Sunday MotoGP Race
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.
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).
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.
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.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Sunday MotoGP Race
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | 41m 13.616s |
| 2 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +2.583s |
| 3 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +3.188s |
| 4 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24)* | +12.860s |
| 5 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +16.327s |
| 6 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +18.442s |
| 7 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25)* | +19.255s |
| 8 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +20.612s |
| 9 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +21.040s |
| 10 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +26.517s |
Moto2 Race
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.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Moto2 Race
| 1 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | 35m 40.573s |
| 2 | Collin Veijer | NED | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +0.090s |
| 3 | David Alonso | COL | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.492s |
| 4 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.992s |
| 5 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +5.214s |
| 6 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +7.929s |
| 7 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +8.376s |
| 8 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +9.153s |
| 9 | Senna Agius | AUS | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +9.707s |
| 10 | Izan Guevara | SPA | BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) | +10.018s |
Moto3 Race
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.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Moto3 Race
| 1 | Maximo Qulies | SPA | CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team (KTM) | 34m 05.182s |
| 2 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +1.663s |
| 3 | Taiyo Furusato | JPN | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +2.886s |
| 4 | Joel Esteban | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +3.243s |
| 5 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +3.537s |
| 6 | Casey O’Gorman | IRL | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +4.123s |
| 7 | Joel Kelso | AUS | LEVELUP – MTA (KTM) | +5.345s |
| 8 | Scott Ogden | GBR | CIP Green Power (KTM) | +5.390s |
| 9 | Adrian Fernandez | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +5.483s |
| 10 | Luca Lunetta | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +9.469s |
2025 Portuguese MotoGP News—Saturday
Acosta’s heroism explained
Pedro Acosta continued his run of astonishing performances in Portugal with a fight for the ages in Saturday’s Sprint. Despite Alex Marquez enjoying a clear traction advantage, most notably in the final sector, the KTM rider produced a defensive ride for the ages as he repeatedly stemmed the Ducati’s attacks.
What was more impressive was how Acosta was only too happy to hang in the direct slipstream of his rivals in an age when Michelin’s front tire is susceptible to temperature and pressure rises when behind other bikes. Managing the front tire in this state is what caught Pol Espargaro’s eye.
“This is something I really struggle with, because on the test days, I’m completely alone. You enter in a different world of riding. You start with a very high level of grip, then it’s dropping, so you need to adapt to the end. And then if you go close, you lose your downforce on the stopping, you have all the shaking of the bikes, and it’s very difficult. Pedro overtook Alex, braking in Turn 5, how he was super close exiting, shaking the bike. This is what it generates you know when you are behind a MotoGP bike today. And it’s impressive.”
Honda concession change ‘good news’
Honda’s MotoGP riders believe the prospect of the factory losing its current concessions tier would be “nothing but good news” according to Joan Mir.
Honda riders need to score just 19 points in the final two rounds to go from the D-ranking to C, which would mean a loss of open engine development during the year, as well as testing with its full-time riders.
“I think we were in a moment [in the past] where we didn’t know what to do to be fast. And now, we have found that correct line,” said Mir.
Luca Marini agreed and isn’t worried about a free on the engine for next year.
“For 2026 the engine is not going to change. The engine is this now. There is no more meaning now to invest so much time and money in the new engine. I think, now we can be satisfied. We will just ask some more little details in the engine for the Sepang test in winter, and then I think will be the same.
Fernandez out
Raul Fernandez withdrew from the Portuguese Grand Prix on Saturday morning after a terrifying first corner crash in FP1. The Spaniard was taken to a local hospital for CT scans and was declared unfit to partake in Friday afternoon’s Practice session.
“I feel lucky,” he said on Friday. “This morning, I had one of the biggest crashes I ever experienced in MotoGP. In the moment, I was preparing the corner entry when I felt something strange on the bike and I had to jump off. In that moment my shoulder popped out and then went in again. This makes me still feel very uncomfortable.”
MotoGP Sprint Race
Bezzecchi launched perfectly from pole to earn the holeshot, with Acosta holding onto P2 ahead of the fast-starting Alex Marquez. The latter gained two places off the line, which meant Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) dropped a place each into P4 and P5 respectively.
At the end of Lap 2 of 12, Bezzecchi had Acosta swarming all over the rear tailpipes of his RS-GP and sure enough, on the run into Turn 1, Acosta struck. The #37 perfected the move to lead the Sprint, and now, Marquez was tucked right behind Bezzecchi too. A gap of 1.5s had opened up behind the rapid trio to Quartararo, Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
On Lap 3, Turn 1 saw Bezzecchi get picked off by Marquez. A copy and paste from the pass Acosta made, with the KTM, Ducati and Aprilia riders locked together. Further back, Lap 4 saw Nicolo Bulega (Ducati Lenovo Team) crash out of his first Sprint, Turn 13 catching the Italian out, and at a similar time, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) was forced to retire.
Another Turn 1 move, anyone? Go on then. Marquez attacked but Acosta didn’t hang around in P2 for long. The #37 went for the lead at Turn 3, but Marquez was able to keep hold of P1 on the cutback. Then, Turn 5 witnessed a brilliant move pay off for Acosta, but once again, a couple of laps later, Marquez was able to get a lovely run out of the final corner to set up another Sprint leading move into Turn 1.
However, four corners later, Acosta again lunged at Turn 5 and got the move done. Bezzecchi had a VIP seat in this and the Italian had a wonderful view of Marquez’s latest Turn 1 pass on Acosta.
This was scintillating. Alex Marquez vs Acosta, with Bezzecchi ready to react to any error from the Spaniards. But with three laps to go, Marquez looked like he had something extra in his pocket compared to Acosta and Bezzecchi, with the latter now climbing all over the rear wheel of the KTM.
Heading onto the last lap, Marquez’s lead was 0.4s. Did Acosta have anything left? The answer was yes. Enough to get within touching distance anyway. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough, but what a fight Acosta put up. Marquez fended off his compatriot by just 0.120s, with Bezzecchi third by just half a second in a very memorable Tissot Sprint at Portimao’s rollercoaster.
Quartararo kept hold of P4 to cap off a good day for the Yamaha star, with Di Giannantonio eight tenths in arrears to round out the top five. Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) won a great battle for P6 that went down to the wire, with Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) also getting the better of Pecco out of the final corner as the Italian loses crucial points in the race for P3 overall. It was P8 in the end for the #63, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) picking up the final Saturday point in P9.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—MotoGP Sprint Race
| 1 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | 19m 50.075s |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.120s |
| 3 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +0.637s |
| 4 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +5.276s |
| 5 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +6.088s |
| 6 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +8.864s |
| 7 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +8.886s |
| 8 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +8.898s |
| 9 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +9.052s |
| 10 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +10.121s |
MotoGP Qualifying
The first reference lap time in the dry but tricky conditions was set by Quartararo, a 1:40.031, but that was soon bettered by El Diablo himself. Three riders found themselves in the 1:39 bracket, those were the Frenchman, second place Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and third fastest Nicolo Bulega (Ducati Lenovo Team).
With two minutes to go, Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) shot to P1 by less than a tenth, but red sector times were everywhere as track conditions improved. Quartararo returned the favour to beat Marini’s time by three tenths and shadowing his Yamaha stablemate, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) promoted himself into P2. And with no more personal or session best times inbound after that flurry of times, the Yamaha duo did enough to sail into Q2.
Nicely up to speed after Q1, Quartararo immediately landed the fastest lap time of the day at the beginning of Q2 – a 1:38.518. As expected, though, the second flying laps saw the times tumble, and it was Friday pacesetter Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) who rose to P1. But it was tight. Bezzecchi was 0.027s off, with Acosta also within a tenth of the #73’s effort.
At the end of the first run, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was P4, 0.415s away from Marquez’s 1:38.098, with Quartararo and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) occupying the provisional P5 and P6 spots on the second row.
However, things were going to change. Bezzecchi was the first to move the goalposts thanks to a 1:37.556, Acosta went P2 but the KTM star was over three tenths down on the Italian, with Miller climbing into the top five from P12. Marquez’s next flyer was only good enough for P3, and that turned to P4 when Quartararo fired himself up to P2.
Then, Marquez’s session was done. A Turn 3 crash meant the 2025 runner-up’s pole position hopes were over, as Acosta climbed back above Quartararo into P2. And that was as good as it was going to get for Acosta, he sat up and out of his final lap, with Bezzecchi also unable to improve.
Would it cost him pole though? Pecco was in touch through Sector 3, but the Italian’s lap went away a bit in the final split to see the #63 go P4, ahead of Marquez. And with that, a blistering Q2 was done – Bezzecchi held onto a brilliant pole, with Acosta and Quartararo making up a tantalizing front row.
As mentioned, Pecco spearheads the second row in P4 ahead of Marquez and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR). Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) fronts the third row in P7, the 2020 World Champion will line up alongside Miller and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Pol Espargaro’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) late personal best saw the #44 earn P10, which means Aldeguer and Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), our two rookies, will start from P11 and P12.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—MotoGP Qualifying
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | 1’37.556s |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.150s |
| 3 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.304s |
| 4 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +0.379s |
| 5 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.431s |
| 6 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.503s |
| 7 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.621s |
| 8 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.661s |
| 9 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +0.869s |
| 10 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.893s |
Moto2 Qualifying
The Moto2 title is on the line this weekend and Championship leader Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) is in prime position for that first match point. He takes pole in Portugal ahead of Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), who also technically remains in contention for the crown at a deficit of 41 points from the top, with rookie Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completing the front row.
Moreira’s closest rival for the Championship, nine points back, is Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP). He is down in P8 on the grid.
Dixon suffered a crash in the session but no harm done barring losing the chance to hit back against Moreira. The Brazilian took to the top late on by just 0.017.
Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing), 35 points off the top in fourth overall, is fourth on the grid – with teammate and fifth in the Championship, Aron Canet, alongside him.
That second row is completed by rookie Daniel Holgado (CFMoto Inde Aspar Team), who has chance to wrap up Rookie of the Year this weekend if he’s 26 points or more clear.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Moto2 Qualifying
| 1 | Diogo Moreira | BRA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | 1m 41.168s |
| 2 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscuro) | +0.017s |
| 3 | Collin Veijer | NED | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +0.149s |
| 4 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.169s |
| 5 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.187s |
| 6 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.236s |
| 7 | Daniel Munoz | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +0.273s |
| 8 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +0.331s |
| 9 | Celestino Vietti | ITA | Beta Tools SpeedRS (Boscoscuro) | +0.387s |
| 10 | David Alonso | COL | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.435s |
Moto3 Qualifying
Australian Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) took a ninth front row of 2025 and a second pole in the last three Grands Prix with a stunner in Portugal. He denied Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power), who put in a late charge to start second, with Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) rounding out the front row. It was a closely fought session, with 16 riders covered by less than a second.
The late lap from Kelso saw him fly into pole with a 1’46.764, demoting Ogden’s very own late lap by just 0.069s.
Maximo Quiles (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team) starts fourth after getting demoted off the front row late on and crashing, losing his chance to improve. Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and Joel Esteban (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) complete Row 2.
Irishman Casey O’Gorman (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) impresses in P7 ahead of Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez and David Almansa.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Moto3 Qualifying
| 1 | Joel Kelso | AUS | LEVELUP – MTA (KTM) | 1m 46.764s |
| 2 | Scott Ogden | GBR | CIP Green Power (KTM) | +0.069s |
| 3 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.163s |
| 4 | Maximo Qulies | SPA | CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team (KTM) | +0.280s |
| 5 | Guido Pini | ITA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.297s |
| 6 | Joel Esteban | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +0.303s |
| 7 | Casey O’Gorman | IRL | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.395s |
| 8 | Adrian Fernandez | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +0.425s |
| 9 | David Almansa | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +0.438s |
| 10 | Valentin Perrone | ARG | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +0.467s |
2025 Portuguese MotoGP News—Friday
Bulega makes MotoGP debut
WorldSBK runner up Nicolo Bulega made his MotoGP competitive debut in Portugal as he stands in for the injured Marc Marquez for the final two rounds of the season.
The Italian made a promising start on Friday, finishing just 1s off Alex Marquez’s fastest time despite having just 30 laps of testing on the Desmosedici machine at a previous test at Jerez.
“He impressed me,” said team-mate for the weekend Pecco Bagnaia. “He did just 30 laps at Jerez, in not very good conditions, before arriving here. So to be just one second behind the leader is impressive. For me it was fantastic first day.”
Road to MotoGP rebranding
The various ‘Road to MotoGP’ Junior and Talent Cup classes have been rebranded for 2026, according to Dorna and the FIM.
The idea behind the name changes is to create a clearer pyramid structure that leads toward the World Championship and is easier to understand for the casual viewer.
From next year, the JuniorGP World Championship, which is mostly held in Spain, will be renamed the Moto3 Junior World Championship. Meanwhile the various regional Talent Cups will be unified under the new Moto4 banner.
“We’re very proud of the Road to MotoGP,” said Dorna’s Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta. “We continue to be committed to growing our sport from the grassroots and making sure we’re widening the base of the pyramid globally.
MotoGP’s ‘loss of credibility’
Pecco Bagnaia was one rider who was critical of the procedure that followed the serious Moto3 sighting lap incident in Malaysia between Noah Dettwiler and Jose Antonio Rueda.
“There was a rush to announce that everything was fine, but in reality, that wasn’t the case,” he said. “A few minutes after the accident, it emerged that both riders were conscious, but later it was discovered that they had suffered serious problems.
“When a rider has cardiac arrest, the situation is serious; it was a loss of credibility. In my opinion, the Moto3 race shouldn’t have taken place. There will be a safety commission on Friday, and we will certainly ask for certain decisions to be made more calmly.”
Friday MotoGP
After the opening half an hour, Alex Marquez was the session leader by a couple of tenths, with Acosta his nearest challenger. Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) made it three manufacturers in the top three, as Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) continued to impress while standing in for Maverick Viñales – the KTM Test Rider was fourth ahead of Bagnaia.
With just under 20 minutes left, the rain flags were being waved as spots of rain started to sprinkle the Algarve International Circuit. Rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) had just jumped into P6 to shove Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) outside the top 10, and then more bad news followed for Yamaha because Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) crashed at Turn 5.
There might have been rain in the air, but it wasn’t fazing Acosta. The #37 improved his time to cut the gap to Marquez, but he remained P2. Not for long though. Acosta fired in a 1:38.062 to leapfrog Marquez into P1, meaning the KTM star now led the session by over two tenths.
Plenty of improvements were now coming in. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) all went quicker and jumped up the order inside the top 10, before Marquez landed the first 1:37 of the weekend to go P1 with eight minutes to go.
With under five minutes to go, having been P4 a few moments earlier, Quartararo found himself back outside the top 10. His first attempt wasn’t enough, while a Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) personal best saw the Italian climb to P9, meaning Pecco was now P10 and in danger of missing an automatic Q2 spot. That danger became a reality following Espargaro’s latest lap, meaning Pecco was in P11.
The double MotoGP World Champion responded quickly to catapult himself into P7, which in turn knocked Marini back out of the top 10, as Quartararo’s best efforts weren’t enough. The Frenchman couldn’t find time, as Bagnaia went faster again to get within half a tenth of Marquez.
Behind your top three, Bezzecchi’s last lap saw the Italian head into Saturday as the fourth fastest rider, with Mir completing the top five. Zarco makes it two Hondas in the top six, with Di Giannantonio, Rookie of the Year Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), Espargaro, and Ogura the final automatic Q2 qualifiers – the latter gaining a Friday entry for the fourth time this season.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Friday MotoGP
| 1 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | 1’37.974s |
| 2 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP25) | +0.030s |
| 3 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.088s |
| 4 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP25) | +0.159s |
| 5 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.209s |
| 6 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Castrol Honda LCR (RC213V) | +0.258s |
| 7 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati (GP25) | +0.328s |
| 8 | Fermin Aldeguer | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP24) | +0.408s |
| 9 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +0.450s |
| 10 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP25)* | +0.469s |
Friday Moto2
With a late rain shower during Moto2™ Practice, the standings were decided before the chequered flag as Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) topped the order. Getting out early, the Spaniard was able to sport a 0.192s lead ahead of the opposition and lead the charge into Saturday.
Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) completed the top three, with Dixon the only rider to get within two tenths of Canet.
On title chase watch, Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) ended the opening day in P4, while Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) squeezed into the top 14 after finishing in P12.
Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) rounded out the top five, with third in the Championship, Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing), finishing Friday in P9.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Friday Moto2
| 1 | Aron Canet | SPA | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | 1m 41.210s |
| 2 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Elf Marc VDS Racing (Boscoscuro) | +0.192s |
| 3 | Albert Arenas | SPA | Italjet Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) | +0.448s |
| 4 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +0.541s |
| 5 | Senna Agius | AUS | Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (Kalex) | +0.541s |
| 6 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.562s |
| 7 | David Alonso | COL | CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (Kalex) | +0.583s |
| 8 | Izan Guevara | SPA | BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) | +0.614s |
| 9 | Barry Baltus | BEL | Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.616s |
| 10 | Collin Veijer | NED | Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) | +0.645s |
Friday Moto3
David Almansa (Leopard Racing) is the Moto3™ pacesetter heading into Saturday’s action in Portugal after his 1:47.056 was good enough to see the Malaysian GP podium finisher beat the Malaysian GP winner, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), by 0.135s. A flurry of personal best lap times before the rain fell saw Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) complete the top three.
The returning Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) – who topped FP1 – and Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez rounded out Friday’s top five.
Joel Kelso (LEVELUP–MTA), Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) all ended the day inside the top nine.
Three stand-in stars – Hakim Danish (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), Casey O’Gorman (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – all impressed to make it into the top 14.
2025 Portuguese MotoGP Results—Friday Moto3
| 1 | David Almansa | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | 1m 47.056s |
| 2 | Taiyo Furusato | JPN | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +0.135s |
| 3 | Maximo Qulies | SPA | CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team (KTM) | +0.239s |
| 4 | Dennis Foggia | ITA | CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team (KTM) | +0.274s |
| 5 | Adrian Fernandez | SPA | Leopard Racing (Honda) | +0.308s |
| 6 | Luca Lunetta | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +0.339s |
| 7 | Joel Kelso | AUS | LEVELUP – MTA (KTM) | +0.387s |
| 8 | Angel Piqueras | SPA | FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (KTM) | +0.421s |
| 9 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.596s |
| 10 | Valentin Perrone | ARG | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | +0.707s |
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