2025 Portuguese GP Race Report

World runner-up Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) secured a spectacular victory in the Tissot Sprint at the Qatar Airways Portuguese Grand Prix, beating Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in a thrilling head-to-head battle at Portimao. Poleman Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) took third place.

Great start for Bezzecchi. 
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) started from pole position: in the early stages of the race, he held off Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who took advantage of a poor start from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) finished fourth, followed by 'Pecco'. The first group also included Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Johann Zarco (CASTROL LCR Honda), who in one lap built a lead of more than a second over Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Pol Espargaró (Red Bull KTM Tech3).

Three-way battle for the win  
. On the second lap, Acosta passed Bezzecchi and took the lead. The two were hotly pursued by Alex Marquez, who then overtook the rider from Rimini on the straight. At mid-race, a thrilling duel between Alex Marquez and Acosta began: a head-to-head battle that allowed Bezzecchi to close in on the two leaders. With four laps to go, Alex Marquez made the decisive pass on Acosta, who finished second ahead of Bezzecchi.

In hot pursuit, 
Fabio Quartararo was more than a second and a half behind the leaders, followed by Bagnaia, while the other official Ducati rider, Nicolò Bulega (Ducati Lenovo Team), making his premier class debut, crashed. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) was forced to retire due to a technical problem. 'Diggia', Zarco, Binder, and Espargaró also finished in the points, with  Fermin Aldeguer  (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) consistently fighting hard. Quartararo finished

in the top ten
, followed by Di Giannantonio, Aldeguer, Zarco, Bagnaia, and Binder. Pol Espargaró finished 10th.
 

MOTOGP - RACE
Six different winners in the last six GPs: the latest is Marco Bezzecchi

Pedro Acosta held out for five laps. Alex Marquez for ten. After that, no one was able to come close to the pace set by Marco Bezzecchi in the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Portugal. Starting from pole position, the Aprilia Racing rider from Rimini never relinquished the lead and dominated, finishing approximately 2.5 seconds ahead of the fastest rider. Although initially, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. 

The opening laps
. Hot on the heels of the race leader, on lap two, Acosta was overtaken by Marquez, who had started from fifth on the grid. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, a threat at the start, stayed glued to his compatriot until lap five, when he began to lose ground. At that point, Bezzecchi could only be challenged by the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider, winner of yesterday's Tissot Sprint. Until lap ten, the gap hovered around five tenths of a second. Then it began to climb, gradually exceeding four seconds. It only waned in the finale, when the Romagnola rider controlled the race. 

A surprising recovery
by Marquez, who at half the race seemed to have second place in the bag, began to falter in the final laps. Acosta was in fact closing the gap, just over half a second between the two at the start of the final lap, during which the number 73 rider still managed to defend himself. He thus crossed the finish line behind the winner. Acosta on the third step of the podium.

Aldeguer's overtaking moves
Fourth place went to Fermin Aldeguer, recovering after starting from eleventh on the grid. The Spaniard, aboard the GP24 of the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP team, muscled his way forward, especially on lap nine, when he attacked Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) for sixth place. Sparks first flew between the two at the third turn, with contact shortly afterward, sending parts of the South African's RC16 flying.

Bagnaia's Crash
On lap 11, Aldeguer passed Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to move into fifth place. He then received a gift from Francesco Bagnaia, who crashed while running fourth. This is the fourth consecutive Sunday for the Ducati Lenovo Team Italian without scoring points. He's at risk in the overall standings: he's fourth, 35 points behind Bezzecchi, who is almost on top. He also has Acosta, just three points behind, to watch.

MotoGP Top Ten
At the checkered flag in Portimao, fifth place went to Binder, ahead of Quartararo and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP). Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR), and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) rounded out the top ten. 

Nicolò Bulega finished fifteenth, making his first MotoGP appearance as a replacement for the injured 2025 world champion Marc Marquez, riding for the Ducati Lenovo Team. A different rider has won each of the last six premier-class races. 

Nicolo Bulega P15

“Today was definitely a better day. Yesterday, in the Sprint, I made a rookie mistake in the category, completing only a few laps. So today's goal was to finish the race and gain as much experience as possible, continuing to better understand the bike and the many aspects that make it so different from the Panigale. In the last six or seven laps, my pace wasn't bad. I managed to go fast and catch up with the riders in front of me. Unfortunately, then I made a mistake that cost me three or four seconds. I closed the gap again, but by then it was too late. The important thing was to finish the race and take this experience to Valencia, and all in all, it went well.”

Lorenzo Savadori P16

“The race was positive, and I spent most of the laps in the group fighting for points. We tried some interesting solutions that allowed us to improve. It was a great day for Aprilia, with Marco's win rewarding all the work we're doing on the development and growth of the bike. I'm happy for everyone and for Aprilia.”

Enea Bastianini P18

"Unfortunately, I had contact with Franco Morbidelli, who was overly optimistic at Turn 5 on the first lap, and that broke my front fairing. The steering jammed in the fairing and I couldn't turn properly, so I had to stop and change gear. We rejoined the track and had a great race, with a pace that would have allowed me to fight for the top five today, so it's obviously frustrating. When you start from the back, you always have to deal with potential problems in the midfield, so obviously we need to improve qualifying, as always."

MOTO2
Diogo Moreira wins, but Manuel Gonzalez takes the title fight to Valencia

The 2025 Moto2™ title will be decided in the final round of the season, scheduled for next week in Valencia. Championship leader Diogo Moreira's (Italtrans Racing Team) victory in the Qatar Airways Portuguese Grand Prix wasn't enough for the Brazilian to seal the title with a race to spare. Given the sixth-place finish achieved by his closest championship rival, Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), the 21-year-old will enter the decisive weekend with a 24-point advantage over his rival. A win is worth 25. A

two-way battle
. Starting from pole position, Moreira immediately took the lead at Portimao. However, on the fourth of 21 laps, he was attacked by rookie Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who took over the lead. During the race, the Dutchman attempted to break away, but was unable to build up much of an advantage. He nearly closed in on a second, but in the final stages he was unable to stem the comeback of Moreira, who overtook him with two and a half laps to go, reclaiming the lead.

The podium
Meanwhile, David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) was closing in on the podium, third, and Aron Canet (Fantic Racing), who was slightly behind. In the final lap, the positions remained locked, with the Brazilian winning by just 0.9 seconds over Veijer. The number 80, who started from ninth on the grid, took the final step of the podium. Canet, fourth, finished less than a second behind the winner in a race that had begun uncertainly.

Fifth was Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing), who had dropped back to eleventh place in the early stages. The Belgian took the checkered flag ahead of Gonzalez, who needed a near-miracle in Valencia to turn the tide.

Gonzalez's Sunday
. The number 18 was part of the leading group in the early stages. But as the laps went by, the group dispersed, and he was unable to match the pace of the fastest riders. A mistake in the final part of the race, when he went off-track at the first corner, resulted in him finishing almost eight seconds behind Moreira.

Among the Italians,
Celestino Vietti (Beta Tools SpeedRS Team) finished thirteenth, having held his own in the leading group in the early stages but then dropped back. Tony Arbolino (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) finished outside the points zone, finishing 17th.

Diogo Moreira P1

“I'm really happy. We worked really well all weekend. At the beginning of the race, it was difficult to stay focused, but in the final stages I found my rhythm and pushed hard until the end. This win is special because I scored my first podium in the world championship here, and it's fantastic to win at this track. Now I want to finish the season on a high note in Valencia.”

MOTO3
™: Quiles secures third win of 2025 at Portimao

Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Aspar Team) won the Moto3™ race at the Qatar Airways Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao, with Angel Piqueras (Frinsa - MT Helmets - MSI) and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) also on the podium after a race full of overtaking moves.

Kelso got
off to a great start. Joel Kelso (LEVELUP - MTA) started from pole position and was followed by Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Aspar Team), who was battling for second place in the world championship with Angel Piqueras (Frinsa - MT Helmets - MSI), who was initially fourth behind Joel Esteban (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Shortly thereafter, Piqueras passed his compatriot and slipstreamed into the slipstream of the Aspar team rookie, while after the first two laps, the Australian began to open up a gap.

Early overtaking moves:
Kelso maintains the lead, while Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) leads Piqueras and Esteban, Jacob Roulstone's replacement (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), and rookie Casey O'Gorman (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) gain positions, while Quiles loses ground in the early stages.

Halfway through the race
, Quiles gains ground and passes Kelso: Piqueras also takes advantage of a mistake made by the Australian. The leading group comprises 11 riders.

Final stages: 
Everything is decided in the final five laps when Quiles takes the lead ahead of Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia). The rookie sets a strong pace and begins to open up a one-second lead over Piqueras and Furusato. Esteban finished fourth ahead of Carpe, O'Gorman, Kelso, Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power), Adrian Fernandez and Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse).

Adrian Fernandez P9

“Today I tried everything, I really gave it my all. At the start of the race I felt great, fighting to quickly move up the standings and get to the top positions. It was towards the end of the race that we started to struggle, unable to finish today's race with a good result.”

David Almansa P21

"Today's race was complicated. I couldn't find my rhythm on the bike, and although I managed to make up a few positions, I ultimately crashed, which determined the rest of our race. We'll analyze what happened today, with our eyes already turned to Valencia."