On the surface, MotoGP 2025 may have seemed like a Marc Marquez benefit, but there were plenty of notable performances from the remainder of the grid. Here’s my top 10 of 2025.
10. Johann Zarco
The French ace had his day of days at Le Mans this year, becoming the first home grown French MotoGP winner since 1954. He had lots of other good rides throughout the year, but his early promise faded by the end of the year with two no scores in the last six races. Should have been higher than 12th in the standings, but he was at least the top Honda rider.
9. Joan Mir
By contrast, Joan Mir got better as the season progressed. The 2020 World Champion at last began to show the flashes on the speed we all knew he had, culminating in a debut podium for the Honda Racing Corporation at home in Japan with a fine third place. However, far too many crashes (22 in total) meant his finishing position of 15th wasn’t indicative of the giant strides HRC has made in 2025. Expect him to be a consistent top 10 finisher with scattered podiums in a crunch year for the Spaniard in 2026.
8. Fabio Di Giannantonio
Fabio’s season was a roller-coaster on the Ducati GP25. He grabbed late season podiums in Australia and Valencia but quite often was hampered by the idiosyncrasies of the maligned GP25 that only Marc Marquez could seem to ride around. But he consistently got the better of teammate Franco Morbidelli and thoroughly destroyed Pecco Bagnaia on the factory GP25, proving his worth even if a seat in the factory team remains a remote possibility.
7. Fermin Aldeguer
Only one points scoring ride in his first six race starts (three Sprint, three GPs) was not a good omen for the kid people looked at as being the face of the next generation, but by Qatar’s round four, things began to click for Fermin. On the grid’s best bike in the GP24, the young Spaniard still suffered the odd no-score but he was far more often in the thick end of the points. A debut win as a rookie in Indonesia underlined his talent. Watch for more of the same in 2026.
6. Raul Fernandez
Everyone knew Raul had talent, all it seemed except Raul himself. Four seasons in MotoGP yielded mostly nothing until it all came together in the final third of the season. His first win at Phillip Island was fortunate due to Bezzecchi’s double Long Lap penalties, but his speed at the iconic venue was more than a match for the Italian even without his penalties. A final podium at Valencia was just reward for his picking up the pace. Much is expected of him in 2026.
5. Pedro Acosta
After repeatedly throwing his toys out of the KTM pram with regards to his RC16’s performance in the first half of the year, Acosta finally grew into the position of team leader in the second half. He landed on the podium 12 times (five Grand Prix podiums and seven Sprint podiums) and forced his often-recalcitrant KTM into places it never should have been. A highlight for the year was his defensive masterclass in Indonesia where his second place came after holding off eight riders for the best part of 27 laps. A maiden win still eludes him, however, as he moves into year three of his MotoGP career in 2026.
4. Fabio Quartararo
The Frenchman is without doubt Yamaha’s savior. On the slowest bike on the grid, Quartararo’s one lap pace was scintillating. Five times he threw his Monster Energy Yamaha onto the pole and would have taken a first win since 2022 at Silverstone after riding away from the chasing pack—only for his ride height device to fail within sight of the flag. Quartararo wears his heart on his sleeve and his performance warrants a much faster bike, and if Yamaha ever delivers it with the new V4, he’ll be right there in the same fashion as his 2021 title winning year. He was near immaculate in 2025.
3. Marco Bezzecchi
Bezzecchi’s first go on a factory machine proved he is Italy’s next great MotoGP hope. With Pecco Bagnaia flummoxed by the GP25 and his new teammate, Bez took up the reigns for Italy and after a shaky start, his Silverstone win signaled a shift in his inner belief. The black beauty that is the RS-GP Aprilia grew in competitiveness with its rider, and once Marc Marquez was out of the way (ironically after a tangle with Bez in Indonesia), he was the class of the field. The Aprilia is now a match for the Ducati almost everywhere, and Bezzecchi will be eyeing nothing less than a title charge in 2026 ahead of the new 850cc rules in 2027.
2. Alex Marquez
Alex Marquez came of age in 2025. Although Bezzecchi outclassed him in the final third of the season, the younger of the two Marquez brothers added three GP wins and three Sprints to his career tally, and for much of the year was the only rider to truly challenge his brother. His win in Jerez came after Marc bit the dust, but his Catalunya win, about an hour from his home town of Cevera, saw Alex beat Marc straight up. Yes, he had the best bike on the grid in the GP24, but he made great use of it. There was just the small problem of his big brother…
1. Marc Marquez
How do you sum up Marc’s first title year since 2019? This is a rider who came back from the depths of personal injury hell, almost losing his right arm after his monster highside at Jerez and four operations in 2020, to take a whopping 11 GP wins and 14 Sprints this season. For much of 2025, everyone else was racing for second place. His dominance wasn’t just on the track, either. He molded the factory Ducati team around him, immediately stealing the limelight from favored son Pecco Bagnaia in such a fashion it mentally demoralized the Italian. Marquez was the only rider to consistently outride the GP25’s flaws, and even though he missed the last five rounds due to injury, he still won the title by a massive 78 points. How do you sum up Marc’s first title year since 2019? Total and utter dominance.
