The #73 banishes his Sprint demons to hold off the #93 for a stunning home turf win as Bastianini completes the Catalan GP rostrum
Heartache on Saturday, elation on Sunday. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) banished his Barcelona Sprint demons to fend off the challenge of Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) to earn a phenomenal 25-point haul on home turf, as the #93’s unbeaten run ends at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia. It’s still a hard-earned P2 for the championship leader, but it’s a result that means the title race rolls on to at least the Japanese GP. Behind the jostling brothers, P3 went to Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) as the Italian secures his debut Sunday podium with KTM.
THE START: MARC GRABS EARLY LEAD
Despite a decent enough launch from pole position, Marc won the Marquez battle into Turn 1 to earn an early lead from P3 on the grid, as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) got another lightning launch from the middle of the second row to grab P3. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P4, with Bastianini P5 as two Italians then fell out of contention at Turn 1 on Lap 2.
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), up the inside of Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), made small contact with his VR46 Academy stablemate and ultimately lost control and slid out. Trying to avoid Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) then locked the front end of his GP25, and that caused the #49 to crash moments after too. Both riders were OK, but it was podium hopes over for the duo.
ALEX HITS THE FRONT
At the front, a change for the lead on Lap 4. Alex Marquez made a classic Turn 1 move stick on the #93, and now, Marc Marquez had Acosta and Bastianini looking to attack. At this stage, Quartararo was busy defending P5 from Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) and compatriot Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), the trio were a second behind the top four on Lap 6 of 24.
On Lap 7, Brad Binder’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) weekend ended at Turn 7 as the South African crashed from P10, one place behind a fast-starting Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). From P22 on the grid, Pecco was up to P9 and just over three seconds away from the lead, and a lap later, the double MotoGP World Champion was past Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and lapping in P8 – a great recovery ride so far.
ENEA MOVES PAST PEDRO
By the time we’d clicked onto Lap 10, the top four were 2.1s up the road from the fight for fifth, which was now being led by Zarco. And the rider ahead of the HRC star was now Acosta, because Bastianini made a move on his KTM buddy to climb into P3. The gap to Marc Marquez was 0.8s, so what did ‘The Beast’ have up his sleeve in the victory chase?
Zarco’s great outing then came to a premature end at the tricky Turn 10 on Lap 11, so that now meant Marini was promoted into the top five, 3.4s away from Acosta’s rear Michelin soft tyre. At the front, Alex Marquez continued to lead by 0.5s, but it was Bastianini who was the fastest rider on circuit now – the Italian had a couple of tenths in his back pocket at this stage of the Grand Prix.
On Lap 14, Acosta lost the best part of a second to the top three and now sat well over a second behind the podium fight. Was that soft rear tyre starting to cry no more? It appeared so. Acosta quickly dropped to three seconds adrift as Alex Marquez, Marc Marquez and Bastianini continued to race in the 1:40 bracket.
MARQUEZ VS MARQUEZ FOR VICTORY
With one KTM now out of victory contention, was another beginning to fade? Bastianini was now struggling to keep tabs on the Marquez brothers as the top two dropped into the low 1:40s. On Lap 19 of 24, it looked like we were strapping ourselves in for an Alex vs Marc battle for Barcelona honours.
Fair play to both. They were a second faster than anyone else on track with five laps to go and on Lap 20 of 24, a couple of small mistakes came the way of Marc Marquez to hand Alex Marquez a 0.8s advantage. That was down to 0.7s a lap later, but with three to go, Alex Marquez was controlling things very well.
Two to go. The gap? Just above a second. How’re your nerves, Alex? One more lap, and the gap had risen further to 1.3s. Surely this was redemption done after his Sprint crash? Half a lap down and no mistakes were made. Turn 10, yesterday’s nightmare spot? Done. And around the final few corners, Alex Marquez took the chequered flag 1.7s clear of Marc Marquez to win for the second time in MotoGP – and at a special venue too. Marc Marquez’s unreal victory run does come to an end, but #93 will be chuffed enough to earn P2 in front of his home fans and bring home a 1-2 for the Marquez’. Bastianini’s efforts were rewarded with his first Sunday podium for KTM, a top ride from ‘The Beast’.
YOUR POINTS SCORERS IN BARCELONA
Acosta faded big style in the second half of the Grand Prix but the #37 held onto P4, as Quartararo won the fight for P5. Ogura enjoyed a superb last couple of laps to climb into P6, that’s the rookie’s first top six result since Thailand. Bagnaia’s comeback ended with a P7 and although that’s not the result the #63 wants on paper, from where he started, that’s a very respectable ride.
Marini’s performance was also noteworthy. P8 doesn’t tell the full tale as HRC continue to prove they’re well on their way back, as Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) hands Yamaha a double top 10 following the Portuguese rider’s P9 result. P10 went to reigning World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), while Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) picked up at least a point in Barcelona.
MISANO, YOU’RE UP
Well, Marc Marquez now mathematically can’t clinch the title next week in Misano, so it’ll be full focus on who can clinch victory at another classic venue on our globetrotting tour - and one that is a home round for many.
Find full results here and see you there!
Holgado flawless for majestic maiden Moto2™ win ahead of Dixon and Muñoz
Leading every lap, commanding the Grand Prix and taking his first victory, there’s only one word that can describe Daniel Holgado’s (CFMOTO Impulse Aspar Team) Catalan GP: perfect. Blasting off from pole and making it look easy, the #27 became the ninth different winner of the season ahead of Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and super-sub Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in a tense 21-lapper. Elsewhere, Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) extends his advantage to 38 after a disastrous Sunday for his rivals.
A lightning getaway from polesitter Holgado saw him snatch the holeshot and lead the opening laps ahead of Dixon. At Turn 4 on the opening lap, the #96’s teammate Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was forced out wide and into the gravel whilst further around the corner, a fast-starting Ayumu Sasaki’s (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) Grand Prix was over, crashing out. Settling down on Lap 3, Holgado headed Dixon whilst Muñoz gave chase in third, continuing his impressive showing ahead of Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) and Championship leader Gonzalez in P5.
At the start of Lap 6, Muñoz’s charge continued as he bounced through into second ahead of Dixon under braking for Turn 1. At half distance, Salač was taken out further behind by Jorge Navarro (KLINT Forward Factory Team) at Turn 1, whilst at Turn 7, it was a fast crash for Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), dinting his title hopes with Gonzalez up in P5. On Lap 16, Gonzalez attempted to pass Guevara at Turn 1 but went wide and thus lost the place but a lap later, made it work and secured fourth.
Back at the front, Holgado’s impressive ride continued, pulling out a 2.5s gap to Muñoz. The replacement rider was starting to come under pressure from a resurgent Dixon, just half a second between them before on the penultimate lap, the Brit took P2 at Turn 1. Further back in P12, Diogo Moreira’s (Italtrans Racing Team) weekend got worse as he was issued a Long Lap Penalty for exceeding track limits.
One Aspar rider may have taken their first win back at Balaton Park and it was the same again but for the other side of the box. A flawless ride from Holgado saw him take a lights-to-flag victory, a first in Moto2 and becoming the ninth different winner of 2025. Dixon held off Muñoz for a first podium since Germany whilst Muñoz’s is his first ever. Gonzalez extends his Championship lead with P4 ahead of Guevara who matched his season’s-best in fifth.
Celestino Vietti (Beta Tools SpeedRS Team) was next up ahead of teammate Alonso Lopez whilst David Alonso (CFMOTO Impulse Aspar Team) surged through from 25th to eighth. Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) rounded out the top ten. Moreira’s penalty left him 14th, a blow to his title aspirations. Check out full results here!
With nine winners in 2025, will we welcome a tenth at Misano next week? Don't bet against it.
Piqueras pounces to claim crucial win in Barcelona
It’s a victory that could prove crucial come the end of the season for Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) as the Spaniard wins an intense Moto3 battle in Barcelona, as the #36 cuts five points off Jose Antonio Rueda’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) championship lead after the latter recovered from a Long Lap penalty to collect P2. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) may have been passed at the final corner but the Japanese star held on to pick up P3 to earn his second podium of the season.
From his debut pole position, David Almansa (Leopard Racing) held onto P1 into Turn 1 as Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) made a great start from ninth to climb into an early P4 behind Almansa, Joel Kelso (LEVEL-UP MTA) and David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), meanwhile, Piqueras lost out at the start and dropped to P6 from the front row, as the Spaniard’s title rival Rueda took his Long Lap penalty at the start of Lap 3, which dropped the #99 from P5 to P15.
After a sluggish start, Piqueras bullied his way into P3 by the end of Lap 4, with Rueda back up to P10 and well inside the lead gaggle of riders at the same point. Meanwhile, Almansa was doing a lot of the leading and by Lap 7, the #22 was still sitting at the front of the freight train – but 14 hungry Moto3 riders were swarming. And one of those was Quiles, and the Hungarian GP winner took over the race lead baton at the start of Lap 9, as Rueda stalked his way up to the top five. But Almansa, and then Piqueras, bit straight back on Quiles to demote the star rookie to P3.
And on Lap 11, Rueda swooped into the lead for the first time. Now, what was the response? Well for Quiles, Turn 1 saw the Aspar rider run wide after running in hot and that cost him time – podium contention to P14, how costly would that be?
With four laps to go, Rueda was 0.5s clear of a pack that were scrapping behind for track position. At this stage it was Almansa in P2, Piqueras in P3, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) in P4, Furusato in P5 and Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) – from the back of the grid – in P6 after Muñoz made a small error on the exit of Turn 2.
So with two laps to go, the threat of Rueda breaking clear had vanished. Piqueras was right with his title rival, as the top 10 were locked together heading onto the last lap. And it was all change at Turn 1. Piqueras grabbed the lead and Rueda was suddenly P4 behind Furusato and Almansa, as Rueda lunged at Turn 5 – but it didn’t work. Turn 10 then came but still, Piqueras fended off the threat from behind. At the final corner, after getting back into P3 earlier on in the lap, Rueda lunged Valentino Rossi style up the inside of Furusato to pinch P2 away from the Japanese rider, but it was Piqueras who secured a crucial victory ahead of the World Championship leader.
Furusato did hold onto P3 to earn his first podium finish since Qatar, while the Leopard duo of Almansa and Fernandez narrowly missed out on a top three in P4 and P5 respectively. Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) crossed the line in P6 ahead of Kelso and Muñoz, with Yamanaka and Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) rounding out the top 10.
Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was a solid P11 on his return, while Quiles had to settle for P12 after his late mistake at Turn 1. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) and Marcos Uriarte (LEVELUP-MTA) picked up the final points in Barcelona.
And with today's results in Barcelona, KTM have been crowned Moto3 Constructors' World Champions - congratulations to all on another fantastic season!
Check out the full results from Moto3 and see you in Misano!