a high.”
Fermin Aldeguer: “We had a good qualifying, but then in the race, honestly, Jack’s manoeuvre ruined our performance. With no wings, we struggled on the straight, but we have some ideas for tomorrow. The top five is not outside our reach, even though a podium would be an incredible way to wrap up the season.”
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More from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Aprilia Racing place fifth in Valencia sprint.
The sprint at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit ended with a strong result for Aprilia Racing, as Marco Bezzecchi clinched third place in the riders’ championship.
In Q2, Bezzecchi delivered an outstanding performance, taking pole position in 1:28.809, a new all-time lap record, beating the previous benchmark set by Aprilia in 2023. This was the Italian rider’s fifth pole of the season and his second in a row, adding to those secured in Austria, Misano, Mandalika and Portimão. In the sprint, Bezzecchi encountered some difficulty in the opening corners, dropping several positions. The Italian rider finished the sprint in fifth place, securing third in the championship with one race remaining in his debut season with Aprilia Racing.
Starting from seventeenth on the grid, Jorge Martín made a good getaway and moved up to eleventh by the end of the first lap. However, he ran wide on lap four and dropped to the back of the pack, despite continuing to set competitive times. The Spanish rider finished the sprint in twenty-second place.
Raúl Fernández also delivered an excellent performance on Saturday. The Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider earned fourth place on the grid, progressing from Q1 to Q2, and finished the sprint in fourth after battling for the final podium spot throughout the race.
Marco Bezzecchi: “I’m not entirely satisfied with the sprint because I was hoping to accomplish more, but overall it was a good day. Unfortunately, on the opening lap, the fork didn’t release, and coming out of the first corners, I couldn’t accelerate as I wanted, so I lost several positions straight away. From then on, the sprint became difficult.”
Jorge Martin: “It was a good sprint. I got off the line very well and was immediately up to eleventh. At turn 8, I ran straight on and found myself at the back of the group. From that moment, I focused on finding my rhythm: I tried different maps and adjusted some aspects of my riding style to work out how to close the gap to the riders ahead. I maintained a steady pace, and I’m happy about that. We made a big step forward. I’m getting my confidence back, but I also need to be aware of my physical condition and take things steadily on that front.”
Fabiano Sterlacchini: “It was a positive day, although a bit of a mixed bag, because starting from pole, this result doesn’t fully reflect our potential. We had a minor issue at the start that affected Marco’s initial getaway. We are investigating the cause, but we are confident everything will be fine for tomorrow. We’re sorry if this problem influenced the sprint’s outcome. It was great to see Jorge back on track: he has already shown flashes of his great talent, and now it’s just a matter of getting the miles under his belt. We hope he can have a good race tomorrow, something that will help him regain confidence and rhythm.”
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More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Push to the Fullest in Final 2025 Sprint.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo’s strong start to the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community Sprint resulted in some fierce battles and a P7 at the finish line. Álex Rins negotiated the busy mid-pack and rode from P19 on the grid to P15.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo’s strong start and opening lap allowed him to battle towards the front of the pack today. His efforts were ultimately rewarded with a 7th place in the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community Sprint. Álex Rins continued working on improving his feeling around Circuit Ricardo Tormo on the Saturday. He ended the 13-lap dash in 15th place.
Quartararo had a good start from P6 and moved up to fourth on the opening lap. He was fully occupied battling with Fabio Di Giannantonio, who ultimately overtook him on the second lap. The number 20 swiftly moved on to fending off a charging Marco Bezzecchi. After some back-and-forth, El Diablo found himself riding in sixth place on lap 5 and under pressure from Franco Morbidelli. Quartararo held firm until Turn 1 on lap 9, when the Italian sneaked through. Unable to retaliate, the Frenchman focused on keeping Brad Binder at bay and held steady to the finish line, crossing it in P7, 7.102s from the winner.
Rins started from P19 and gained a position on the opening lap. On the next lap the two factory Hondas collided. The commotion briefly moved the Yamaha rider up to P15 before Enea Bastianini overtook him. With Jorge Martin running wide on lap 4, Rins moved up to 15th again. The number 42 defended his position from Nicolo Bulega all the way to the finish line, taking the chequered flag 14.264s from first.
After today’s results, Quartararo stays in 9th place in the overall standings with 201 points, and Rins holds 19th position with 66 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 6th in the team championship with 267 points, and Yamaha remain in 5th position in the constructor championship with 240 points.
The team will be back in action tomorrow for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+1), and the 27-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI – Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha:
“It’s not been an easy outing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for us so far. Ahead of the Sprint we knew that, given our qualifying positions, the riders would face tough battles. That said, this track is narrow, and overtaking is generally tricky here. Fabio had a really good start and did everything he could to hold on to his position. In the end, he couldn’t fend off the chasing rivals, so he finished in P7. For Álex it was tough, starting from the seventh row. That already compromised his Sprint race, and he didn’t have the pace to make up ground. We still have some tweaking to do for tomorrow to improve the riders’ feeling with the bike. We’ll analyse today’s data thoroughly as we prepare for the season’s final Race, and we’ll give it everything we’ve got.”
Fabio Quartararo: “Our Sprint race was more about defending than attacking. I could attack a bit on the first few laps, especially in Turn 4 where Marco made a small mistake, and I could overtake in those moments, but from that point on I was defending. I expected less drop from the rear tyre this afternoon, but I also saw so many other people struggle with the front tyre, and that’s something we’re working on too. Let’s see tomorrow what happens when we have double the number of laps.”
Alex Rins: “It’s true that since we’ve returned from the overseas races, we are struggling a bit more. We are looking for a way to improve. We want to finish this season in the best way possible. We tried different things today and already worked a bit on the pace for tomorrow. Let’s see how it goes.”
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More from a press release issued by CASTROL Honda LCR:
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 10th in Saturday’s Sprint in Valencia.
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More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Contact, Confusion, Penalty: Miller’s Heated Sprint Race in Valencia GP.
A fiery race for the Prima Pramac Yamaha team in the Valencia GP Sprint Race, where Jack Miller finished 12th after a highly controversial contact with Fermín Aldeguer at the start of lap 3 — an incident that the Stewards of the Race Direction initially decided to punish with a three-position drop, later converted into a long lap penalty. For Miguel Oliveira, approaching the end of his MotoGP career, the day closed with 17th place. Tomorrow at 14:00 local time, Miller will launch from the 8th spot on the grid, Oliveira from 18th.
It was a Sprint Race that left the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team with a bitter taste, as the first points of the Valencia weekend — round 22 and the final event of the World Championship — were assigned. Jack Miller, one of the key protagonists since Friday (fastest in FP1 and comfortably 6th in Practice), had secured a solid P8 in this morning‘s qualifying for both today‘s Sprint and tomorrow‘s GP.
After a good getaway that saw him pass ninth through the first corner, the laps that followed proved complicated for the Australian rider, locked in a fierce battle with Fermín Aldeguer for eighth place. Following an aborted attempt at the end of the opening lap, at the start of lap 3 in Turn 2, Miller launched a new attack on the Spaniard who, just as he had done previously, instead of yielding chose to release the brakes — leading the two bikes to inevitable contact. The Stewards of the Race Direction decided to penalize Miller, who in the meantime had been passed by Brad Binder, by ordering him to drop three positions. With the next rider more than two seconds behind, Miller opted not to serve the penalty, which triggered an alternative sanction: a long lap penalty. After completing it, Miller rejoined in 12th place.
It was a complicated Sprint Race also for Miguel Oliveira, who started 19th and lost a few positions in the opening moments before recovering to 17th, a position he maintained until the end. Tomorrow at 14.00, the Valencia GP will bring down the curtain on the 2025 season — and also on Miguel Oliveira‘s MotoGP career, as he will compete in World Superbike in 2026.
Valencia GP schedule:
Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up; 14.00 Race (27 laps – 108,14)
GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha:
“It’s a shame what happened in the race between Miller and Aldeguer, because that contact affected what could have still been a good race. I‘m not, and I reiterated this to Race Direction, in agreement with the decision to penalize Jack by making him give back three positions, but at this point there‘s nothing we can do. In Portimão, Aldeguer did the exact same thing to Miller and nothing was done about it. In my view, today it should have been the same. But I‘m not the one who decides. It‘s a pity, because he could have had a good race; he could have fought for eighth place, since we were in quite a good place with the bike. We‘ll try again tomorrow. As for Oliveira, unfortunately, despite everything we‘re doing, we haven‘t been able to find a balance that allows him to perform at a high level. I‘m really sorry, because he truly deserves a good race as his farewell to MotoGP. We‘ll try again tomorrow, hoping to give him a nice gift.”
Jack Miller: “It was a day where I tried to extract the maximum out of the bike. I was a little bit on the limit in the morning with the soft tire, but that was the only option. And then came the Sprint Race: I got away with a decent start, unfortunately there was that issue with Aldeguer and yeah… I could see the dashboard, but to drop three positions at that point, when you‘re two seconds in front of the next bike, is kind of ridiculous, so I was not going to do it. But when the long lap came, I understood that I might have to do it tomorrow in the GP, so better to do it. I lost three positions anyway, and the tire was not performing after that long lap with all the dirt and all.
The penalty in my opinion is not valid — it‘s impossible to pass if somebody continues to release the brakes on top of you. I had already passed him once at the last corner and he continued to ride over my front tire; we came out of it sideways, but since their bike is a rocket ship, he went away. So I spent a lap and a half deciding where to make another move. I got the best drive I could out of Turn 1 and in Turn 2 I attacked again. Everything was under control until, when I went side by side with him, he started to release the brakes again. I tried to go tighter and tighter and tighter, but at one point we had to have contact. The smart move, if he was sure he could pass me back, would have been to brake harder and cut under. But if you ride like this, you are forcing contact. And this is not correct. He took wings off riders this week, he T-boned me last week and nothing happened. And this week he forced the contact and I got the penalty.
I try the best I can on a bike that is underpowered, but when you make a clean pass they make it more difficult by releasing the brakes and riding over your front tire. This is not racing, this is dodging cars. That is the style of riding of the new generation. There is a lack of consistency from the Stewards — it is not even remotely in the picture. I got banned for ten minutes of the session because my bike was smoking, plus a three-thousand-euro fine, and then they let a bike smoke for half of a race and let it win the Grand Prix. Where is the consistency?”
Miguel Oliveira: “The race wasn‘t bad, considering I had a pretty poor start. I probably didn‘t take enough risks, and in the first two corners I lost a lot of positions and wasn‘t in a place to be more competitive afterwards. I‘ll try to be more competitive tomorrow. Overall, I was feeling better on the bike today — we made some good improvements, so I‘m happy enough with that. If I had managed to overtake Bulega or Rins, I could have been a couple of tenths faster, but I‘ll try to make it happen tomorrow.”
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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:
Another solid day of work for Espargaro and the Honda HRC Test Team.
Ending the first session of the day in ninth, Aleix Espargaro showed the potential of the Honda RC213V around the Valencia circuit. A best lap of 1’29.526 put the #41 in 14th on the grid, only 0.006s behind Luca Marini on the factory machine in Q1. Having to take avoiding action on several occasions saw Espargaro end the Sprint in 19th place despite his competitive pace.
Aleix Espargaro: “My goal for the weekend was to be as close to the factory riders as possible, I think it’s the most you can aim for as a test rider. I am happy with how we have been performing in this regard; we have made a lot of progress this year. Honestly, I wanted more from the race, and I went wide a couple of times. It’s really hard to overtake here so even with good pace, we couldn’t do much more. Another day tomorrow and we are looking forward to it.”
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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Sombre final Saturday for Honda HRC Castrol.
A racing incident saw both Luca Marini and Joan Mir suffer a double DNF in the final Sprint of the year as a complicated Valencia GP continues.
Luca Marini put in his best effort to advance through Q1, less than a tenth of a second the difference between his 13th position and a spot in Q2. On the other side of the Honda HRC Castrol garage, Joan Mir earned a respectable tenth place on the grid. Guiding his Honda RC213V around the four-kilometre circuit in 1’29.233, both were hopeful of fighting further ahead in the 13-lap Sprint.
An incredible start saw Marini get the jump on his teammate and lead him into Turn 1, Mir tucking in just behind his fellow factory Honda HRC rider. Attempting an overtake on the second lap, Mir would fall and unfortunately collect his teammate in the process. Both walked away from the fall unharmed. Mir received a long lap penalty for Sunday’s race as a result of the incident.
Both riders are aiming to make amends in the last Grand Prix of 2025, the 27-lap Valencia Grand Prix.
Luca Marini: “The only thing we can say is that today we struggled more than we expected. I spoke with Joan after the crash, and these things can happen. I made a really good start and was happy with how the first lap had gone. We have another chance to make improvements tonight. Seventh is the objective so that we can level up our concessions. Anything can happen on Sunday, especially here with the weather. Let’s keep focused and go for it.”
Joan Mir: “First and foremost, I want to apologise to Luca, to the team and to Honda HRC. As you can imagine, it’s something you don’t want to happen, and I am deeply sorry. I was trying to overtake him, and I lost the front. I lost some ground on the first lap, and I was trying to make it up and get into a comfortable position for the rest of the race. The crash was my fault, the tyre a bit cold, a bit off the braking point and what happened, happened. Our objective is to end this year in a good way, to remember as it has been – one of positives.”
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More from a press release issued by IDEMITSU Honda LCR:
IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Somkiat Chantra crossed the line 21st in Saturday’s Sprint in Valencia.
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More from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team:
Yamaha Factory Racing Team Gains Insights During Valencia GP Saturday.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team continued their V4-Powered Prototype testing programme at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on the second day of the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community. Wild-card entry Augusto Fernández was able to collect further valuable data. During the 13-lap Sprint, he rode from P23 on the grid to P20 at the chequered flag.
Starting from P23, Augusto Fernández managed to make up a position on the opening lap. After some early crashes by two rivals, the number 7 settled into 20th place. It became a lonely ride for the test rider, who focused on collecting further data for the Yamaha engineers. He finished in P20, taking the chequered flag 18.846s from the winner.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will be back in action tomorrow for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+1), and the 27-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Alex Marquez resists Acosta for Sprint victory in Valencia.
The final Sprint of the season saw the 2025 runner-up hold out against ‘The Shark’ as Diggia vs Raul Fernandez goes to the wire.
Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) took honours in the final Tissot Sprint of 2025 as he cruised to victory on Saturday afternoon. Making it back-to-back Sprint wins and a third of the season, the #73 headed home a strong ride from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who had to come from the second row, whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) bagged third after a late attack for the podium against Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team).
LIGHTS OUT! Bezzecchi drops, Acosta shines, Marquez leads
Getting the perfect launch from P2 on the grid, Marquez grabbed the holeshot to beat polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) into Turn 1. It was a rapid start from Acosta, who elevated himself from fifth to third and by Turn 2, into P2. ‘Bez’ dropped down to sixth behind the likes of Fernandez, Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) after a Lap 1 to forget for the polesitter.
TEAMMATE CLASH: Mir takes out Marini at Turn 2
At the start of the second lap, there was drama for Honda as Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) lost the front at Turn 2, taking out teammate Luca Marini, ending their Sprint. Mir has a Long Lap penalty for the GP race for the incident. At the same corner a lap later, there was contact between Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), resulting in the #54 being pushed wide. Miller was soon handed a penalty to drop three places for that, which he failed to do and was therefore given a Long Lap Penalty, hurting his charge to Sprint points.
BATTLES BEHIND: Bezzecchi gets to P5, Morbidelli climbs
After battling hard, Bezzecchi had finally cleared Quartararo for fifth but the Italian now had over a second to catch up on Fernandez and ‘Diggia’ ahead of him. At the front, the gap had grown to 1.4s by the halfway stage with Marquez managing it perfectly over Acosta, the latter still chasing a first win in MotoGP. The #37 needed to start thinking about those behind as those behind started to close him down. On Lap 9, meanwhile, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) got through on Quartararo as ‘El Diablo’ dropped back.
P3 FIGHT: head-to-head on the penultimate lap
In the fight for third, the gloves had really come off between Di Giannantonio and Fernandez as they swapped places all the way from Turn 4 to Turn 6 on the penultimate lap. All of the fighting was giving Bezzecchi second wind and with the last lap looming, time was running out for the final rostrum place.
AT THE FLAG: Marquez majestic in last Sprint of 2025
On the last lap and it was all settled at the front with Marquez taking honours ahead of Acosta who made it four consecutive Sprint podiums. Not only did the Spaniard take P2 but that, combined with a P14 for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), means he is now into P4 in the standings with six points over Pecco.
Di Giannantonio held on to take third ahead of Fernandez, whilst Bezzecchi will be wanting more on Sunday after P5 on Saturday. The Italian does at least secure third in the Championship and with that, the first time Aprilia finish in the top three of the Riders’ Championship in MotoGP. Morbidelli was able to hold off Quartararo for P6 whilst Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came home eighth from P15.
Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) takes ninth for a first Sprint point since his home GP at Motegi. That means Honda are just out of scoring range with Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) in tenth – making it nine points they still need from Sunday to change concession rank from D to C… tune in tomorrow to see how the dice rolls on Sunday!
Find full Sprint results HERE and come back tomorrow for Sunday in Valencia and the final showdown. See you at 14:00 local time (UTC +1) for the Grand Prix race!
BMW M Award: record winner Marc Marquez back with a bang
The winner of the 2025 BMW M Award in MotoGP™ is Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). The record holder in this special competition has once again claimed the coveted prize for the fastest qualifier of the season – for the eighth time. The Spaniard had already made history by winning the BMW M Award seven years in a row between 2013 and 2019. Now Márquez has returned to the top. His prize this year is the new BMW M2 CS* in Velvet Blue Metallic.
The presentation of the winner’s car took place on Saturday after the final qualifying session of the season in Valencia, Spain, where Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports, and Axel Mittler, Marketing Manager at BMW M GmbH, handed over the keys.
After several challenging years, Marquez made an impressive comeback in 2025. He dominated the season and clinched the world championship title in Japan at the 17th of 22 rounds. In the BMW M Award standings, Marquez collected so many points – despite there remaining only a maximum of 25 on offer per weekend as opposed to the 37 points for a Sprint and GP win – that with eight pole positions and five additional front-row starts he could no longer be caught, even though he missed the final four rounds of the season due to injury. Marquez won the 2025 BMW M Award with 351 points, finishing eight points ahead of his brother Alex Marquez in second place.
Marc Marquez: “It took a few years, but I’m really happy to see my name back on the list of BMW M Award winners. This season has been a dream for me, even though I obviously didn’t imagine it ending with a shoulder injury that made me miss the final races. But it’s great to be here in Valencia and to be recognized once again as the fastest qualifier – for the eighth time! I actually found out I’d won the while I was out buying fruit – my brother Álex didn’t manage the result he needed in the penultimate qualifying in Portimão to keep the contest open. But I promised him he’ll get to drive the car too! For us, it’s always something special when our performances on the track are recognized in this way. Now it’s time for the winter break, and my goal for 2026 is clear: to win the world championship, and this award, again!”
The 2025 winner’s car, the BMW M2 CS, is the latest exclusive special model from BMW M GmbH in the premium compact high-performance sports car segment. It impresses with outstanding agility, significantly increased performance, exceptional driving dynamics, and particularly sporty design features. The straight-six engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and high-revving characteristics delivers an impressive 390 kW/530 hp. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via the standard 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. The BMW M2 CS accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Thanks to the extensive use of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) components in both the exterior and interior, the BMW M2 CS is also the lightest M2 of the current generation.
As part of its extensive activities as the “Official Car of MotoGP™”, BMW M GmbH presents the BMW M Award at the end of each season to the best qualifier. Before Márquez extended his record in 2025 with his eighth victory, Francesco Bagnaia had won the coveted award for the past three years. The list of winners since the award’s introduction in 2003 also includes Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Fabio Quartararo, Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden.
For more information on BMW M GmbH, its partnership with MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports since 1999, and the involvement as the ‘Official Car of MotoGP™’ see: www.bmw-m.com.
Moto2: Gonzalez fifth, Moreira ninth as Holgado claims pole.
The Aspar star earns his fourth pole position of the season as the two title contenders start from the second and third rows of the grid in Valencia.
A fourth pole position of the season was clinched by Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) in another record-breaking Moto2 qualifying session that saw World Championship leader Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) qualify in P9 for the finale, with title rival Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) starting from P5 as he guns for victory on Sunday.
Moreira got the job done in Q1 to come through into the pole position fight, and while P9 isn’t ideal for the Brazilian, it could have been a much worse afternoon for the rider 24 points clear in the title race. Gonzalez has to win in the curtain closer to stand any chance of clinching the title, and the Spaniard is looking to do that from the middle of the second row.
Gonzalez will have to overcome Holgado, second place Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), and his teammate Senna Agius as the Spaniard and Australian earned front row starts, with Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) spearheading the second row in P4 ahead of his farewell ride in Moto2. Alex Escrig (KLINT Forward Factory Team) will line up on the other side of Gonzalez in P6; that’s a top job from the Spaniard, while Moreira has the two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders ahead of him on Row 3 – Collin Veijer leading teammate Daniel Muñoz.
So there we have it. The grid is set for Moto2’s title showdown as we now look forward to crowning either Moreira or Gonzalez as our 2025 World Champion.
Moto3: Fernandez denies teammate Almansa for Valencia pole
The two teammates go into Sunday’s 20-lapper as the favourites, heading the field after their qualifying tussle.
Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) clinched pole position for the Moto3™ Grand Prix of Valencia on Saturday afternoon with a mega lap of 1’36.990s enough to finish ahead of the opposition. Behind, teammate David Almansa (Leopard Racing) made it a Honda 1-2 whilst Maximo Quiles’ (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) charge for runner-up spot will go from P3.
After an intense Q1 session, Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) and Hakim Danish (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) were the four who bagged graduation to Q2. In what was a slow start to the session, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Guido Pini (LIQUIMOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and Fernandez were the only riders on track in the first five minutes as the others played a game of strategy. Furusato set a benchmark of 1’37.459 but now the rest of the field has started their flying laps in the second half of the session.
After the first couple of laps, pacesetter Almansa had leaped into P2 with a new lap record but with three minutes on the clock, there was time left for the order to change with 16 riders covered by a second. The challenge came from within as Almansa’s teammate Fernandez stormed to pole on his final run to deny the #22. 0.136s splits the Leopard Racing Hondas and both have the pace to have their own battle on Sunday.
Quiles rounds out the front row and always comes on strong for Sunday and with a second front row in three GPs, will be one to watch. Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) heads up the second row ahead of Marco Morelli (GRYD MLav Racing), who made it four Hondas in the top five. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completes the second row. Elsewhere, Nepa took a first top ten grid position since COTA with P7 whilst Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), currently P2 in the standings, starts P10.
Alex Marquez spent Friday testing parts for the factory Ducati team, then got back to the business of winning races on Saturday. Polesitter Marco Bezzecchi drifted backwards to a fifth-place finish and Pedro Acosta got close but never close enough to attempt a pass. Then a mistake by Acosta left Marquez, who long ago sealed second place in the MotoGP World Championship, free to cruise to his third Sprint win of the season.
Francesco Bagnaia’s luckless 2025 season lurched toward a merciful end on Saturday. After failing to make the top 10 on Friday, he was forced to go through Q1. After a bright start to the day, when he had finished second in FP2, he had put together a first sector on his final Q1 run that was just 0.004 seconds off of second place and a transfer spot into Q2. Then the bike quit. Bagnaia was 16th on the grid and finished the sprint 14th.
Factory Honda riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir crashed out of the Sprint together. In the past, when a Honda rider crashed, HRC used to send an employee on a scooter to the crash site with an elastic cover to hide internals that the damage might have revealed. While the RC213V is better than it was, there were no Honda employees trying to cover the wrecked machines in Valencia.
Valencia wasn’t just a MotoGP race opportunity for Nicolo Bulega, who is subbing for his second race weekend for the injured World Champion Marc Marquez. The Ducati Superbike World Championship star also was thrown into the MotoGP testing and development role he will perform next year in addition to racing WorldSBK. He and Alex Marquez rode on Friday with aerodynamic devices that the Desmosedici GP25 riders had tried during the season, as Ducati wanted more feedback on how those devices performed. While Alex Marquez’s GP24 was switched back to the normal pinched tail configuration on Saturday, Bulega’s machines still had the “tea tray” wing/fin device on their tail sections during practice on Saturday morning.
MotoGP’s engineers continue down the road of aerodynamic development, and with lap times as tight as they are in the premier class, even incremental improvements are worth pursuing, it seems. Ducati’s convoluted tail section illustrated above would theoretically create additional downforce at the rear. Aprilia and Honda are looking for the same result with wings mounted behind the rider’s legs. Ducati, KTM and Yamaha have not gone for the seat wings yet, perhaps because the potential gains are so small. A CFD analysis of a MotoGP racebike reveals that the area behind the rider’s legs is an aerodynamic mess, and wings work best in clean air.
The seat wing device on the Aprilia RS-GP is mounted at a high angle of attack – note the angle of the seat wing compared to the wings on the nose of the fairing. This suggests that it is working in dirty air to maximize the downforce it can generate. It also suggests that it is most effective in applying downforce during braking, when the rider is either dangling the inside leg or is sticking their inside knee away from the bike. In that moment, the wing is exposed to cleaner airflow and the top speed-sapping drag from a wing at a high angle of attack is not a concern, as the rider is trying to slow the bike down.
Honda’s excellent weekend in Moto3 continued on Saturday. Honda took the top three positions in the morning practice and was 1-2 in qualifying. It was a good Saturday for the Fernandez family, too, with Adrian Fernandez on the Moto3 pole and Raul Fernandez finishing fourth in the MotoGP Sprint, the first Aprilia rider across the finish line.
BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Marquez led the Sprint race from start to finish on Saturday at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, Trackhouse MotoGP’s Raul Fernandez and Aprilia Racing Marco Bezzecchi completed the top five.
MotoGP Sprint Classification
CFMOTO Aspar’s Daniel Holgado took the Moto2 pole on Saturday at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Izan Guevara, Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP’s Senna Agius, ITALJET Gresini Moto2’s Albert Arenas and Agius’ teammate Manuel Gonzalez completed the top five.
Moto2 QualifyingResults
Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez took the Moto3 on Saturday at Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. Teammate David Almansa, CFMOTO Valresa Aspar’s Maximo Quiles, SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Luca Lunetta and GRYD – Mlav Racing’s Marco Morelli completed the top five.
Moto3 QualifyingResults
Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi took pole position for the Motul Grand Prix of the Valencian Community on Saturday. BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Marquez and Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio were second and third. Trackhouse MotoGP’s Raul Fernandez came through Q1 to take fourth, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta completed the top five.
MotoGP Q1 Classification
MotoGP Q2 Classification
BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Izan Guevara won the Moto2 race at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community on Sunday. CFMOTO Aspar Team’s Daniel Holgado, QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI’s Ivan Ortola, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Collin Veijer and ELF Marc VDS Racing Team’s Filip Salac completed the top five. With an 11th-place finish, Diogo Moreira won the Moto2 World Championship, becoming the first Brazilian to win a motorcycle Grand Prix Championship.
Moto2 race Classification
Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez won the Moto3 race on Sunday at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Alvaro Carpe, Honda Team Asia’s Taiyo Furusato, Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP’s Guido Pini and CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team’s Maximo Quiles rounded out the top five.
Moto3 race Classification
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Fabio Quartararo set the pace at Circuit de Valencia in the Sunday warmup at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community with a 1’30.111 lap. BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Marquez, Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Raul Fernandez, Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi and Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top five.
MotoGP Sunday warmup Classification
More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Team:
Alex Marquez storms to Valencia Sprint, Fermin Aldeguer pushed outside the points.
1st – ALEX MARQUEZ #73
11th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54
2nd – ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (457 points)
Runner Up MotoGP 2025
8th – FERMIN ALDEGUER #54 (203 points)
Rookie of the Year 2025
Alex Marquez: “It went better than expected, but we made a good start and then attacked early in order to dictate the race from the lead. We achieved the goal and the Spanish crowd surely helped to take a bit more risks for the win. Tomorrow won’t be easy, but we can fight for the podium and who knows, maybe finish this great season on a high.”
Fermin Aldeguer: “We had a good qualifying, but then in the race, honestly, Jack’s manoeuvre ruined our performance. With no wings, we struggled on the straight, but we have some ideas for tomorrow. The top five is not outside our reach, even though a podium would be an incredible way to wrap up the season.”
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More from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Aprilia Racing place fifth in Valencia sprint.
The sprint at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit ended with a strong result for Aprilia Racing, as Marco Bezzecchi clinched third place in the riders’ championship.
In Q2, Bezzecchi delivered an outstanding performance, taking pole position in 1:28.809, a new all-time lap record, beating the previous benchmark set by Aprilia in 2023. This was the Italian rider’s fifth pole of the season and his second in a row, adding to those secured in Austria, Misano, Mandalika and Portimão. In the sprint, Bezzecchi encountered some difficulty in the opening corners, dropping several positions. The Italian rider finished the sprint in fifth place, securing third in the championship with one race remaining in his debut season with Aprilia Racing.
Starting from seventeenth on the grid, Jorge Martín made a good getaway and moved up to eleventh by the end of the first lap. However, he ran wide on lap four and dropped to the back of the pack, despite continuing to set competitive times. The Spanish rider finished the sprint in twenty-second place.
Raúl Fernández also delivered an excellent performance on Saturday. The Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider earned fourth place on the grid, progressing from Q1 to Q2, and finished the sprint in fourth after battling for the final podium spot throughout the race.
Marco Bezzecchi: “I’m not entirely satisfied with the sprint because I was hoping to accomplish more, but overall it was a good day. Unfortunately, on the opening lap, the fork didn’t release, and coming out of the first corners, I couldn’t accelerate as I wanted, so I lost several positions straight away. From then on, the sprint became difficult.”
Jorge Martin: “It was a good sprint. I got off the line very well and was immediately up to eleventh. At turn 8, I ran straight on and found myself at the back of the group. From that moment, I focused on finding my rhythm: I tried different maps and adjusted some aspects of my riding style to work out how to close the gap to the riders ahead. I maintained a steady pace, and I’m happy about that. We made a big step forward. I’m getting my confidence back, but I also need to be aware of my physical condition and take things steadily on that front.”
Fabiano Sterlacchini: “It was a positive day, although a bit of a mixed bag, because starting from pole, this result doesn’t fully reflect our potential. We had a minor issue at the start that affected Marco’s initial getaway. We are investigating the cause, but we are confident everything will be fine for tomorrow. We’re sorry if this problem influenced the sprint’s outcome. It was great to see Jorge back on track: he has already shown flashes of his great talent, and now it’s just a matter of getting the miles under his belt. We hope he can have a good race tomorrow, something that will help him regain confidence and rhythm.”
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More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Push to the Fullest in Final 2025 Sprint.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo’s strong start to the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community Sprint resulted in some fierce battles and a P7 at the finish line. Álex Rins negotiated the busy mid-pack and rode from P19 on the grid to P15.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo’s strong start and opening lap allowed him to battle towards the front of the pack today. His efforts were ultimately rewarded with a 7th place in the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community Sprint. Álex Rins continued working on improving his feeling around Circuit Ricardo Tormo on the Saturday. He ended the 13-lap dash in 15th place.
Quartararo had a good start from P6 and moved up to fourth on the opening lap. He was fully occupied battling with Fabio Di Giannantonio, who ultimately overtook him on the second lap. The number 20 swiftly moved on to fending off a charging Marco Bezzecchi. After some back-and-forth, El Diablo found himself riding in sixth place on lap 5 and under pressure from Franco Morbidelli. Quartararo held firm until Turn 1 on lap 9, when the Italian sneaked through. Unable to retaliate, the Frenchman focused on keeping Brad Binder at bay and held steady to the finish line, crossing it in P7, 7.102s from the winner.
Rins started from P19 and gained a position on the opening lap. On the next lap the two factory Hondas collided. The commotion briefly moved the Yamaha rider up to P15 before Enea Bastianini overtook him. With Jorge Martin running wide on lap 4, Rins moved up to 15th again. The number 42 defended his position from Nicolo Bulega all the way to the finish line, taking the chequered flag 14.264s from first.
After today’s results, Quartararo stays in 9th place in the overall standings with 201 points, and Rins holds 19th position with 66 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 6th in the team championship with 267 points, and Yamaha remain in 5th position in the constructor championship with 240 points.
The team will be back in action tomorrow for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+1), and the 27-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI – Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha:
“It’s not been an easy outing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for us so far. Ahead of the Sprint we knew that, given our qualifying positions, the riders would face tough battles. That said, this track is narrow, and overtaking is generally tricky here. Fabio had a really good start and did everything he could to hold on to his position. In the end, he couldn’t fend off the chasing rivals, so he finished in P7. For Álex it was tough, starting from the seventh row. That already compromised his Sprint race, and he didn’t have the pace to make up ground. We still have some tweaking to do for tomorrow to improve the riders’ feeling with the bike. We’ll analyse today’s data thoroughly as we prepare for the season’s final Race, and we’ll give it everything we’ve got.”
Fabio Quartararo: “Our Sprint race was more about defending than attacking. I could attack a bit on the first few laps, especially in Turn 4 where Marco made a small mistake, and I could overtake in those moments, but from that point on I was defending. I expected less drop from the rear tyre this afternoon, but I also saw so many other people struggle with the front tyre, and that’s something we’re working on too. Let’s see tomorrow what happens when we have double the number of laps.”
Alex Rins: “It’s true that since we’ve returned from the overseas races, we are struggling a bit more. We are looking for a way to improve. We want to finish this season in the best way possible. We tried different things today and already worked a bit on the pace for tomorrow. Let’s see how it goes.”
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More from a press release issued by CASTROL Honda LCR:
CASTROL Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 10th in Saturday’s Sprint in Valencia.
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More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Contact, Confusion, Penalty: Miller’s Heated Sprint Race in Valencia GP.
A fiery race for the Prima Pramac Yamaha team in the Valencia GP Sprint Race, where Jack Miller finished 12th after a highly controversial contact with Fermín Aldeguer at the start of lap 3 — an incident that the Stewards of the Race Direction initially decided to punish with a three-position drop, later converted into a long lap penalty. For Miguel Oliveira, approaching the end of his MotoGP career, the day closed with 17th place. Tomorrow at 14:00 local time, Miller will launch from the 8th spot on the grid, Oliveira from 18th.
It was a Sprint Race that left the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team with a bitter taste, as the first points of the Valencia weekend — round 22 and the final event of the World Championship — were assigned. Jack Miller, one of the key protagonists since Friday (fastest in FP1 and comfortably 6th in Practice), had secured a solid P8 in this morning‘s qualifying for both today‘s Sprint and tomorrow‘s GP.
After a good getaway that saw him pass ninth through the first corner, the laps that followed proved complicated for the Australian rider, locked in a fierce battle with Fermín Aldeguer for eighth place. Following an aborted attempt at the end of the opening lap, at the start of lap 3 in Turn 2, Miller launched a new attack on the Spaniard who, just as he had done previously, instead of yielding chose to release the brakes — leading the two bikes to inevitable contact. The Stewards of the Race Direction decided to penalize Miller, who in the meantime had been passed by Brad Binder, by ordering him to drop three positions. With the next rider more than two seconds behind, Miller opted not to serve the penalty, which triggered an alternative sanction: a long lap penalty. After completing it, Miller rejoined in 12th place.
It was a complicated Sprint Race also for Miguel Oliveira, who started 19th and lost a few positions in the opening moments before recovering to 17th, a position he maintained until the end. Tomorrow at 14.00, the Valencia GP will bring down the curtain on the 2025 season — and also on Miguel Oliveira‘s MotoGP career, as he will compete in World Superbike in 2026.
Valencia GP schedule:
Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up; 14.00 Race (27 laps – 108,14)
GINO BORSOI – Team Director, Prima Pramac Yamaha:
“It’s a shame what happened in the race between Miller and Aldeguer, because that contact affected what could have still been a good race. I‘m not, and I reiterated this to Race Direction, in agreement with the decision to penalize Jack by making him give back three positions, but at this point there‘s nothing we can do. In Portimão, Aldeguer did the exact same thing to Miller and nothing was done about it. In my view, today it should have been the same. But I‘m not the one who decides. It‘s a pity, because he could have had a good race; he could have fought for eighth place, since we were in quite a good place with the bike. We‘ll try again tomorrow. As for Oliveira, unfortunately, despite everything we‘re doing, we haven‘t been able to find a balance that allows him to perform at a high level. I‘m really sorry, because he truly deserves a good race as his farewell to MotoGP. We‘ll try again tomorrow, hoping to give him a nice gift.”
Jack Miller: “It was a day where I tried to extract the maximum out of the bike. I was a little bit on the limit in the morning with the soft tire, but that was the only option. And then came the Sprint Race: I got away with a decent start, unfortunately there was that issue with Aldeguer and yeah… I could see the dashboard, but to drop three positions at that point, when you‘re two seconds in front of the next bike, is kind of ridiculous, so I was not going to do it. But when the long lap came, I understood that I might have to do it tomorrow in the GP, so better to do it. I lost three positions anyway, and the tire was not performing after that long lap with all the dirt and all.
The penalty in my opinion is not valid — it‘s impossible to pass if somebody continues to release the brakes on top of you. I had already passed him once at the last corner and he continued to ride over my front tire; we came out of it sideways, but since their bike is a rocket ship, he went away. So I spent a lap and a half deciding where to make another move. I got the best drive I could out of Turn 1 and in Turn 2 I attacked again. Everything was under control until, when I went side by side with him, he started to release the brakes again. I tried to go tighter and tighter and tighter, but at one point we had to have contact. The smart move, if he was sure he could pass me back, would have been to brake harder and cut under. But if you ride like this, you are forcing contact. And this is not correct. He took wings off riders this week, he T-boned me last week and nothing happened. And this week he forced the contact and I got the penalty.
I try the best I can on a bike that is underpowered, but when you make a clean pass they make it more difficult by releasing the brakes and riding over your front tire. This is not racing, this is dodging cars. That is the style of riding of the new generation. There is a lack of consistency from the Stewards — it is not even remotely in the picture. I got banned for ten minutes of the session because my bike was smoking, plus a three-thousand-euro fine, and then they let a bike smoke for half of a race and let it win the Grand Prix. Where is the consistency?”
Miguel Oliveira: “The race wasn‘t bad, considering I had a pretty poor start. I probably didn‘t take enough risks, and in the first two corners I lost a lot of positions and wasn‘t in a place to be more competitive afterwards. I‘ll try to be more competitive tomorrow. Overall, I was feeling better on the bike today — we made some good improvements, so I‘m happy enough with that. If I had managed to overtake Bulega or Rins, I could have been a couple of tenths faster, but I‘ll try to make it happen tomorrow.”
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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC:
Another solid day of work for Espargaro and the Honda HRC Test Team.
Ending the first session of the day in ninth, Aleix Espargaro showed the potential of the Honda RC213V around the Valencia circuit. A best lap of 1’29.526 put the #41 in 14th on the grid, only 0.006s behind Luca Marini on the factory machine in Q1. Having to take avoiding action on several occasions saw Espargaro end the Sprint in 19th place despite his competitive pace.
Aleix Espargaro: “My goal for the weekend was to be as close to the factory riders as possible, I think it’s the most you can aim for as a test rider. I am happy with how we have been performing in this regard; we have made a lot of progress this year. Honestly, I wanted more from the race, and I went wide a couple of times. It’s really hard to overtake here so even with good pace, we couldn’t do much more. Another day tomorrow and we are looking forward to it.”
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More from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Sombre final Saturday for Honda HRC Castrol.
A racing incident saw both Luca Marini and Joan Mir suffer a double DNF in the final Sprint of the year as a complicated Valencia GP continues.
Luca Marini put in his best effort to advance through Q1, less than a tenth of a second the difference between his 13th position and a spot in Q2. On the other side of the Honda HRC Castrol garage, Joan Mir earned a respectable tenth place on the grid. Guiding his Honda RC213V around the four-kilometre circuit in 1’29.233, both were hopeful of fighting further ahead in the 13-lap Sprint.
An incredible start saw Marini get the jump on his teammate and lead him into Turn 1, Mir tucking in just behind his fellow factory Honda HRC rider. Attempting an overtake on the second lap, Mir would fall and unfortunately collect his teammate in the process. Both walked away from the fall unharmed. Mir received a long lap penalty for Sunday’s race as a result of the incident.
Both riders are aiming to make amends in the last Grand Prix of 2025, the 27-lap Valencia Grand Prix.
Luca Marini: “The only thing we can say is that today we struggled more than we expected. I spoke with Joan after the crash, and these things can happen. I made a really good start and was happy with how the first lap had gone. We have another chance to make improvements tonight. Seventh is the objective so that we can level up our concessions. Anything can happen on Sunday, especially here with the weather. Let’s keep focused and go for it.”
Joan Mir: “First and foremost, I want to apologise to Luca, to the team and to Honda HRC. As you can imagine, it’s something you don’t want to happen, and I am deeply sorry. I was trying to overtake him, and I lost the front. I lost some ground on the first lap, and I was trying to make it up and get into a comfortable position for the rest of the race. The crash was my fault, the tyre a bit cold, a bit off the braking point and what happened, happened. Our objective is to end this year in a good way, to remember as it has been – one of positives.”
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More from a press release issued by IDEMITSU Honda LCR:
IDEMITSU Honda LCR rider Somkiat Chantra crossed the line 21st in Saturday’s Sprint in Valencia.
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More from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory Racing Team:
Yamaha Factory Racing Team Gains Insights During Valencia GP Saturday.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team continued their V4-Powered Prototype testing programme at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on the second day of the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community. Wild-card entry Augusto Fernández was able to collect further valuable data. During the 13-lap Sprint, he rode from P23 on the grid to P20 at the chequered flag.
Starting from P23, Augusto Fernández managed to make up a position on the opening lap. After some early crashes by two rivals, the number 7 settled into 20th place. It became a lonely ride for the test rider, who focused on collecting further data for the Yamaha engineers. He finished in P20, taking the chequered flag 18.846s from the winner.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will be back in action tomorrow for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+1), and the 27-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Alex Marquez resists Acosta for Sprint victory in Valencia.
The final Sprint of the season saw the 2025 runner-up hold out against ‘The Shark’ as Diggia vs Raul Fernandez goes to the wire.
Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) took honours in the final Tissot Sprint of 2025 as he cruised to victory on Saturday afternoon. Making it back-to-back Sprint wins and a third of the season, the #73 headed home a strong ride from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who had to come from the second row, whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) bagged third after a late attack for the podium against Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team).
LIGHTS OUT! Bezzecchi drops, Acosta shines, Marquez leads
Getting the perfect launch from P2 on the grid, Marquez grabbed the holeshot to beat polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) into Turn 1. It was a rapid start from Acosta, who elevated himself from fifth to third and by Turn 2, into P2. ‘Bez’ dropped down to sixth behind the likes of Fernandez, Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) after a Lap 1 to forget for the polesitter.
TEAMMATE CLASH: Mir takes out Marini at Turn 2
At the start of the second lap, there was drama for Honda as Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) lost the front at Turn 2, taking out teammate Luca Marini, ending their Sprint. Mir has a Long Lap penalty for the GP race for the incident. At the same corner a lap later, there was contact between Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), resulting in the #54 being pushed wide. Miller was soon handed a penalty to drop three places for that, which he failed to do and was therefore given a Long Lap Penalty, hurting his charge to Sprint points.
BATTLES BEHIND: Bezzecchi gets to P5, Morbidelli climbs
After battling hard, Bezzecchi had finally cleared Quartararo for fifth but the Italian now had over a second to catch up on Fernandez and ‘Diggia’ ahead of him. At the front, the gap had grown to 1.4s by the halfway stage with Marquez managing it perfectly over Acosta, the latter still chasing a first win in MotoGP. The #37 needed to start thinking about those behind as those behind started to close him down. On Lap 9, meanwhile, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) got through on Quartararo as ‘El Diablo’ dropped back.
P3 FIGHT: head-to-head on the penultimate lap
In the fight for third, the gloves had really come off between Di Giannantonio and Fernandez as they swapped places all the way from Turn 4 to Turn 6 on the penultimate lap. All of the fighting was giving Bezzecchi second wind and with the last lap looming, time was running out for the final rostrum place.
AT THE FLAG: Marquez majestic in last Sprint of 2025
On the last lap and it was all settled at the front with Marquez taking honours ahead of Acosta who made it four consecutive Sprint podiums. Not only did the Spaniard take P2 but that, combined with a P14 for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), means he is now into P4 in the standings with six points over Pecco.
Di Giannantonio held on to take third ahead of Fernandez, whilst Bezzecchi will be wanting more on Sunday after P5 on Saturday. The Italian does at least secure third in the Championship and with that, the first time Aprilia finish in the top three of the Riders’ Championship in MotoGP. Morbidelli was able to hold off Quartararo for P6 whilst Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came home eighth from P15.
Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) takes ninth for a first Sprint point since his home GP at Motegi. That means Honda are just out of scoring range with Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) in tenth – making it nine points they still need from Sunday to change concession rank from D to C… tune in tomorrow to see how the dice rolls on Sunday!
Find full Sprint results HERE and come back tomorrow for Sunday in Valencia and the final showdown. See you at 14:00 local time (UTC +1) for the Grand Prix race!
BMW M Award: record winner Marc Marquez back with a bang
The winner of the 2025 BMW M Award in MotoGP™ is Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). The record holder in this special competition has once again claimed the coveted prize for the fastest qualifier of the season – for the eighth time. The Spaniard had already made history by winning the BMW M Award seven years in a row between 2013 and 2019. Now Márquez has returned to the top. His prize this year is the new BMW M2 CS* in Velvet Blue Metallic.
The presentation of the winner’s car took place on Saturday after the final qualifying session of the season in Valencia, Spain, where Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports, and Axel Mittler, Marketing Manager at BMW M GmbH, handed over the keys.
After several challenging years, Marquez made an impressive comeback in 2025. He dominated the season and clinched the world championship title in Japan at the 17th of 22 rounds. In the BMW M Award standings, Marquez collected so many points – despite there remaining only a maximum of 25 on offer per weekend as opposed to the 37 points for a Sprint and GP win – that with eight pole positions and five additional front-row starts he could no longer be caught, even though he missed the final four rounds of the season due to injury. Marquez won the 2025 BMW M Award with 351 points, finishing eight points ahead of his brother Alex Marquez in second place.
Marc Marquez: “It took a few years, but I’m really happy to see my name back on the list of BMW M Award winners. This season has been a dream for me, even though I obviously didn’t imagine it ending with a shoulder injury that made me miss the final races. But it’s great to be here in Valencia and to be recognized once again as the fastest qualifier – for the eighth time! I actually found out I’d won the while I was out buying fruit – my brother Álex didn’t manage the result he needed in the penultimate qualifying in Portimão to keep the contest open. But I promised him he’ll get to drive the car too! For us, it’s always something special when our performances on the track are recognized in this way. Now it’s time for the winter break, and my goal for 2026 is clear: to win the world championship, and this award, again!”
The 2025 winner’s car, the BMW M2 CS, is the latest exclusive special model from BMW M GmbH in the premium compact high-performance sports car segment. It impresses with outstanding agility, significantly increased performance, exceptional driving dynamics, and particularly sporty design features. The straight-six engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and high-revving characteristics delivers an impressive 390 kW/530 hp. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via the standard 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. The BMW M2 CS accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Thanks to the extensive use of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) components in both the exterior and interior, the BMW M2 CS is also the lightest M2 of the current generation.
As part of its extensive activities as the “Official Car of MotoGP™”, BMW M GmbH presents the BMW M Award at the end of each season to the best qualifier. Before Márquez extended his record in 2025 with his eighth victory, Francesco Bagnaia had won the coveted award for the past three years. The list of winners since the award’s introduction in 2003 also includes Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Fabio Quartararo, Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden.
For more information on BMW M GmbH, its partnership with MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports since 1999, and the involvement as the ‘Official Car of MotoGP™’ see: www.bmw-m.com.
Moto2: Gonzalez fifth, Moreira ninth as Holgado claims pole.
The Aspar star earns his fourth pole position of the season as the two title contenders start from the second and third rows of the grid in Valencia.
A fourth pole position of the season was clinched by Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) in another record-breaking Moto2 qualifying session that saw World Championship leader Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) qualify in P9 for the finale, with title rival Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) starting from P5 as he guns for victory on Sunday.
Moreira got the job done in Q1 to come through into the pole position fight, and while P9 isn’t ideal for the Brazilian, it could have been a much worse afternoon for the rider 24 points clear in the title race. Gonzalez has to win in the curtain closer to stand any chance of clinching the title, and the Spaniard is looking to do that from the middle of the second row.
Gonzalez will have to overcome Holgado, second place Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), and his teammate Senna Agius as the Spaniard and Australian earned front row starts, with Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) spearheading the second row in P4 ahead of his farewell ride in Moto2. Alex Escrig (KLINT Forward Factory Team) will line up on the other side of Gonzalez in P6; that’s a top job from the Spaniard, while Moreira has the two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders ahead of him on Row 3 – Collin Veijer leading teammate Daniel Muñoz.
So there we have it. The grid is set for Moto2’s title showdown as we now look forward to crowning either Moreira or Gonzalez as our 2025 World Champion.
Moto3: Fernandez denies teammate Almansa for Valencia pole
The two teammates go into Sunday’s 20-lapper as the favourites, heading the field after their qualifying tussle.
Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) clinched pole position for the Moto3™ Grand Prix of Valencia on Saturday afternoon with a mega lap of 1’36.990s enough to finish ahead of the opposition. Behind, teammate David Almansa (Leopard Racing) made it a Honda 1-2 whilst Maximo Quiles’ (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) charge for runner-up spot will go from P3.
After an intense Q1 session, Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) and Hakim Danish (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) were the four who bagged graduation to Q2. In what was a slow start to the session, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), Guido Pini (LIQUIMOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and Fernandez were the only riders on track in the first five minutes as the others played a game of strategy. Furusato set a benchmark of 1’37.459 but now the rest of the field has started their flying laps in the second half of the session.
After the first couple of laps, pacesetter Almansa had leaped into P2 with a new lap record but with three minutes on the clock, there was time left for the order to change with 16 riders covered by a second. The challenge came from within as Almansa’s teammate Fernandez stormed to pole on his final run to deny the #22. 0.136s splits the Leopard Racing Hondas and both have the pace to have their own battle on Sunday.
Quiles rounds out the front row and always comes on strong for Sunday and with a second front row in three GPs, will be one to watch. Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) heads up the second row ahead of Marco Morelli (GRYD MLav Racing), who made it four Hondas in the top five. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completes the second row. Elsewhere, Nepa took a first top ten grid position since COTA with P7 whilst Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), currently P2 in the standings, starts P10.
Alex Marquez spent Friday testing parts for the factory Ducati team, then got back to the business of winning races on Saturday. Polesitter Marco Bezzecchi drifted backwards to a fifth-place finish and Pedro Acosta got close but never close enough to attempt a pass. Then a mistake by Acosta left Marquez, who long ago sealed second place in the MotoGP World Championship, free to cruise to his third Sprint win of the season.
Francesco Bagnaia’s luckless 2025 season lurched toward a merciful end on Saturday. After failing to make the top 10 on Friday, he was forced to go through Q1. After a bright start to the day, when he had finished second in FP2, he had put together a first sector on his final Q1 run that was just 0.004 seconds off of second place and a transfer spot into Q2. Then the bike quit. Bagnaia was 16th on the grid and finished the sprint 14th.
Factory Honda riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir crashed out of the Sprint together. In the past, when a Honda rider crashed, HRC used to send an employee on a scooter to the crash site with an elastic cover to hide internals that the damage might have revealed. While the RC213V is better than it was, there were no Honda employees trying to cover the wrecked machines in Valencia.
Valencia wasn’t just a MotoGP race opportunity for Nicolo Bulega, who is subbing for his second race weekend for the injured World Champion Marc Marquez. The Ducati Superbike World Championship star also was thrown into the MotoGP testing and development role he will perform next year in addition to racing WorldSBK. He and Alex Marquez rode on Friday with aerodynamic devices that the Desmosedici GP25 riders had tried during the season, as Ducati wanted more feedback on how those devices performed. While Alex Marquez’s GP24 was switched back to the normal pinched tail configuration on Saturday, Bulega’s machines still had the “tea tray” wing/fin device on their tail sections during practice on Saturday morning.
MotoGP’s engineers continue down the road of aerodynamic development, and with lap times as tight as they are in the premier class, even incremental improvements are worth pursuing, it seems. Ducati’s convoluted tail section illustrated above would theoretically create additional downforce at the rear. Aprilia and Honda are looking for the same result with wings mounted behind the rider’s legs. Ducati, KTM and Yamaha have not gone for the seat wings yet, perhaps because the potential gains are so small. A CFD analysis of a MotoGP racebike reveals that the area behind the rider’s legs is an aerodynamic mess, and wings work best in clean air.
The seat wing device on the Aprilia RS-GP is mounted at a high angle of attack – note the angle of the seat wing compared to the wings on the nose of the fairing. This suggests that it is working in dirty air to maximize the downforce it can generate. It also suggests that it is most effective in applying downforce during braking, when the rider is either dangling the inside leg or is sticking their inside knee away from the bike. In that moment, the wing is exposed to cleaner airflow and the top speed-sapping drag from a wing at a high angle of attack is not a concern, as the rider is trying to slow the bike down.
Honda’s excellent weekend in Moto3 continued on Saturday. Honda took the top three positions in the morning practice and was 1-2 in qualifying. It was a good Saturday for the Fernandez family, too, with Adrian Fernandez on the Moto3 pole and Raul Fernandez finishing fourth in the MotoGP Sprint, the first Aprilia rider across the finish line.
BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Marquez led the Sprint race from start to finish on Saturday at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, Trackhouse MotoGP’s Raul Fernandez and Aprilia Racing Marco Bezzecchi completed the top five.
MotoGP Sprint Classification
CFMOTO Aspar’s Daniel Holgado took the Moto2 pole on Saturday at the Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2’s Izan Guevara, Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP’s Senna Agius, ITALJET Gresini Moto2’s Albert Arenas and Agius’ teammate Manuel Gonzalez completed the top five.
Moto2 QualifyingResults
Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez took the Moto3 on Saturday at Motul Grand Prix Of The Valencian Community. Teammate David Almansa, CFMOTO Valresa Aspar’s Maximo Quiles, SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Luca Lunetta and GRYD – Mlav Racing’s Marco Morelli completed the top five.
Moto3 QualifyingResults
Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi took pole position for the Motul Grand Prix of the Valencian Community on Saturday. BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP’s Alex Marquez and Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio were second and third. Trackhouse MotoGP’s Raul Fernandez came through Q1 to take fourth, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta completed the top five.
MotoGP Q1 Classification
MotoGP Q2 Classification
