Italian ace Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing #72) led home an Aprilia 1-2 as the podium fight between Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #79) went to the wire in a memorable Italian Grand Prix. Report: BikeReview/MotoGP Press

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

A double serving of Italian-flavoured P1 was on the menu for Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio (#49), as the Catalan GP winner served up a Friday treat to head into the weekend’s action at Mugello as the rider to beat. The Italian’s 1:44.808 was 0.091s faster than Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who in turn was 0.012s clear of Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #23). It was an Italian 1-2-3-4 for the first time in a Practice session, with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #21) making it both Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing machines in the top four.

Read our other race news here…

Simply. The. Bez. Pole. Lap record. A Mugello masterclass from Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) saw him raise the level once again to set the first-ever 1’43 lap of the iconic Italian circuit. A 1’43.921 to be precise, a first pole since Buriram for the #72, who fended off Q1 graduate Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #25) and 2024 World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing #89) on the grid. It was the first Aprilia 1-2-3 on the grid in MotoGP history.

Moto2

Setting his fastest lap time on the 14th of his 16 laps, Vietti was once again mighty on Friday, whilst it was a Boscoscuro 1-2, with Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #28) showing strength behind his fellow Catalan GP podium finisher, just 0.011s adrift. Championship leader and Catalan GP winner Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP #18) was strong in third as just 0.110s covered the top three.

Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) set a new lap record in qualifying at Mugello, putting in a late 1’48.474 to pull a quarter of a second clear at the top. The ominous lap demoted Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing #12) from provisional pole to second, with Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team #11) taking third to complete the front row.

Moto3

It was a fine Friday at the Mugello office for Scott Ogden (CIP GreenPower #19), who left it late to blast himself up the order and bag top spot on the opening day of action at the Italian GP. With the chequered flag already out, the #19 put himself in the driving seat to lead the Moto3 charge into the rest of the weekend.

David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #22) would start the Brembo Grand Prix of Italy from pole after a close Q2 at Mugello. The #22 headed Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI #13) by just 0.018 thanks to a 1’54.862, with a late push from Joel Kelso (GRYD – MLav Racing #66) into third, making it Spain – Malaysia – Australia on the Moto3 front row.

 

 

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) made grabbing a Tissot Sprint gold medal look pretty easy as the Spaniard fended off the challenge of Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) on Saturday afternoon at Mugello. The winning margin was 1.2s at the flag to see the Italian marque enjoy a Saturday 1-2 on familiar turf. Joining the Aprilia duo on the Sprint podium was Friday pacesetter and home hero Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).

There was plenty of action from the off. From the second row, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team #93), on his injury return, got a flyer and lunged into Turn 1 to pinch the holeshot, but he didn’t stay at the front for long. Fernandez, Martin and then rookie Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR #11) carved their way past the reigning World Champion, and next in line was Di Giannantonio. The Italian moved on through at Turn 12, and suddenly, the #93 was P5.

In P6 was polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) after the title race leader got a sluggish start. But on Lap 2 at the final corner, Bez was also past Marquez.

At the end of Lap 3, Fernandez led Martin by half a second. Di Giannantonio, having moved his way through on Moreira with a beautiful pass at Arrabbiata 1, was 1.4s adrift of the Aprilia duo. Lap 4 then saw Bezzecchi pounce on Moreira to climb into P4, but by this stage, the #72 was over three seconds away from the Sprint leader and 0.9s behind Di Giannantonio in the bronze medal position.

A little further down the order, Enea Bastianini’s (Red Bull KTM Tech3) Sprint ended at Turn 10 as the Italian battled to keep Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37) behind him in P7. And soon after, Franco Morbidelli was in the gravel at the same corner.

With four laps to go, Fernandez held onto the P1 baton by seven tenths, with Martin still over a second and a half up the road from Di Giannantonio. And with three laps to go, the factory Aprilia reeled in the Trackhouse Aprilia to see the gap drop to just under half a second. Was the Mugello gold medal pursuit on for Martin? Well, the answer was yes, because the gap was 0.5s, but Fernandez did respond to keep Martin at arm’s length. And on the penultimate lap, the leader responded again to boast a 0.8s lead on the final lap.

And sure enough, a flawless ride was capped off with a victory as Fernandez fended off Martin for 12 points, with the latter gaining a few points on Bezzecchi ahead of the main event on Sunday. Di Giannantonio delivered a very good ride to come from P7 on the grid to the podium, with the Italian crossing the line 1.1s clear of Bezzecchi.

“I feel super happy. I don’t really have the words. Since Jerez [the Spanish Grand Prix in April] we are doing a good job, and today and yesterday we worked well, and I felt the pace. I felt comfortable with the bike. Tomorrow we will try again,” reflected Fernandez.

Tissot Sprint Race Results

  1. Raul Fernandez Trackhouse Aprilia
  2. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing (+1.289s)
  3. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+3.287s)
  4. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing (+4.481s)
  5. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (+9.055s)

Sunday
MotoGP

An Italian, in Italy, on Italian machinery, winning at Mugello. Marco Bezzecchi delivered one of the finest performances of his MotoGP career, leading Aprilia Racing to a dream 1-2 finish at its home Grand Prix. Jorge Martin secured second, while Francesco Bagnaia held off a late charge from Ai Ogura to complete the podium.

From pole, Bezzecchi launched well, but teammate Martin grabbed the lead into Turn 1 as Sprint winner Raul Fernandez ran wide and dropped from P3 to P17. Bezzecchi quickly responded, reclaiming the lead at Turn 4, while Bagnaia surged to P3 on the opening lap before moving into second when Martin ran slightly wide at the start of Lap 2.

One lap later, Bagnaia took the lead into San Donato, pushing title leader Bezzecchi back to second. Martin remained third, while Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta, Fermin Aldeguer and Ogura battled closely behind. By Lap 7, Bagnaia led Bezzecchi, with Martin just over a second behind. Further back, Acosta briefly passed Marquez, but the Ducati riders fought back, and the intense battle among the chasing pack allowed the leaders to edge clear. Fabio Di Giannantonio also joined the group as the race approached halfway.

As the laps ticked down, Martin began closing on the leading pair, while Bezzecchi increasingly pressured Bagnaia. With 10 laps remaining, Bezzecchi made his move for the lead at Turn 1 and immediately broke away. Within a lap, he had opened a gap of almost a second. Martin then turned his attention to Bagnaia and made his move on Lap 16, demoting the Ducati rider to third. Up front, however, Bezzecchi was untouchable, extending his advantage as he chased a memorable victory.

Behind them, the battle for the final podium place intensified. Acosta, Ogura, Marquez and Di Giannantonio traded positions, with Ogura emerging as Bagnaia’s biggest threat in the closing stages. Contact between Ogura and Acosta with four laps remaining cost the KTM rider valuable time, allowing Di Giannantonio through and leaving Ogura free to hunt down Bagnaia.

Starting the final lap, Ogura was just 0.7s behind. By Turn 10 the gap had shrunk to 0.4s, and by Bucine, the Japanese rookie launched an attack for third. Bagnaia responded immediately, cutting back underneath and winning the drag race to the finish line by just 0.034s in a thrilling battle for the final podium position. At the front, Bezzecchi was already celebrating a dream home victory, as Aprilia completed a sensational 1-2 thanks to Martin’s ride to second. Ogura narrowly missed a second Sunday podium of the season but impressed with P4 from P13 on the grid.

“I feel unbelievable, it was something that I was dreaming since I was a kid. To achieve this dream is amazing,” Bezzecchi stated.

MotoGP Race Results

  1. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing
  2. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing (+3.559s)
  3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+5.098s)
  4. Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia (+5.132s)
  5. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+5.453s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

  1. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing – 173
  2. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing – 156
  3. Fabio di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 134
  4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM – 103
  5. Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia – 92

Moto2

Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) strengthened his Moto2 World Championship lead with a commanding lights-to-flag victory at Mugello, securing his third win of the season and sixth podium in seven rounds. Behind him, Celestino Vietti (MB Conveyors SpeedRS Team #13) produced a remarkable comeback ride from 16th on the grid to finish second on home soil, while Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #96) completed the podium.

Gonzalez made a perfect start from pole position to grab the holeshot and quickly established control of the race. Early drama unfolded behind him, with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia #72) crashing out. Aron Canet (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #44) and Xabi Zurutuza (KLINT Racing Team #85) also fell at Turn 7. A lap later, Alex Escrig (KLINT Factory Racing) was taken out by Alonso Lopez (ITALJET Gresini Moto2 #21), with Lopez receiving a Long Lap Penalty.

At the front, Ivan Ortola charged through the field from 10th on the grid and soon latched onto the rear wheel of race leader Gonzalez. Further back, Filip Salac (OnlyFans American Racing Team) and Holgado were battling over third, with Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP #81) closing in.

As the race entered its second half, Gonzalez began to stretch his advantage to more than 1.5 seconds while Ortola’s challenge faded. Holgado moved into third ahead of Salac, but the fight for the podium intensified as Agius arrived on the scene.

In the closing laps, Agius passed Salac before Vietti also moved through. Holgado then inherited second when Ortola suffered a heartbreaking technical problem less than 10km from the finish. Vietti, however, was on a charge. The Italian overtook Agius for third with a lap and a half remaining before passing Holgado at Scarperia on the final lap to secure second place.

The battle for the final podium position went down to the wire. Agius made a last-corner move on Holgado, but the Spaniard used the slipstream on the run to the finish line to reclaim third by just 0.017 seconds, leaving the Australian narrowly off the podium in fourth.

Out front, Gonzalez was untouchable, cruising to a second consecutive Moto2 victory at Mugello. Vietti’s stunning recovery from 16th to second delivered a third podium of the season and a second in succession, as Holgado held on for third. Agius impressed with fourth ahead of Salac, who rounded out the top five for his third consecutive top-10 finish and best result of the year.

Moto2 Race Results

  1. Manuel Gonzalez LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP
  2. Celestino Vietti Beta Tools SpeedRS Team (+5.327s)
  3. Daniel Holgado CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (+5.462s)
  4. Senna Agius LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (+5.479s)
  5. Filip Salac OnlyFans American Racing Team (+7.568s)

Moto2 Championship Points

  1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 129.5
  2. Izan Guevara BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 – 95
  3. Celestino Vietti HDR SpeedRS Team – 93
  4. Senna Agius LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP – 78
  5. Daniel Holgado CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team – 65

Moto3

Reigning MotoJunior and Red Bull Rookies Cup champion Brian Uriarte is a Moto3 race winner following a classic Mugello Moto3 battle. As expected, the fight for victory went down to the final lap, but escaping the scrap was the eventual winner, and clinching P2 was Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Alvaro Carpe (#83). Malaysia’s Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) earned his debut podium in Moto3 after a fine ride from pole, as World Championship leader Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team #28) was forced to settle for P11.

From his inherited pole position after David Almansa’s (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) unfortunate withdrawal due to illness, Danish got a dream start from pole position, but halfway around the first lap, Joel Kelso (GRYD MLav Racing) pounced to grab an early lead. Joel Esteban (LEVEL UP – MTA #78) then passed Danish for P2 at the end of the opening lap to jump into P2, with title race leader Quiles P14 at the end of the first lap in Italy.

Three laps later, Quiles had made his way up to P8, with Uriarte using a dose of classic Mugello slipstream to pinch the lead. A lap further into the race, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing #31) led for the first time, and another lap later it was Carpe – with Quiles now up to P2.

On Lap 7 of 17, Rico Salmela’s (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #27) crash on the exit of Turn 4 broke up the group, meaning the top eight were 0.9s clear of the chasers. At this stage, Quiles was leading, with his closest championship challenger Fernandez in P2. But that emerging gap we talked about? Scrap it. Eddie O’Shea (GRYD MLav Racing #8) and co. bridged the opening within a lap.

 

 

On Lap 13, after a brilliant rise through the top 10 pack, O’Shea grabbed a Moto3 lead for the first time, but it didn’t last long as Fernandez, Quiles and teammate Kelso pounced. It was getting dicey. Track position began to matter with three laps to go, with Fernandez fronting the 15-rider-strong pack from O’Shea and Quiles.

At the final corner on the penultimate lap, Quiles had a huge moment. The championship leader was out of the seat, and that dropped him out of the top 10. Then, it was last lap time. And at the Casanova/Savelli section, Uriarte leapt into the lead to demote Fernandez to P2, and an almighty scrap unfolded for the podium behind. This allowed Uriarte to have a rare, clean and uninterrupted run to a dream debut win in Moto3, and winning the race to finish on the podium was teammate Carpe and polesitter Danish.

Fernandez lost out on a win and a rostrum on the final lap, but a P4 was a good result for the Spaniard considering Quiles’ P11. Esteban ended the race in P5 ahead of O’Shea, who, despite losing some places in a hectic final lap, managed to secure a career-best P6.

Moto3 Race Results

  1. Brian Uriarte Red Bull KTM Ajo
  2. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo (+0.418s)
  3. Hakim Danish AEON Credit- MT Helmets – MSI (+0.456s)
  4. Adrian Fernandez Leopard Racing (+0.482s)
  5. Joel Esteban LEVEL UP – MTA (+0.842s)

Moto3 Championship Points

  1. Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 145
  2. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo – 93
  3. Adrian Fernandez Leopard Racing – 89
  4. Brian Uriarte Red Bull KTM Ajo – 67
  5. Veda Pratama Honda Team Asia – 66

How Did the Aussies Do?

Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP #43) fought through one of the most challenging races of the season for the Yamaha package in the Sprint at Mugello, with 16th place the best result he could manage. The main race proved more positive, however, with Miller putting together a series of consistent laps and managing the bike smartly to finish 15th and secure a valuable championship point.

Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) qualified seventh at Mugello after a small mistake on his fastest lap denied him a front-row start. Then in the race, the 20-year-old put in a brilliant ride, as he charged through the field in the closing stages and only narrowly missed the podium by just 0.017 seconds to finish fourth and strengthen his hold on fourth in the championship standings.

Australian rider Joel Kelso (GRYD – MLav Racing) took a positive step forward at Mugello, battling hard throughout the race to finish ninth after qualifying an impressive P3. After fighting for every position in a fiercely contested contest, Kelso was encouraged by his progress, describing it as the first weekend he truly felt comfortable and in sync with the Honda.

 

Share this article