Not a wheel wrong or out of place, the #72 really was ‘Simply the Bez' as the #73 and #37 earn Sunday podiums
It was perfection from start to finish from Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), who led every one of the 25 laps at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Portugal. A vital victory saw him move comfortably clear in the race for third overall in the Championship, and he’ll need just a few points to secure it next week in Valencia. Behind the Italian on the track, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) resisted a late surge in pace from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with the podium being reshuffled from Saturday’s Sprint.
LIGHTS OUT! Bezzecchi holds off Acosta
Getting an excellent start, Acosta was dynamite off the line but couldn’t overcome Bezzecchi, who got the holeshot from pole. Alex Marquez replicated his Sprint start to move up to third but there was drama behind. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was caught up in a bundle at Turn 5 but was OK, ending a weekend which had been a struggle. Onto Lap 2 and Marquez made his move to get P2 from Acosta and set off in pursuit of Bezzecchi. Elsewhere, there was a disaster for Sepang’s P3 finisher Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), who retired with another technical issue at the end of Lap 2.
FIGHTS IN THE FIELD: Pecco in P4 until…
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) held fourth ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), as the 2021 World Champion was once again putting in a great performance. ‘El Diablo’ had his hands full with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who in turn was under attack from Indonesian GP winner Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). The rookie made a bold move at Turn 5 on the South African with contact and taking some aero – as well as P5 – away from the #33. Aldeguer then passed Quartararo and then inherited fourth when Bagnaia crashed at Turn 10 on Lap 11. A fourth successive Sunday DNF for the #63, and a huge dent in his third-place goals overall in the standings.
At the front, Bezzecchi was edging ever further away from Marquez behind and by Lap 15, had a 2.2s advantage over the #73. Acosta was a further 2.4s away but had a comfortable 6.4s margin over Aldeguer and Binder. The main battle heading into the closing stages was for sixth, as Quartararo continued his excellent defensive ride ahead of fellow countryman Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and an impressive Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team).
NEVER GIVING UP: Acosta rallies for late attack on Marquez
Whilst things had looked settled at the front, Acosta found second wind with just four laps to go, taking three-quarters of a second out of Marquez up ahead of him as 2025’s runner-up struggled in the closing stages. With two to go, the gap was a second and whilst an uphill challenge, nothing is considered impossible for the #37 KTM. Further back in the pack and there was a late drop in pace for Zarco as Ogura got ahead of him for P7, whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) pinched eighth.
CHEQUERED FLAG! Bezzecchi brilliance
Onto the last lap and Marquez had responded, minimising the damage even if the gap continued to come down. An inspired ride from Acosta meant he came close but not close enough in a familiar story to yesterday, but nobody could lay a glove on Bezzecchi. From lights to flag, the #72 made Portimao his own with a majestic victory, becoming the sixth different winner in as many Grands Prix. Marquez and Acosta rounded out the podium behind the Aprilia rider, who gave the Italian manufacturer a third victory in 2025, the first time ever they’ve enjoyed three wins in a single season.
Aldeguer held on to clinch fourth place ahead of Binder, who took his third top six of the season ahead of Quartararo, who took his best Portuguese GP finish since 2022. Ogura’s P7 makes it his first back-to-back top ten finishes since Jerez and Le Mans earlier in the year. Di Giannantonio resisted Zarco’s fightback in the scrap for eighth, whilst Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) was the third KTM in the top ten.
The final points scorers in the Portuguese GP were Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), home hero Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), and Nicolo Bulega (Ducati Lenovo Team) on his MotoGP debut.
Next up: Valencia
And so, we make our much-anticipated return to Valencia for the season finale. See you there! Find full results here.
Follow the stories from Sunday:
- Simply the Bez: perfection in Portimao from the #72 and Bezzecchi
- Not enough for the win, but Alex Marquez notches up his 12th Sunday rostrum of the year
- "Getting closer" - Acosta earns third rostrum in last four ahead of season finale
Moreira clinches crucial victory as title race heads to Valencia
A Champion’s performance? The Moto2 title race will go down to the final round in Valencia next weekend, but Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) took one giant leap towards etching his name on the trophy with a fantastic victory in Portimao. The points gap is 24 points in the Brazilian’s favour now after Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) finished P6, so the odds are firmly in Moreira’s favour heading to the season finale. Completing the podium were two rapid rookies, with Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) collecting his first Moto2 silverware in P2, as David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) earned his third straight podium in P3.
A victory or second place. To clinch the title, it was one of those two results Moreira needed from pole position. And from P1 on the grid, the Brazilian got a perfect launch and comfortably grabbed the holeshot ahead of Veijer, with Gonzalez P6 on the opening lap. Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) dropped to P3, with Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing), the rider third overall, had to sit up on the exit of Turn 1 and lost a lot of positions – the Belgian was down to P11.
At the start of Lap 3, the top six were locked together – and that included Moreira and Gonzalez, as well as Veijer, Dixon, Celestino Vietti (Beta Tools SpeedRS Team), and Alonso. And at the start of Lap 4, Veijer led for the first time on the run into Turn 1.
On the exit of Turn 5 on Lap 5, a warning for Gonzalez. A huge, out-of-the-seat moment saw the Spaniard lose ground, and then Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) forced his way through into Turn 8 to demote the #18 to P7, with Moreira still P2. Crucially now though, a one-second gap had opened up between the top four and fifth place Canet, as Baltus dragged himself onto the rear wheel of Gonzalez.
On Lap 8 of 21, P7 became P6 as Gonzalez made a lovely move stick on Vietti, as Canet passed Dixon at the start of Lap 9, and a lap later, Gonzalez picked off the #96 too to jump into P5. But it was Baltus who was the rider on the move. The Belgian passed Vietti, Dixon, and then Gonzalez at Turn 3 to carve his way into P5, but there was a good chunk of time to make up to teammate Canet and the podium fight.
With five laps to go, Gonzalez was still sat behind Baltus in P6, with Moreira now beginning to put some serious pressure on Veijer. Alonso was 0.8s behind Moreira in P3, with Canet 0.6s further back. At this stage, the points advantage heading to Valencia was 19 points in Moreira’s favour.
And then, with two and a half laps to go, Moreira pounced. Turn 11 was the place and it was a classy move up the inside of the Dutchman, and now, the top four were pretty much locked together. Now, the points gap was 24 points, as Moreira got his head down and tried to escape the rookie fight for P2 between Veijer and Alonso, with Canet also right there.
Last lap! Four riders in contention for victory, as Dixon suffered a last-lap crash out of P7. Could anyone stop Moreira from putting one hand and four fingers on the Moto2 World Championship trophy? The answer was no. What a win for the Brazilian. On the big occasion, Moreira stepped up and now, he heads to Valencia in about a strong a position as he could have hoped to be in.
Congratulations to Veijer, that’s his first Moto2 podium, with Alonso making it two rookies on the rostrum in P3. Canet strung together a strong ride to P4, with teammate Baltus completing the top five. And with Dixon’s crash, the Fantic duo and British rider are now officially out of title contention – it’s now Moreira vs Gonzalez in Valencia. However, Fantic are now able to celebrate the Moto2 Teams' title thanks to the efforts of Baltus and Canet.
Gonzalez will be disappointed with his P6, but it’s a result that still keeps him in contention ahead of next weekend’s finale. One place behind the Spaniard finished his compatriot Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team), and that result hands the #27 Moto2’s Rookie of the Year accolade.
So, onto Valencia we go. It’s simply a must-win for Gonzalez, while Moreira needs a top 14 finish to clinch the Moto2 crown before his MotoGP adventure begins. A tense weekend awaits at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
Check out full results here and see you in Portugal.
Quiles pulls the pin for stunning rollercoaster win
The penultimate Moto3™ showdown of the season saw a superstar performance from Max Quiles (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team) as he escaped the group to cross the line over a second clear. Angel Piqueras (QJMotor – FRINSA – MSI) put up a huge fight for second and secured it, limiting the damage as he fights for second overall in the Championship. Malaysian GP winner Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) completed the podium, taking back to back rostrum finishes for the first time in his career.
Off the line it was a dream start for Joel Kelso (LEVELUP – MTA) as he led Quiles early on, but the group remained close. On Lap 3, Joel Esteban (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was able to attack into second before having a twitch at the final corner, with the resulting reaction seeing Quiles then dropped down to sixth as the slipstream effect down the straight made it all change again behind Kelso.
The Australian led the way for the first half of the race, keeping some tenths in hand, but on Lap 10 he was wide at Turn 5 and the door was open for Quiles and Piqueras. Kelso slotted into third, but the battle was hotting up and it was soon several riders wide as they jostled for position. As the dust started to settle again, Quiles led Furusato as it was instead Piqueras left scrabbling for position in the group. But the #36 hung on to move back into third and then second by Turn 1 on the penultimate lap.
Onto the final lap, Quiles had time in hand over Piqueras, who likewise had just enough over Furusato. They crossed the line in that order as the fight behind took its final shuffle, with Esteban next up as he managed to just stay ahead of rookie teammate Alvaro Carpe.
Casey O’Gorman, this weekend a replacement rider with Dynavolt Intact GP, put in a stunner to take sixth place, with the Irishman pipping Kelso and front row starter Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power). Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completed the top ten.
There is now one more round remaining for Moto3™ in 2025 – and second place remains a close showdown. Piqueras or Quiles? We’ll find out on home turf for both next weekend in Valencia. Check out the full results from Moto3.