MotoGP Round 22 | Marco Bezzecchi reigns supreme while 2025’s bronze medallist and Trackhouse’s Fernandez handed Aprilia a historic end to the campaign as Diggia battled past Acosta for P3. It was action aplenty for the final round of the year and it was a cracker! Report: Ed Stratmann/MotoGP

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

The rider to beat on MotoGP’s final Friday of the season? Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37). The KTM star set a 1:29.240 to beat Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing #72) by just 0.053s at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, as Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #21) earned P3 in what was a very competitive opening day of action at the Motul Grand Prix of the Valencian Community.

Less than a tenth split the top five in qualifying? Go on then! That’s exactly what we were served in the final pole position battle of the season, and it was a fight that was won by Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) as the fastest quintet all set times that were under the previous lap record. The Italian’s 1:28.809 was 0.026s quicker than Alex Marquez’s (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73) effort and 0.044s better than Fabio Di Giannantonio’s (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #49) personal best.

Moto2

There was an early slice of drama in the Moto2 title-deciding weekend. Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team #10) was forced to battle it out in Q1 on Saturday afternoon at the Grand Prix of Valencia after finishing Friday’s Practice session in P19, while title rival Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) sailed into Q2 with a P10 result on Day 1. Meanwhile, despite a late tumble, Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #27) led the way with a 1:32.408, with Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #96) and Daniel Muñoz (Red Bull KTM Ajo #17) completing the top three.

Read our previous MotoGP news here…

A fourth pole of the season for Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) made it another record-breaking Moto2 qualifying session in Valencia. World Championship leader Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) qualified in P9 for the finale, with title rival Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) starting from P5 as he gunned for victory on Sunday.

Moto3

Under sunny skies at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, David Almansa (Leopard Racing #22) was lightning quick on Friday to secure top spot and a pathway to Q2. He set fastest lap after fastest lap to shave almost a second off the old lap record. The Spaniard sported a margin of over three tenths of a second and went into Saturday as the rider to beat, as teammate Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing #31) and Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #73) completed the top three.

Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) clinched pole position for the Moto3™ Grand Prix of Valencia on Saturday afternoon with a mega lap of 1 ‘36.990s, enough to finish ahead of the opposition. Behind, teammate David Almansa (Leopard Racing) made it a Honda 1-2, whilst Maximo Quiles’ (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team #28) went from P3.

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) capped the final Tissot Sprint of 2025 with a commanding victory, making it back-to-back Sprint wins and his third of the season. The #73 controlled the race from the start, finishing ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who charged forward from the second row, while Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) secured third after a late fight with Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #25).

Launching perfectly from P2, Marquez grabbed the holeshot ahead of polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing). Acosta made a lightning start of his own, jumping from fifth to second by Turn 2. Bezzecchi, however, endured a nightmare opening lap, slipping to sixth behind Fernandez, Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP #20).

Early drama struck Honda on Lap 2 when Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol #36) crashed at Turn 2, collecting teammate Luca Marini and ending both riders’ Sprints. Mir was handed a Long Lap penalty for the GP. A lap later in the same corner, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP #43) and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #54) made contact, forcing Aldeguer wide. Miller was ordered to drop three positions but did not serve the penalty, leading to a Long Lap Penalty that derailed his points push.

Bezzecchi eventually cleared Quartararo for fifth, though the gap to Fernandez and Di Giannantonio ahead exceeded a second. At the front, Marquez stretched his lead to 1.4s by mid-distance, managing the pace calmly as Acosta searched for his first MotoGP win while also defending from those behind. Further back, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) passed Quartararo as the Yamaha rider faded.

The fight for third intensified late as Di Giannantonio and Fernandez traded positions from Turn 4 to Turn 6 on the penultimate lap. Their battling allowed Bezzecchi to close in, but he ran out of time to join the podium fight.

Marquez sealed the win ahead of Acosta, who claimed his fourth consecutive Sprint podium. The result, coupled with Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) P14, moved Acosta into fourth in the standings. Di Giannantonio completed the podium ahead of Fernandez, while Bezzecchi settled for fifth ahead of Sunday’s GP.

“Super happy to win today. During the weekend we suffered a bit more than normal, but today in the Sprint I say, ‘We need to win, we need to be there’. I attacked from the start. And I saw that I could put my rhythm and save a little bit of tyre in the beginning and then push at the end. We did it, and I controlled the gap in a very good way,” Marquez said.

Tissot Sprint Race Results

  1. Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati
  2. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM (+1.149s)
  3. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+2.637s)
  4. Raul Fernandez Trackhouse Aprilia (+3.519s)
  5. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing (+3.727s)

Sunday
MotoGP

Aprilia closed 2025 in style as Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) delivered a lights-to-flag victory in Valencia, securing back-to-back wins for the first time and leading teammate Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) for the manufacturer’s first 1-2 since 2023. Fernandez pushed hard to the line, finishing just 0.6s adrift, while Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) snatched third from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to extend Ducati’s run of 88 consecutive podiums into 2026.

Before lights out, drama struck as Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) collided with Aleix Espargaro (Honda HRC Test Team #41) while forming up on the grid, ending Morbidelli’s season with a fractured left hand. Once the race began, Bezzecchi launched cleanly and held the lead over Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), but chaos erupted at Turn 4 when Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR #5) lost control and forced Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) into the gravel. Bagnaia tipped off, ending his race and season, while Zarco was handed a Long Lap Penalty.

Fernandez quickly carved forward, passing Di Giannantonio and closing down Bezzecchi and Marquez with successive fastest laps. By Lap 11, he swept past Marquez for second, while Acosta and Di Giannantonio closed in behind as Marquez struggled for pace. The leading trio built a gap of more than two seconds, but Fernandez steadily chipped away at Bezzecchi’s advantage.

With 11 laps remaining, Acosta began pressuring Marquez and finally forced his way into third at Turn 4 on Lap 20. Di Giannantonio followed suit with an identical move a lap later, dropping Marquez to fifth. Up front, Bezzecchi’s lead hovered around half a second as Fernandez continued to push, bringing the gap down to 0.4s with three laps to go.

The final laps produced two fierce duels: Bezzecchi vs Fernandez for the win and Acosta vs Di Giannantonio for the final podium. Di Giannantonio struck first, overtaking Acosta at Turn 4 with two laps remaining. The KTM rider fought back, but the Italian held firm.

On the last lap, Bezzecchi maintained just enough margin to keep Fernandez at bay, securing Aprilia’s 1-2. Di Giannantonio completed the podium, finishing a strong Valencia double. Acosta took P4, confirming fourth overall in the standings. Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) claimed P5 with a last-corner move on teammate Alex Marquez, who ended the day in P6.

“I was super motivated after yesterday because for different reasons, I wasn’t good enough to fight for the podium [in the Sprint], and I was a little bit angry with myself,” Bezzecchi explained. “I started in front and put my rhythm on, and I was feeling good and able to manage [the race] until the end. I was not [surprised] from Raul, I saw his pace yesterday, and I was hoping for a little bit less, but in the end, the last two laps, I was a bit afraid. I was managing through all the race, and it never got too scary. I was always in control, but then in the last two laps I started to think I was in a little bit of trouble with the rear [tyre] as Raul was coming.”

MotoGP Race Results

  1. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing
  2. Raul Fernandez Trackhouse Aprilia (+0.686s)
  3. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+3.765s)
  4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM (+4.749s)
  5. Fermin Aldeguer BK8 Gresini Ducati (+8.048s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

  1. Marc Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati – 545
  2. Alex Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 467
  3. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing – 353
  4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM – 307
  5. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 288

Moto2

Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) is the 2025 Moto2™ World Champion, becoming Brazil’s first-ever Grand Prix world champion. A calm and calculated 10th place was all he needed, as his only remaining title rival, Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), required a win but was forced to pit with a rear-tyre issue while running in the latter half of the top ten.

At the front, Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #28) claimed his maiden Moto2 victory in superb style, becoming the record 11th different winner of a wildly competitive season. Daniel Holgado (CFMoto Inde Aspar Team) pushed him all the way for P2, while Ivan Ortola (QJMotor – FRINSA – MSI #4) produced a brilliant charge to secure his first Moto2 podium in third.

Guevara grabbed the holeshot ahead of Holgado, Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2 #75) and Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #81), while Gonzalez settled into fifth and Moreira into ninth, elbows out and riding with the title in mind. Ortiz began climbing early, passing Gonzalez for fifth on Lap 5, then attacking Arenas for fourth on Lap 7 as Guevara and Holgado tried to edge clear.

Agius and Ortola briefly closed the gap on the leaders but soon fell into their own battle, allowing the front two to rebuild breathing room. Meanwhile, Gonzalez was feeling the pressure; a pair of wide moments underlined his struggle to maintain pace, and Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo #95) soon swept past him. Arenas and Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #12) followed, dropping the #18 to eighth as Moreira remained a composed ninth, just behind the fading Spaniard.

With five laps to go, the championship pivoted dramatically. Gonzalez slowed, signalling a rear-end problem. Moreira slipped by him cleanly before the Spaniard dived into pit lane for a tyre change, effectively ending his title hopes despite rejoining. From that moment, the 2025 Moto2 World Championship belonged to Diogo Moreira.

Up front, the fight for victory went down to the wire. Holgado hounded Guevara throughout the final laps, but the #28 never cracked, defending perfectly in the final sector to secure his first Moto2 win. Holgado took P2 and Ortola completed a breakthrough rookie podium in P3.

Veijer finished fourth, while Salač crossed the line fifth before a tyre-pressure penalty dropped him down the order. Arenas inherited P5 in his final Moto2 race, Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) stormed to P6 and Agius faded to seventh ahead of Celestino Vietti (Sync SpeedRS Team #13). Tony Arbolino (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #14) took P9, with the new World Champion Moreira classified 10th.

Moto2 Race Results

  1. Izan Guevara BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2
  2. Daniel Holgado CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (+0.717s)
  3. Ivan Ortola QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI (+2.327s)
  4. Collin Veijer Red Bull KTM Ajo (+2.888s)
  5. Filip Salac Elf Marc VDS Racing (+5.714s)

Moto2 Championship Points

  1. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team – 286
  2. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 257
  3. Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 232
  4. Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 227
  5. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing – 224

Moto3

Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) finally became a Grand Prix winner at his 86th attempt, converting pole into victory in Valencia after leading much of the 20-lap finale. The Spaniard held off compatriot Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo #83) and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia #72), while sixth place secured P2 in the Championship for Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #36).

Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, but Fernandez retook the lead immediately at Turn 2. David Almansa (Leopard Racing) briefly hit the front at the end of Lap 1, only to be pushed wide by his teammate at Turn 14 a lap later, dropping to P8 and leaving him with work to do. Fernandez resumed control ahead of Quiles, while Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse #58) carved through the early chaos to join the top three.

The pace was fierce, with the lead group of eight tightly packed. Almansa worked his way back to fourth by Lap 8 but was quickly shuffled down again as Furusato, Lunetta, Carpe and Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP #94) attacked. At the front, Fernandez remained calm, keeping Quiles close behind him.

Entering the second half, Fernandez tried to break the group with the fastest lap. Furusato moved into second ahead of Quiles and began chasing the leader, with Pini in fourth and Carpe fighting Lunetta a few bike lengths behind. Further back, Almansa found himself in a scrap with Piqueras and Marco Morelli (GRYD – MLav Racing #95) for seventh.

Despite several attempts to escape, Fernandez faced a five-rider battle heading into the final lap. Carpe and Quiles exchanged attacks through Turns 6–8, while Furusato shadowed Fernandez into the last corner. The #31 held firm, crossing the line first to claim a long-awaited maiden win.

Furusato finished second on the road but was penalised for exceeding track limits on the final lap, dropping him to third. Carpe inherited P2, matching his best result of the season, while a late double move from Carpe and Pini pushed Quiles down to P5 at the flag – enough to secure third in the final standings.

Moto3 Race Results

  1. Adrian Fernandez Leopard Racing
  2. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo (+0.286s)
  3. Taiyo Furusato Honda Team Asia (+0.386s)
  4. Guido Pini Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (+0.674s)
  5. Maximo Quiles CFMoto Valresa Aspar Team (+0.725s)

Moto3 Championship Points

  1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo – 365
  2. Angel Piqueras FRINSA – MT Helmets – 281
  3. Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team – 274
  4. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo – 215
  5. David Munoz Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 197

How Did the Aussies Do?

Having gone fastest in FP1 and sixth in practice before qualifying P8, Jack Miller’s weekend was shaping up nicely. After a strong launch in the Sprint, he ended up in a scrap with Fermín Aldeguer for eighth, with the pair making contact at Turn 2 on Lap 3 to scupper his bout. Miller received a three-position penalty but didn’t serve it and was instead given a long-lap sanction that dropped him to 12th.

In the GP, Miller brought it home in ninth. After running much of the race in sixth and seventh with an attacking but controlled ride, a late tyre drop forced him onto the defensive, costing him two positions to Luca Marini and Brad Binder. Senna Agius finished the season strong with P7 in the final race. After qualifying third, he battled near the top three but lost grip late in the race, crossing the line eighth before being promoted to seventh following a time penalty for Filip Salac.

Having qualified P12 for the finale, Joel Kelso (#66) frustratingly crashed out, ending his season on a sour note. While not the finish he wanted, he reflected positively on what was his best season yet at this level. Starting 23rd in his final race with Tech3, Jacob Roulstone (#12) quickly moved up, reaching 16th by Lap 3 and climbing as high as 13th mid-race. Battling an injured hand, he gradually fell back but finished strongly in 16th to end the season 16th in the standings.

 

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