Round 9 gets the first of four GPs in five weeks underway but this intense sequence before the mid-season break starts at a classic: welcome to the Italian GP!
With a third of 2025 done, the European tour continues in MotoGP™ as we move from Aragon in the Spanish desert to the rolling hills of Tuscany and Mugello for the Brembo Grand Prix of Italy. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) has a commanding lead in the standings, but this is Ducati’s home turf; there’s pressure to deliver for all on the Bologna bullets and nothing less than a fourth consecutive win at home will suffice – but can a surprise spring from elsewhere?
DUCATI TERRITORY: Marc leads the charge at home
Marquez was dominant at Aragon, becoming the first rider to lead all sessions of a Grand Prix weekend since he himself in 2015 at the Sachsenring. Now, a different challenge – off the podium at Mugello last year on his Ducati home debut, this year he’s in imperious form and is unequivocally the favourite. However, this is teammate Francesco Bagnaia’s backyard. Bagnaia has had a tricky run of form in recent rounds, struggling with front feeling and Aragon was a total contrast in terms for the #63. The last three years at Mugello have been Pecco’s den, the one banker where he goes in as the favourite. 2025 is different, but could it be the turning point and offer the double MotoGP Champion a reprieve from the struggles he’s faced?
With the factory Ducatis P1 and P3 overall, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) splits them as he enjoys his best year in the class. A Moto2™ winner in 2019, he seeks a first Mugello MotoGP podium. Keeping Pecco honest is Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), with his and the team’s home GP. He aims for a first Mugello MotoGP rostrum but in 2024, the factory-spec bikes had edged out older Ducatis here. Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) is fresh from an Aragon Sprint P3 and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) is always strong. Can they do something special at Mugello?
ACOSTA IN THE HUNT: could a challenge come from elsewhere?
Aragon was impressive for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), in the podium fight before coming away with P4 on Sunday, something he hailed as his “best GP” yet. He’s aiming to go one better though and after leapfrogging rival Aldeguer, can he spoil Ducati and the Italian riders’ homecoming? He got a Sprint podium in 2024, so don’t discount him. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) hopes for better luck than last time out; ‘Bez’ is racing at home but results haven’t come easy before, whilst Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) is the last non-Ducati winner at Mugello from 2021. Round 8’s difficulties are behind him, will ‘El Diablo’ return to the form he showed prior? Ahead of them all, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) didn’t add to his points tally at Aragon and aims to maximise Honda’s potential to prove Aragon was a blip after two strong rounds preceding it.
POSITIVES APLENTY: flashes of brilliance last time out
There were stories of what could’ve been for KTM duo Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), as both crashed from promising positions last time out. Binder’s always been in the top ten at Mugello, whilst Viñales will tackle the track for the first time aboard KTM machinery and has an Italian GP podium from 2017. It’s the home Grand Prix for the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP squad too, with riders Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira hoping Yamaha’s struggles at Aragon are gone, whilst strong last time out, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) seeks back-to-back Sunday points for the first time since the opening two GPs of 2024. He and Honda impressed many at Aragon but without full-time teammate Luca Marini who is out with injury, the #36 is the benchmark for the factory again. Can he keep the tables turned on Zarco?
AIMING HIGH: more underdogs to keep an eye on
It's Enea Bastianini’s (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) home GP and after a spectacular late lunge to P2 last year, he’ll hope for something to click with him and the KTM after a decent Aragon test. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) was in the top ten at Aragon, whilst Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) bagged more points – both also aim for more. Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) was 16th last time out and just a place behind securing his and Thailand’s first MotoGP points; Mugello is another opportunity to score. Ai Ogura’s (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) presence is to be confirmed, whilst Marini’s replacement is also to be announced – so watch this space. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), meanwhile, will continue to be substituted by Test Rider Lorenzo Savadori.
Mugello is a real legacy venue; the track winds its way to the natural lay of the land, making it one of the most atmospheric destinations. Ducati’s home, a special venue for Aprilia, the passion of the Italian contingency and a circuit that offers the fastest top speeds of the season, Mugello will be magic once again in 2025 – but will there be a twist to come like so many times before? Tune in to find out!
Moto2™: Gonzalez and Canet level on points ahead of Mugello showdown
118 points play 118 as the ever-changing Moto2 title race lands at Mugello, with the top two, Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), both hunting podium returns after a two-race absence.
A P9 from P18 on the grid for Gonzalez was a decent comeback in Aragon, and after that very impressive one-day MotoGP test outing with Trackhouse, confidence will be high for the Spaniard, who finished P2 in last year’s epic Italian GP encounter that was won by Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing). P6 wasn’t what Canet ordered in Aragon, but it was good enough to draw him level with his compatriot ahead of Round 9.
However, the main storylines from Aragon lie elsewhere when it comes to Moto2. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) treated us to a breathtaking finish, with the Turk becoming the first from his country to win in Moto2. The Brazilian missed out on achieving the same feat by a slender 0.003s, in what was his second consecutive P2 finish. That win is coming for Moreira; will it be at Mugello?
Elsewhere, Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) earned his third podium finish of the year as the Belgian and Moreira move up to P4 and P3 in the Championship. They're 28 and 29 points adrift respectively, will that close again on Italian soil?
That’s seen Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) slip to P5 overall after a quiet couple of races, so can the British rider respond this weekend after an important private test was undertaken in Barcelona? And can the lead home hero, Celestino Vietti (Beta Tools SpeedRS Team), find form? Both he and teammate Alonso Lopez, who finished P3 at Mugello last year, will be two of a whole host of riders targeting podiums as this fascinatingly competitive Moto2 campaign continues.
Moto3™: will another new winner emerge at Mugello?
For the first time in 2025, one of Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) or Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) didn’t win the Moto3 Grand Prix. Step up debut winner, David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP).
That’s felt a long time coming for the Spaniard, who pipped rapid rookie Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Viel Aspar Team) to the line in another brilliant battle in Aragon. That’s now two P2 finishes in his last two races for Quiles, as fellow rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) also notched up his second podium of the year with a P3 finish. A debut winner and two rookies on the podium? Not a bad morning of racing at MotorLand.
Rueda’s P8 result was the first time he’s finished a Grand Prix off the podium this year, but the damage in terms of the Championship was limited after his two main rivals, Piqueras and Joel Kelso (LEVELUP – MTA), finished just up the road in P7 and P6 respectively. The gap heading to Mugello: 52 points to Piqueras and 63 points to Kelso. So, can the chasers knock more points off in Italy?
All three of 2025’s top contenders failed to finish inside the top 10 at Mugello last year, with the likes of Muñoz and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) collecting top five results. It was even better for Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), as the Japanese star claimed his debut Moto3 podium here in 2024.
The lead Italian rider, Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse), has found form in Silverstone and Aragon, so he’ll be one of the many gunning for glory on home turf. Will a new winner emerge again this weekend, or will the more experienced guard step up again? We'll find out soon enough.