MotoGP Round 5 | Alex Marquez clinches first MotoGP victory

MotoGP Round 5 | Alex Marquez clinches first MotoGP victory. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73) is a MotoGP winner after the new World Championship leader emerged victorious in what was a hugely dramatic Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain Report: MotoGP/Ed Stratmann

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

A fast Turn 5 Practice crash for Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) didn’t stop the #73 from ending Friday as the rider to beat in MotoGP at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain – and with an all-time lap record too.

Marquez’s stunning 1:35.991 was enough to beat Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #21) as World Championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) settled for P4 to set things up nicely for the rest of the weekend.

Read our MotoGP round 4 report here…

They say class is permanent, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP #20) would most certainly agree with that after taking a stunning pole position in Jerez, putting in a new lap record on his final dash around the packed-out venue. It was a first pole for Yamaha and the Frenchman since 2022, and he denied Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) on the #93’s home turf as he was forced to settle for second. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), winner here for the last three years, lurked in P3 too after running the gauntlet with only one bike following an FP2 crash.

Moto2

Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) got his home Grand Prix off to the perfect start after a 1:40.142 saw the Spaniard beat second place Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #7) by a healthy 0.338s margin. Third place on Friday went the way of Deniz Öncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo #53), the Turk was four tenths adrift of top spot.

Home is where the heart is, and whilst some crack under the pressure, others rise to the occasion, and that was exactly the case for Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team) and Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2 #75), who headed a Spanish 1-2 in Moto2™ at Jerez. Both put in superb late laps to bag the first two grid slots and with both split by just 0.032s, it was a mouthwatering prospect in the offing for Sunday’s Grand Prix. In third, it was a first front row for Australian Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP #81).

Moto3

There was no doubting Moto3’s Friday action at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain belonged to Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo #99) after the former title chase leader ended the day over a second clear of second place Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo #83). Third place went the way of Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia #72), who was +1.057s  away from Rueda’s magnificent 1:43.770.

Home hero Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had been mighty all weekend at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain, and he bagged a first pole of 2025 as he aimed to retake the Championship lead he relinquished in Qatar through no fault of his own with that late technical issue.

Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA #66) took a third front row of the season in second, with David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP #64) forced to settle for third. Championship leader Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #36) only just missed out, with him bagging fourth on home turf.

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Five Saturday victories in a row was something that only reigning World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing #1) had been able to achieve before – until now. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), after polesitter Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) crashed out on Lap 2, delighted a magnificent Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain crowd by clinching a gold medal in Jerez as the World Championship leader beat Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) by just over a second in Jerez. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took the chequered flag in P3 to pocket a decent haul of Tissot Sprint points.

From a historic pole, Quartararo was beaten off the line by Marc Marquez, but late on the brakes into Turn 1, the Yamaha star grabbed P1 back expertly to lead the pack around the opening lap. Alex Marquez was up to P3 from P4 on the grid, with Bagnaia holding off Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).

Then, drama unfolded on Lap 2. Marc Marquez managed to get alongside Quartararo going into the Dani Pedrosa corner at Turn 6. The latter, hanging it around the outside on the dirtier part of the circuit and braking ultra hard, saw his Sprint cruelly end as the front end washed out from underneath him. A real shame after a stunning Saturday in Jerez for Quartararo.

So, where did that leave us? Marc Marquez led Alex Marquez by half a second, with Bagnaia 0.8s behind the Gresini Ducati in third. Morbidelli was 0.4s away from Bagnaia in P4, rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #54) was fifth after an early scare on Lap 1 and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #49) a close sixth.

With eight laps to go, Marquez’s lead over Marquez was up to a second, but that closed to 0.9s a lap later. However, the #93’s lead rose to 1.4s with five laps remaining, and with three laps left, it was still hovering around that number. Bagnaia wasn’t attacking Alex Marquez, and Morbidelli was now a second off his compatriot, so it looked like no late challenges for the podium positions were coming unless a mistake was going to be made.

And those potential mistakes didn’t arise. To the tune of 100,000 Spanish supporters filling the famous Jerez hillsides, Marc Marquez held off Alex Marquez to clinch his fifth consecutive Tissot Sprint victory as the #73 collected another Saturday silver medal. Bagnaia secured important points in P3, but the Italian would be searching for more in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Morbidelli was P4, with Aldeguer impressing again to collect a Sprint P5 in front of his home crowd.

“Today was not easy, especially with this warmth that changed a lot the feeling [on the bike],” Marquez explained. “But I already expected this, and while I struggled a bit in the end, I was controlling. I always say on Saturday that I hate the sprint race because I want to control my emotions, but tomorrow is the most important day. In front of this crowd, you have this extra power.”

Tissot Sprint Race Results

1. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo
2. Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati (+1.001s)
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+3.077s)
4. Franco Morbidelli Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+3.530s)
5. Fermin Aldeguer BK8 Gresini Ducati (+5.791s)

Sunday
MotoGP

Quartararo launched superbly from pole, and so did Bagnaia from third. Marc Marquez didn’t get away as well as he would have wanted, and immediately the #93 was P3. Bagnaia tried to show a wheel to Quartararo at Turn 2 but thought better of it as Turn 6 saw Alex Marquez almost collect his older brother. The Spaniard was in way too hot but managed to hook it back up and hold into P4, as Marc Marquez and Bagnaia went into battle at Jerez’s famous stadium section.

Marquez dived underneath his teammate at Turn 9 to the roar of 100,000 fans. But Bagnaia, hanging it around the outside and getting a better run out of Turn 10, got back alongside the six-time MotoGP World Champion. Then, contact between the Ducati duo! Both were fighting for the same piece of asphalt, and it was the #63 who came out on top.

An opening lap for the ages was then followed by monumental drama. The home hero, Marc Marquez, while shadowing Bagnaia, crashed at Turn 8 on Lap 3 while sitting in P3. Seemingly asking too much of that front end, the Spaniard was down and out of victory contention – but not the Grand Prix.

Where did that leave things then? Quartararo led from Bagnaia, but Alex Marquez shoved his way past the Italian to climb into P2 and set his sights on trying to latch onto and pass El Diablo. Further back, there was more drama as lead rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashed at Turn 6 from fourth place.

On Lap 10 of 25, Quartararo was keeping Alex Marquez at bay and Bagnaia was lapping 0.6s behind the Gresini star. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #12) was 1.3s behind the factory Ducati rider in P4 before Lap 11 saw a change of the Grand Prix lead.

Turn 1 saw Alex Marquez strike. An aggressive but great move up the inside of Quartararo saw the Sprint silver medallist snatch the race lead baton, and within a lap, his lead was up to 0.8s. Now, what could Bagnaia do about passing Quartararo?

After a few laps, the answer was nothing. And Viñales was beginning to reel in Quartararo and Bagnaia, while Alex Marquez’s lead grew to 1.7s on Lap 16 of 25. On Marc Marquez watch, he was now back in the points after crashes for Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol #36) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) promoted Marquez into P15.

With five laps left, Marquez’s lead was 2.4s over Quartararo, and the latter was keeping Bagnaia 0.6s behind. Viñales was now 0.4s away from a podium spot, as we saw Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro (Honda HRC Test Team #41) enjoy a little battle for P13 on Lap 21. Three to go. Was there life left in the fight for P2? Bagnaia was trying, but Quartararo was hitting all his markers in his efforts to keep the #63 behind him, as Alex Marquez edged closer to a maiden MotoGP win. Two to go. It was as you were, with Viñales seemingly now settling for a P4 – the #12 was 0.9s away from Bagnaia’s tailpipes.

Last lap time in Jerez! Only a mistake now would cost Alex Marquez a famous win, and Quartararo was still far enough ahead of Bagnaia that it wasn’t allowing the latter to show a wheel. And after being Mr P2 for much of 2025 so far, Alex Marquez clinched a well-deserved maiden MotoGP Grand Prix win to crown himself Mr P1 in front of his adoring home fans.

Quartararo did fend off Bagnaia for an outstanding P2 finish and his first Grand Prix podium since the 2023 Indonesian GP. What a weekend for Yamaha, and although it wasn’t a fourth Jerez victory in a row, Bagnaia’s second P3 of the weekend brought solid points to the Italian’s camp.

After the disappointment of a post-race penalty in Qatar, Viñales backed up his quality display by earning P4 in Spain, with Top Gun finishing three seconds up the road from fifth place Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).

“It’s the best birthday present, amazing,” Alex Marquez said. “The first one here in Jerez is something amazing. I cannot ask for more, it was a race where I was really clever, the move where I did it. I controlled the race perfectly.”

MotoGP Race Results

1. Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati
2. Fabio Quartararo Monster Yamaha (+1.561s)
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+2.217s)
4. Maverick Viñales Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+3.678s)
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+7.267s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

1. Alex Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 140
2. Marc Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati – 139
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 120
4. Franco Morbidelli Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 84
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 77

Moto2

The perfect weekend on home turf always goes down a treat, and that’s exactly what Moto2 Spanish GP winner, Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), enjoyed in Jerez. The Spaniard was in a class of his own on Sunday afternoon; now, he’s the Championship leader again too. Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) was Gonzalez’s nearest challenger as the Belgian produced a fine ride to bag P2 and his first podium of the year, while Senna Agius made it two Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP riders on the famous Jerez podium with a hard-fought P3 finish.

From pole, Gonzalez grabbed the holeshot from teammate Agius as Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) lost ground from the front row. Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team #10) made a fast and aggressive start that saw the Brazilian climb to an early P2, as the top four – Gonzalez, Moreira, Agius and Baltus – built an early 0.8s lead over Arenas and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo).

Further down the order, Championship leader Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #44) was in P8 behind seventh place Celestino Vietti (Beta Tools SpeedRS Team #13), as we saw both CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team riders crash out. First, Daniel Holgado (#27) following contact with teammate David Alonso (#80) at Turn 13, and then the latter crashed on Lap 5. The reigning Moto3 World Champion collected the luckless Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #28) along the way as both saw their races prematurely end at the Jorge Lorenzo corner.

The following laps saw the race settle down as Gonzalez stretched his lead to 2.6s by the end of Lap 11. Baltus was keeping Moreira and Agius behind him for the time being, with the latter making a move into the podium places with three to go. The Australian was past Moreira on the run down the hill into Turn 6, and then he faced a 1.2s gap up to Baltus in second place.

However, no one could lay a glove on Gonzalez. A pole position and lights-to-flag victory from the Spaniard saw him retake the Championship lead in front of his home fans, a simply wonderful weekend from the #18. Baltus bagged his first podium of the season with a classy P2, while Agius did eventually fend off Moreira to stand on the rostrum for the second time in 2025. Moreira was forced to settle for P4, as Öncü picked up a P5 after his Qatar GP podium finish.

Moto2 Race Results

1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP
2. Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (+2.256s)
3. Senna Agius Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (+3.781s)
4. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team (+4.781s)
5. Deniz Oncu Red Bull KTM Ajo (+6.390s)

Moto2 Championship Points

1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 88
2. Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 79
3. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing – 66
4. Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 53
5. Marcos Ramirez OnlyFans American Racing Team – 39

Moto3

The cliché goes that every Spanish rider wants to win the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, but for some, it means even more. Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is one of those; born an hour away in Sevilla, he’s gone from watching it on TV with friends and family to winning it with them in attendance. A childhood dream was achieved with domination as Rueda gave the home crowd a victory in Moto3™ to start off Sunday in style for the home fans.

Polesitter Rueda hit the front and snatched the holeshot on the opening lap, holding position in front of his home crowd. At Turn 6 on Lap 1, there was drama as Ruche Moodley (DENSII Racing – BOE #21) took out David Almansa (Leopard Racing) and David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP); the #64 of Muñoz was able to remount, but an already difficult GP due to his back-of-the-grid penalty was made a whole lot harder. Lap 2 was likewise eventful, as Riccardo Rossi (Rivacold Snipers Team #54), Vicente Perez (LEVELUP-MTA #32) and Cormac Buchanan (DENSII Racing – BOE #14) all fell in separate incidents, with New Zealander Buchanan rejoining.

With Rueda demonstrating his pace and supremacy that we already knew from Friday and Saturday, the field stretched out, but Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) were digging deep and keeping him honest. With three seconds back to Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #6) and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) behind, all three were alone for the podium places.

Just past half-race distance, Rueda set the fastest lap, asking more from his rivals to see if they could keep up with his pace. On Lap 13, and sensing his compatriot breaking clear, Piqueras picked off Kelso at Turn 1. But the gap was bordering on a second. In his attempt to keep up with Rueda, the #36 went wide, allowing Kelso back through, with the gap now at 1.5s.

That exchange was enough for the #99 to put his trademark on the Grand Prix, easing clear where he remained until the chequered flag, taking a magical home victory that never looked in doubt across the weekend.

P2 was to be sorted out on the final lap, however, with Kelso vs Piqueras at Turn 5 and Turn 6; it was close, but eventually, it went the way of the Valencian to make it a Spanish 1-2, leading to a memorable celebration at Turns 9 and 10 on their slow-down lap. Kelso’s podium is his second of the season, whereas Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) made it three Spaniards in the top four, pipping Yamanaka, who was P5.

Moto3 Race Results

1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo
2. Angel Piqueras FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (+4.334s)
3. Joel Kelso LEVELUP – MTA (+4.486s)
4. Adrian Fernandez Leopard Racing (+6.308s)
5. Ryusei Yamanaka FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (+6.409s)

Moto3 Championship Points

1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo – 91
2. Angel Piqueras FRINSA – MT Helmets – 87
3. Joel Kelso LEVELUP – MTA – 57
4. Adrian Fernandez Leopard Racing – 53
5. Taiyo Furusato Honda Team Asia – 48