Sunday MotoGP Race
The double in Doha – who’d have thought it? Some might, but not Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). However, that’s exactly how it unfolded for the #93 as a frantic MotoGP battle played out in a Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar that saw Maverick Viñales clinch a first podium in Red Bull KTM Tech3 colors – or so we thought. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) recovered to P3 at the line after a dissatisfying Saturday, as drama unfolded for Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who was forced to settle for P7, which was then P6.
Why? Because after a tire pressure penalty for Viñales post-race, most of the points scorers were promoted one position. It saw Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) elevated to P3 – and, of course, Bagnaia to P2. Those +16s demoted Viñales to P14.
Marc Marquez was the rider to earn the holeshot into Turn 1, but as the field exited the opening corner, contact was made between the #93 and Alex Marquez, with a piece of bodywork pinging off the rear end of the red machine. This allowed Morbidelli to take the lead into Turn 2 as Viñales made life harder for Alex Marquez. Top Gun was P3 through the fast Turn 3 but fair play to Marquez, he bit back to get behind his older brother once more.
Morbidelli’s lead was up to 0.8s at the beginning of Lap 3, as Bagnaia made a decent start. The Americas GP winner was up to sixth before more contact! Alex Marquez was trying to muscle his way back past Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) into Turn 12 but he misjudged it. Both went wide with Marquez dropping to P7 and the luckless Di Giannantonio being forced back to P21. And for the incident, Alex Marquez was handed a Long Lap penalty.
Meanwhile, Bagnaia was on the move. On the anchors heading into Turn 1 on Lap 5, Bagnaia breezed past Marc Marquez to climb into second place. That meant the Championship leader was third, Viñales was fourth, Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Castrol) was running in P5 with Fermin Aldeguer and BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP teammate Marquez in P6 and P7.
On Lap 6, Marquez completed his Long Lap penalty. The #73 went from P6 to P12, 4.9s away from Morbidelli. At the front, Marc Marquez forced his way back through on Bagnaia for P2 with 16 laps left, and right behind them, Viñales set the fastest lap of the race as Morbidelli’s lead continued to shrink. What were we saying about Viñales? At the end of Lap 7, the #12 passed Bagnaia for P3 and then set his sights on Marquez.
And with 13 laps to go, Viñales got the better of his second factory Ducati. This was stunning from the Tech3 star, and a lap later, he led. Same spot, same outcome. Morbidelli lost the lead for the first time, and Marquez powered past the Italian as well. Bagnaia was then desperate to pass Morbidelli as the VR46 Academy duo swapped positions five times on Lap 11 of 22, but it cost the pair crucial ground. Over the line, Bagnaia was 0.9s behind Marquez.
Zarco was the next rider to get the better of Morbidelli as the Frenchman grabbed P4, and the Italian started to immediately lose ground. With eight laps to go, Viñales was still holding Marquez at bay, with Pecco 0.8s behind the top two. Then, a mistake. Viñales was slightly wide at Turn 6 and that opened the door for Marquez to take the race lead baton with seven laps to go, so what could Viñales and Pecco do now?
The answer, for now, was not a lot. Marquez was the fastest of the trio, but only by a tenth over Bagnaia. However, Viñales was 0.3s slower than Marquez on Lap 17, so was this the KTM start beginning to run out of grip and steam? It wasn’t – it was Marquez finding pace. The fastest lap of the race was landed by the six-time MotoGP World Champion – it was two tenths quicker than Viñales and seven tenths faster than Pecco.
Three to go. Another fastest lap of the race for Marquez saw the #93 stretch his lead up to a second, as Bagnaia slipped 1.4s behind Viñales. And heading onto the last lap, it was as you were. Marquez led Viñales by 1.5s, Bagnaia was in a comfortable third and sure enough, as the chequered flag waved, Marc Marquez bounced back from his Austin disappointment with an almighty bang. For the first time since 2014, Marquez claimed victory and with it, strengthened his Championship position ahead of a date with Jerez.
Viñales’ P2 result is a huge boost for KTM – what a ride from Top Gun in Doha. Bagnaia will be disappointed to lose ground in the title chase but after a below-par Saturday, a comeback ride to P3 was a job well done by the Italian.
Morbidelli did fight back in the end to earn P4 across the line but as mentioned, that’s now P3 as Zarco held off the efforts of Aldeguer to earn a career best Honda result in P4, while the latter earned his best Grand Prix result in MotoGP with a P5. Alex Marquez’s recovery ended with a P6, a top job to get back there from the Spaniard, but that’s the run of P2s and podiums over.
Starting from the front row for the first time since 2023, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) bags P7 ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) – the Italian completed the top 10.
Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) claimed P11, Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) takes home a P12 as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Viñales after his penalty and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) collected the final points.
Unfortunately, Jorge Martin’s (Aprilia Racing) Grand Prix Sunday comeback ended prematurely after the World Champion suffered a crash. The #1 was taken to the medical centre for a check-up, and then to local hospital. Aprilia have provided updates on rib contusions and fractures, with Martin remaining in hospital for the moment.
2025 Qatar MotoGP Results
| 1 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | 41m 29.186s |
| 2 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +4.535s |
| 3 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +6.495s |
| 4 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +6.668s |
| 5 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +7.484s |
| 6 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +9.764s |
| 7 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +12.895s |
| 8 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +14.219s |
| 9 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +14.368s |
| 10 | Luca Marini | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +15.137s |
Moto2 Race
The best win of his career? Surely the answer is yes. Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) completed a stunning comeback ride to claim a first victory of the season and with it, the Moto2 World Championship lead. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) finished P2 and P3 in Qatar, as Argentina and USA winner Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) crashed out of the race.
Gonzalez got the getaway he would have wanted from pole, with Dixon also launching well from the middle of the front row – but it was a disastrous start for Aron Canet (Fantic Racing). A big wheelie as the lights went out saw the Spaniard got from third down to P14 on Lap 1, as Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) made a rapid start – the rookie was P3 on Lap 1.
That was then P2 on Lap 2. Holgado shoved his Triumph Kalex up the inside of Dixon’s #96 machine, before Öncü and Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) carved past the Championship leader too. Then, those aforementioned riders attacked Gonzlaez. Öncü led from Holgado and Arenas, with Gonzalez shuffled down to P4 ahead of Dixon on Lap 4 of 18.
Canet’s climb back through the pack was impressive. The #44 was up to P5 on Lap 7, ahead of Gonzalez, as Öncü still led the pack that were locked together in the victory battle. That was then P2 with eight laps to go, as teammate Barry Baltus set the fastest lap of the race to cling onto the back of the top seven. Then, it was the top six because title race leader, Dixon, crashed at Turn 13 as he tried to chase down Gonzlaez. Not the night the #96 was searching for in Lusail.
With five laps to go, Canet hit the front for the first time after a small mistake from Öncü handed the Spaniard the lead and from there, Canet began to stretch his legs. Heading onto the final lap, Canet was 1.1s clear of Öncü who in turn was doing a great job to keep Gonzalez behind him. And that’s how it stayed. A classy Canet comeback ride sees him clinch a first win of the season and the World Championship lead heading to Jerez, as Öncü grabbed a first podium of the year to finish ahead of third place Gonzalez.
Rookie Holgado finished 2.7s away from the podium in P4, a fantastic effort from the #27, as Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) beat Baltus in the P5 battle. Celestino Vietti (Team HDR Heidrun) was the lead Boscoscuro machine over the line in seventh, with Marcos Ramirez (American Racing Team), Arenas and Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) completing the top 10.
2024 Moto3 World Champion David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) claimed more points in P11, Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) was 12th as Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), recovering from a jump start and double LLP, and Joe Roberts (American Racing Team) collected the final points on offer in Doha.
2025 Qatar Moto2 Results
| 1 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (Kalex) | 35.30.185s |
| 2 | Deniz Oncu | TUR | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +1.103s |
| 3 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +1.286s |
| 4 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +4.021s |
| 5 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | +5.892s |
| 6 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO(Kalex) | +6.158s |
| 7 | Celestino Vietti | ITA | Team HDR Heidrun (Boscoscuro) | +9.821s |
| 8 | Marcos Ramirez | SPA | OnlyFans American Racing Team (Kalex) | +9.991s |
| 9 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +10.839s |
| 10 | Filip Salac | CZE | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscuro) | +10.879s |
Moto3 Race
Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) is the new Moto3 Championship leader after defeating Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) on the drag to the line in Doha, with the duo split by just 0.009. Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) completes the podium for his second GP rostrum from a maiden pole position, with drama hitting late on for Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as a technical problem dropped him out the fight for the win.
Yamanaka grabbed the holeshot and there wasn’t too much drama at the start, with the freight train forming from the off. But the penalty notifications came in quickly for those with Long Laps to serve – one for Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and two for rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – dropping them down the order, and a crash for Dennis Foggia (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team) that saw him tag David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) took them out the front group, Foggia out of the race and Muñoz dropped down the order.
At the front, it became a leading quartet of Yamanaka, Joel Kelso (LEVELUP – MTA), Rueda and Piqueras, with a gap back to David Almansa (Leopard Racing) heading the fight for the top five. It closed up again as the laps ticked down though and Almansa slid out of contention, leaving six riders battling before Riccardo Rossi (Rivacold Snipers Team) faded from the group to make it five.
Just before the final lap, huge drama suddenly hit in the title chase as Rueda sat up. The former Championship leader had a mechanical and was out of the fight, leaving four riders to fight for three places on the podium. As ever at Lusail, the chopping and changing went right to the wire. At Turn 14 on the last lap, Furusato took over in front as he decided to be the defender at the final corner, and defend he did – but maybe too much.
The #72 stayed well on the inside and was ahead on the exit too, but Piqueras got the hammer down and just beat him to the line by 0.009. Furusato just misses out on that maiden win, but Piqueras makes a 25-point gain on Rueda to just take over in the Championship leader. Yamanaka fended off Kelso to follow up a maiden pole with a second ever podium.
Kelso is forced to settle for fourth this time round, ahead of Rossi and an impressive comeback from Muñoz after getting forced wide by Foggia’s crash. He just beat SIC58 Squadra Corse duo Luca Lunetta and Stefano Nepa. Nicola Carraro (Rivacold Snipers Team) pipped top rookie Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) as they completed the top ten, just ahead of Carpe who stormed back through to P11 despite his double Long Lap.
2025 Qatar Moto3 Results
| 1 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | 33m 17.268s |
| 2 | Taiyo Furusato | JPN | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +0.009s |
| 3 | Ryusei Yamanaka | JPN | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.042s |
| 4 | Joel Kelso | AUS | LEVELUP – MTA (KTM) | +0.097s |
| 5 | Riccardo Rossi | ITA | Rivacold Snipers Team (Honda) | +7.295s |
| 6 | David Munoz | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +10.309s |
| 7 | Luca Lunetta | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +10.474s |
| 8 | Stefano Nepa | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +10.561s |
| 9 | Nicola Carraro | ITA | Rivacold Snipers Team (Honda) | +12.115s |
| 10 | Guido Pini | ITA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +12.121s |
2025 Qatar MotoGP News—Saturday
Acosta’s ‘turning point’ explained
Pedro Acosta triggered a wave of speculation in Austin when he presented personal manager Albert Valera with a helmet with #turningpoint written on. After rumors have persistently linked the Spaniard with a move away from KTM at the end of this year, could this mean they had decided on a change of path.
The helmet referenced a reset at KTM after a disappointing race in the USA, he explained. “When you have a bad situation, you need to make a turning point. In Spanish we have a thing that is like: I have the shit in the mouth, and the mouth is open. We were like this in Austin. It’s about everything: the bike, learning how to push, how the brand is understanding what is going on. Everybody has to go in the same direction. It is not only the rider pushing for one and the factory pushing for another.”
This resulted in Acosta reverting to much of his ’24 bike in Qatar. “Last year the bike was super-nice. From November to February, it turned around and I was not even able to be fast.”
Miller not concerned by future
Jack Miller insisted he was unmoved by speculation linking Toprak Razgatlioglu to a seat at Pramac Yamaha in 2026.
Kenan Sofuoglu, the World Superbike Champion’s personal manager, has repeatedly talked up his rider’s desire to switch to the MotoGP paddock next year in recent weeks, with Miller potentially vulnerable – he is signed to just a one-year deal.
Yet the Australian was calm and collected in Qatar. “It’ll come when it needs to come,” he said talking about a possible contract extension. “I’ll just keep ticking away, doing my job. That’s all you can do. I feel happy. I mean, I spent the majority of my life on one-year contracts – it doesn’t matter.
“And obviously the Yamaha project has been unreal, working together with Max [Bartolini] and all the engineers over at Yamaha. Working so closely with them has been really handy and really fun.
Oliveira’s leather failure
Miguel Oliveira was back in the MotoGP paddock for the first time since he injured his left shoulder when taken out of the Argentine Sprint by Fermin Aldeguer.
The Portuguese rider has faced an unexpected spell on the sidelines with the shoulder worse than initially feared. And he feels the airbag system in his Ixon leathers needs to be assessed, hinting its deployment was responsible for the seriousness of his injury.
“I’m not so sure if airbags give you that much more safety. Because I got a luxation on my shoulder. I got that in the sternum. And I didn’t break the collarbone. But we do see collarbone injuries with airbags.
“I don’t think it’s that safety [safe] to roll into the gravel with your arms like fully blown out. And once you roll over, you hit your hands and everything. I’m not saying that we should get rid of airbags, but for sure there is much room for improvement in the system and especially the volume of air that goes into the system.”
MotoGP Sprint Race
The scintillating 2025 Saturday streak continues for Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the #93 completed a pole position and Tissot Sprint double at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar to wrestle back the Championship lead from second place finisher Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). The bronze medal went the way of Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), as fellow Italian Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) evening ended with a disappointing P8 in Doha.
The top three on the grid all launched off the line very well but it was polesitter Marc Marquez who grabbed the holeshot ahead of Alex Marquez and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Morbidelli and Fermin Aldeguer exchanged P4 at Turn 4, before the rookie got a little bit beaten up as Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Castrol) forced their way through.
Meanwhile, at the end of the first lap, Bagnaia’s progress was P11 to P8. Not bad, but the Italian needed more. At the front, Alex got the better of Marc at Turn 1 on Lap 2, but the red corner bit straight back. And what were we saying about Pecco needing more? That’s exactly the opposite of what happened on Lap 2.
First Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), then Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and then 2023 and 2024 title rival, Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), were ahead of Bagnaia. What was going on with the #63?
At the front, Marc continued to lead Alex, with the gap between the two hovering around the 0.3s mark. Morbidelli was third, 0.7s further back, with Quartararo 0.3s away from his former teammate in P4. Viñales was well in touch in P5, as a mistake from Zarco cost the Frenchman a place to Aldeguer on Lap 4 of 11.
A fastest lap of the race was then set by Marc Marquez, seeing his lead stretch to 0.5s, but Alex Marquez responded with his personal best lap on the next lap to maintain that half a second. Elsewhere, Aldeguer was flying. The Gresini rider quickly reeled in Viñales and made a move stick with five laps left, with Bagnaia still outside of the points in P11. That was then P10 as Zarco lost more ground after running wide at the final corner, with Bagnaia now facing the tailpipes of Acosta and Ogura.
Three laps to go. Marc Marquez was now 1.2s up the road and looked set to keep his 100% Sprint record, while Morbidelli was keeping Quartararo half a second behind him. Bagnaia passed Acosta at Turn 4 to climb into P9 – in other words, a point-scoring position.
Last lap time! The victory fight seemed over, but the podium battle certainly wasn’t. Morbidelli’s margin had disappeared as Quartararo and Aldeguer swarmed. Could they do anything to pinch a podium from the Italian? Not quite. A small error at the final corner saw Quartararo hand Aldeguer a free pass into P4, but for the fourth Grand Prix in a row, Marc Marquez doubled up on a Saturday. Alex Marquez’s P2 run continued and Morbidelli did just about hold onto a bronze medal.
Aldeguer’s mid to late Sprint pace was nothing short of sensational as the rookie bagged a very impressive P4, with Quartararo backing up his front row with a hard-earned P5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was 0.5s adrift of the Yamaha star in P6, Ogura was the lead Aprilia in P7, with Bagnaia having to settle for a low-key P8. Work to do for Bagnaia ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) earned the final point in P9 as Viñales’ soft tyre gamble failed to pay off in the second half of the Sprint – the KTM rider slipped from P5 to P10. And speaking of Aprilia, in his first Sprint appearance since the 2024 Solidarity GP, World Champion Martin crossed the line in P16 to get crucial mileage under his belt after his injury layoff.
2025 Qatar MotoGP Results—MotoGP Sprint Race
| 1 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | 20m 38.304s |
| 2 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +1.577s |
| 3 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | +3.988s |
| 4 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +4.369s |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +4.593s |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +5.099s |
| 7 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25)* | +10.199s |
| 8 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +10.334s |
| 9 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +11.300s |
| 10 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +12.554s |
Moto2 Qualifying
Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) is on pole for the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar, taking to the top by a tenth and a half to deny key rival Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) as the Brit was forced to settle for second. The two have been duelling it out so far in 2025 and it looks like Doha will be no different…
Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) completes a front row of familiar names, another tenths in arrears as he looks to kick start his 2025 title charge.
In Q1 it was 2025 podium finish Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) moving through, the Australian just edging out Filip Salac (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in the Triumph-powered push for Q2. Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) and Celestino Vietti (Team HDR Heidrun) joined them in moving through, with all four names who would expect more from qualifying – but got through to the fight for pole.
It’s been almost a two-rider story so far in 2025 at the top and Gonzalez made it true again under the floodlights. He was on provisional pole as Dixon took a crack at it but could only manage second, but the two will expect to fight it out over race distance – and Canet, in third, will try and stop them.
Fourth is Albert Arenas (Italjet Gresini Moto2) as his weekend of impressive pace continued in qualifying, and the same can be true of rookie Daniel Holgado (CFMoto Inde Aspar Team) in fifth. Zonta Van Den Goorbergh (RW – Idrofoglia Racing GP) completes Row 2.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Salac, Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) and Marcos Ramirez (American Racing Team) complete the top ten ahead of rookie David Alonso (CFMoto Inde Aspar Team).
2025 Qatar MotoGP Results—Moto2 Qualifying
| 1 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | 1m 56.301s |
| 2 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscoro) | +0.168s |
| 3 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (Kalex) | +0.292s |
| 4 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +0.323s |
| 5 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.455s |
| 6 | Zonta van den Goorbergh | NED | RW – Idrofoglia Racing GP (Kalex) | +0.473s |
| 7 | Deniz Oncu | TUR | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +0.477s |
| 8 | Filip Salac | CZE | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscuro) | +0.611s |
| 9 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO(Kalex) | +0.638s |
| 10 | Marcos Ramirez | SPA | OnlyFans American Racing Team (Kalex) | +0.714s |
Moto3 Qualifying
Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) has taken a first pole position at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar, pipping Joel Kelso (LEVELUP- MTA) by just 0.041. Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completes the front row as the grid sets us up for a stunner.
After a stunning start to 2025, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) was a surprise name in Q1, but the #31 made it through to the fight for pole. Teammate David Almansa, however, beat him to the top spot and by several tenths.
The two Leopard riders were joined in Q2 by Cormac Buchanan (DENSSI Racing – BOE) and Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse) as the latter was passed fit in his review following his Friday crash.
Yamanaka’s lap came in with just under a minute left on the clock and the Japanese rider took over from Kelso on provisional pole. From there, no one could improve and there were also yellow flags out too after a crash for Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power). The 0.041 Yamanaka found on Kelso proved enough to keep that maiden pole, with Rueda bumped down to third but still taking that front row.
Behind that top three, Riccardo Rossi (Rivacold Snipers Team) sits fourth and just ahead of Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), with rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completing the second row.
Fernandez came through from Q1 to take P7 with Almansa just behind him, and rookie Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) takes P9 in an impressive push for the top ten. The top ten is completed by Nicola Carraro (Rivacold Snipers Team), just ahead of David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) as he looks for more when the lights go out.
2025 Qatar MotoGP Results—Moto3 Qualifying
| 1 | Ryusei Yamanaka | JPN | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | 2m 02.638s |
| 2 | Joel Kelso | AUS | LEVELUP – MTA (KTM) | +0.041s |
| 3 | Jose Antonio Rueda | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.276s |
| 4 | Riccardo Rossi | ITA | Rivacold Snipers Team (Honda) | +0.300s |
| 5 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.362s |
| 6 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.471s |
| 7 | Adrian Fernandez | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +0.600s |
| 8 | David Almansa | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +0.776s |
| 9 | Guido Pini | ITA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.919s |
| 10 | Nicola Carraro | ITA | Rivacold Snipers Team (Honda) | +0.984s |
MotoGP Qualifying
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) continues his run of qualifying supremacy with a new lap record pole position at Lusail, putting in a 1:50.499 on his final push to deny Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) by just a tenth.
In third it’s a stunning performance from Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as Yamaha get back on the front row for the first time since 2022, meanwhile fortunes reversed for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the #63 finds himself down in P11 after sliding out on his second run.
He tried. As he returns to action, it’s not about results just yet for reigning Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), it’s about getting back in the groove and gaining kilometers. It seems like it may well end up being both, however, as the #1 was sitting second behind rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) for much of Q1, potentially on to move through. In the end it wasn’t quite to be though, with Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) slotting in to second to join Ogura in the fight for pole.
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) just pipped his teammate but finished the session third, missing out on Q2 by just 0.041s.
Then it was the pole position shootout. Friday saw a gap of just 0.022s between Bagnaia and teammate Marc Marquez, and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was ahead of both – teasing much from the potential pole position shootout.
Alex Marquez them around their first laps of Lusail and was briefly ahead before his brother pipped him to provisional pole. Morbidelli, Quartararo, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) was the top six after the first run, with Bagnaia P9 and looking for more. But in the final five minutes, it was all set to change.
Eager to improve, the #63 was the first out for the second run but then it all came to a crashing sudden halt at Turn 4. The double MotoGP Champion tucked the front, spelling the end of his session too as he couldn’t get back in time to head back out. Di Giannantonio was on a storming lap though, good enough to put him on a provisional front row in second. Rins was also a huge improver, moving into P5, but teammate Quartararo was on his way to steal the show.
‘El Diablo’ put in an absolute stunner to take over on provisional pole as the clock ticked down, but Alex Marquez then just snatched it away from the #20. That left Marc Marquez down in P3 but lighting up the timing screens, with the spotlight on the #93. Could he get it done on his final push? Just. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider set a new lap record to take his fourth pole of the year ahead of brother Alex in P2, but Quartararo’s third is his and Yamaha’s first front row since Assen in 2022, showing the steps made by the Iwata manufacturer. And right on the back of his absolute showstopper of a start and Sprint at COTA…
The second row features Friday’s fastest Morbidelli, who was just ahead of Marc on track to improve late on, pipping teammate Di Giannantonio. Then comes another serious standout performer as Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) makes it three manufacturers on the front two rows of the grid in sixth. The #12 also takes top KTM honours by some six tenths over Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who had a quiet session to finish P12 as last of the Q2 runners.
Zarco just missed out on the top two rows but heads the third in P7, ahead of top rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), with his best grid position so far of P8. Rins is ninth ahead of Ogura, with Bagnaia slowly bumped down to P11 as he was forced to cede the floor after his crash. He and Acosta alongside him will be gunning for gains at lights out, and after Bagnaia took the holeshot from well behind the front row in Texas, they’ll be ones to watch…
2025 Qatar MotoGP Results—MotoGP Qualifying
| 1 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | 1’50.499s |
| 2 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.101s |
| 3 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.260s |
| 4 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | 353k |
| 5 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | |
| 6 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.560s |
| 7 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.614s |
| 8 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +0.622s |
| 9 | Alex Rins | SPA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.675s |
| 10 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25)* | +0.841s |
2025 Qatar MotoGP News—Friday
Marquez admits rules blank spot
It was the most dramatic moment of the GP of the Americas. At first, it appeared as though Marc Marquez had run off the grid two minutes before the warm up lap to trigger a red flag and give him a chance to change from wet to dry tires, the correct choice for the race.
Yet video footage confirmed Marquez’s intention was to switch bikes in the belief he would incur a back of the grid start. In fact, he would have received a ride through penalty had the start not been red flagged.
Was he aware of the penalty that potentially awaited him then? “No,” he said. “I didn’t know exactly that it was a ride through, but always I try to put in my mind scenarios. I knew that in that scenario it was the fastest way to avoid our mistake, (which was to) choose the rain tyres. The correct choice was sliciks, three riders on the grid took them. And that red flag destroyed the podium for them, because it was a clear podium for them.”
…while Bagnaia would have escaped
As Pecco Bagnaia followed his team-mate off the grid in Austin, surely the same fate would have awaited the Italian had the start not been delayed. That, however, was wrong. IRTA Technical Director Danny Aldridge confirmed to Cycle News a ride through penalty is not given to a rider switching from wet tires to slicks just before the start if they had done the sighting lap on slicks. Bagnaia had. Marquez hadn’t, which meant the Italian would only have started from the back of the grid.
“It was the best scenario to see Marc or Alex going away from the grid because I was the only one that if rules were applied to don’t take any ride through,” he explained. “I would have to start from the back and then do my race because I was the one that did the sighting lap with the slick tyres (then changed to wets on grid).
“But then the chaos was there, and they decided to put red flags. That was surely the best thing considered that the track maybe wasn’t ready to go already with the slick. But in a normal situation I was having the best scenario compared to them.”
Martin’s return
Jorge Martin was back on a MotoGP machine for the first time since the start of February as he made his return from a serious wrist injury in Qatar.
The current number one admitted to feeling all kinds of nerves on Friday as he attempted to rebuild his confidence on Aprilia’s RS-GP. “Before exiting, I was really, really scared, because I didn’t know what to expect,” he admitted. “The last feeling with the bike was terrible. So I was really scared to have the same feeling, but as soon as I went on the track already first lap, I was just touching with the elbow. I was feeling again. So I’m happy. I think we were far away from a base set up in terms of electronics, but also set up.”
On his condition after Friday, he said, “I feel a lot of pain, but at the end of the day on the left corners I just support… I feel the pain, but I can go through it. But then I’m really tired because I do everything with my right side. So I struggle even more on the right corners.”
Friday MotoGP
Friday belongs to a very fast Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) after a late lap sees the Italian oust compatriot Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) under the night lights at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar. Marc Marquez ensured two Ducati Lenovo Team machines were in the top three, as World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) makes his much-anticipated return to MotoGP action – and thankfully, it was a trouble-free day for the #1.
As time attack crunch time neared, Alex Marquez led the way with a 1:51.704 with the top three, including Bagnaia and Marc Marquez, split by 0.092s. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) was enjoying himself in the first 40 minutes, the Spaniard was fourth quickest ahead of the two Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team riders – Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
With 15 minutes to go, the first fresh soft Michelin rubber lap times were starting to come in. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) stuck their YZR-M1s into the top 10 before the goalposts were moved significantly – first by Morbidelli, then by Bagnaia. The latter’s first attack was a 1:50.975, 0.2s clear of his fellow Italian, as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) leapt to P3 ahead of Viñales.
That didn’t last long though. Di Giannantonio jumped to P3 before Marc Marquez moved his way into P2, 0.022s shy of Bagnaia. Then, after a slight lull in proceedings, we strapped in for the final flurry of rapid laps around Lusail on Friday.
Quartararo was a big mover. The 2021 World Champion ascended to P5 from outside the top 10, but that was quickly P6 as Di Giannantonio improved his PB to go to P3. Miller then crashed for the second time today, Turn 7 bit the Aussie, so that brought out the yellow flags.
That meant a lot of riders had one go at a final throw of the Practice dice. One of them was Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), the rookie rose to P9, as Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Castrol) landed a last gasp lap to pinch a Q2 place away from Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).
Austin podium finisher Di Giannantonio heads into Saturday fourth behind the leading trio, with Championship leader Alex Marquez 0.4s away from Morbidelli’s pace in P5. That aforementioned top-class lap from Quartararo means ‘El Diablo’ doesn’t have to worry about Q2, the Yamaha star was sixth fastest ahead of Acosta, Viñales, Aldeguer and Zarco.
Unsurprisingly given the circumstances, Martin will be facing Q1 – but that’s far from the point. 20 laps were completed on Friday evening for the reigning Champion and to be 1.5s away from top spot signals a decent first day back in the new office was had. It was great to see the 2024 title winner back, now let’s see if Martin can mount a top two attack in Q1 on Saturday.
2025 Qatar MotoGP Results—Friday
| 1 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP24) | 1’50.830s |
| 2 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +0.145s |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +0.167s |
| 4 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +0.299s |
| 5 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.406s |
| 6 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.463s |
| 7 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.561s |
| 8 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.625s |
| 9 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +0.785s |
| 10 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.806s |
Friday Moto2
Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) snatched top spot with a late lap in Moto2 Practice, seeing the Spaniard back at the summit after an Americas GP to forget. Gonzalez rocketed to P1 to finish ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) who was also able to move up to take P2. Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) was P1 going into the final five minutes but was relegated to P3, but still managed to come away with one of his best results of his rookie season. Completing the top four is Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who improved to be just less than a tenth away from top spot.
Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) was the long-time leader but took the chequered flag to claim P5 and like Holgado, put in one of his best performances of the year. Zonta Van Den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) was sixth and another rider who impressed, ahead of Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) and Marcos Ramirez (American Racing Team), with the Spaniard a late improver. David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) goes into Q2 directly for the first time in his rookie Moto2™ campaign with P9 whilst there was late drama for Championship leader Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) who crashed in the closing stages at Turn 15 but was able to walk away OK; he rounded out the top ten.
Scraping through into the top 14, Alonso Lopez (Team HDR Heidrun), Adrian Huertas (Italtrans Racing Team), Mario Aji (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Darryn Binder (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) complete the order for the riders who managed to avoid Q1. Major names without the same advantage include Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team), the duo were 17th and 18th.
2025 Qatar Moto2 Results—Friday
| 1 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | 1m 57.073s |
| 2 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (Kalex) | +0.022s |
| 3 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.063s |
| 4 | Deniz Oncu | TUR | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +0.076s |
| 5 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +0.133s |
| 6 | Zonta van den Goorbergh | NED | RW – Idrofoglia Racing GP (Kalex) | +0.241s |
| 7 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO(Kalex) | +0.279s |
| 8 | Marcos Ramirez | SPA | OnlyFans American Racing Team (Kalex) | |
| +0.431s | ||||
| 9 | David Alonso | COL | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.434s |
| 10 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscoro) | +0.442s |
Friday Moto3
Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) shone under the night lights of Lusail on Friday to lay an early Moto3 gauntlet down. Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) was the Championship leader’s closest challenger in P2, the gap between the Spaniard and Japanese riders sitting at 0.244s, as Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) completed the top three.
A late crash for Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) following contact with Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) didn’t cost the Italian a place in Q2, the experienced Foggia was fourth fastest on Friday evening, but Fernandez wasn’t able to find a time good enough for a top 14 spot. The #31 finished P16 as both Leopard Hondas find themselves in Q1 – David Almansa ending the day in P17.
Riccardo Rossi (Rivacold Snipers Team) rounded out the fastest five, rookies Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) sail into Q2, with Tatchakorn Buasri (Honda Team Asia) grabbing a late P14 to earn his first automatic Q2 place.
2025 Qatar Moto3 Results—Friday
| 1 | Jose Antonio Rueda | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | 2m 03.277s |
| 2 | Ryusei Yamanaka | JPN | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.244s |
| 3 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.314s |
| 4 | DennisFoggia | ITA | CFMOTO GaviotaAspar Team (KTM) | +0.348s |
| 5 | Riccardo Rossi | ITA | Rivacold Snipers Team (Honda) | +0.509s |
| 6 | David Munoz | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.620s |
| 7 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.793s |
| 8 | Taiyo Furusato | JPN | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +0.831s |
| 9 | Nicola Carraro | ITA | Rivacold Snipers Team (Honda) | +0.862s |
| 10 | Luca Lunetta | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +0.956s |
For more MotoGP news and results, click here
