MotoGP Round 15 2025 Report | Alex Marquez fends off Marc to win in Barcelona

MotoGP Round 15 | Alex Marquez fends off Marc to win in Barcelona. The #73 banished his Sprint demons to hold off the #93 for a stunning home turf win as Enea Bastianini (#23) completed the Catalan GP rostrum. Report: MotoGP/Ed Stratmann

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

Not a bad day at the office for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Brad Binder (#33), closely followed by Pedro Acosta (#37), led a very competitive and closely fought MotoGP field on Friday at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73) acted as the Austrian factory’s closest challenger in P3.

Read our previous MotoGP reports here…

How about that for a qualifying session? Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #93) clinched pole position at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia with a simply stunning new all-time lap record. The #73’s final sector was mega, as his 1:37.536 was plenty good enough to beat second place Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP #20), with the Frenchman coming through Q1 to stick his Yamaha on the front row.

Moto2

Leading the Moto2 charge, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #44) stole the show on Friday in Barcelona with a late lap that was enough to slot him nicely into P1, less than a tenth ahead of Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Impulse Aspar Team #27). The Spaniard, who was originally leading going into the closing moments, finished ahead of first Boscoscuro Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #96) as the Brit completed the top three.

After some impressive pace on Friday, Dani Holgado (CFMoto Impulse Aspar Team) backed it up on Saturday with a new lap record for his first pole position in Moto2. Fellow rookie Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo #95) continued his recent form as well to take a first front row in the class, with the two debutants split by Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in second.

Moto3

Valentin Perrone’s (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #73) 1:47.584 saw the Argentine rookie front the Moto3 field in Practice at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia, but it wasn’t by much. A late lap from David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP #64) propelled the Spaniard into P2, 0.096s off Perrone, while David Almansa (Leopard Racing #22) collected a Friday P3.

David Almansa left it late to fire himself into pole position for the first time in his Moto3 career. The Spaniard will have a clear view down to Turn 1 and was the only rider able to dip into the 1’46s, with a 1’46.877 good enough to see him clear of Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA #66) and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #36).

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Marc Marquez’s unbeaten Sprint run continued at the Catalan GP – but only after a dramatic crash from Alex Marquez handed him victory. Alex had pulled over a second clear when he lost the front at Turn 10 with just four laps remaining. Fabio Quartararo finished 1.2s behind to claim second, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina VR46 Ducati #49) completing the podium after escaping a fierce KTM scrap.

Alex Marquez led early after a strong launch, as Quartararo, Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta diced behind. An intense opening lap saw multiple lead changes before Marc Marquez reclaimed second and began hunting down his brother. As the race settled, Quartararo and Marc Marquez chipped away at Alex’s lead, but the #73 looked in control – until disaster struck. Marc Marquez inherited the lead and never looked back, securing his 14th Sprint win of the year.

Behind the podium trio, Acosta edged Bastianini and Binder in a thrilling finish, the trio covered by just 0.075s across the line.

“I’m happy for my victory for the Ducati team and we won the Constructors’ Championship, but unfortunately Alex crashed,” Marc Marquez explained. “I already gave up because he was faster than me, and when I gave up, maybe he relaxed a bit too much, and he crashed at Turn 10. He will have another chance tomorrow because he has the best pace, but we are happy at a circuit where we are struggling. I was a bit on the limit.”

Tissot Sprint Race Results

1. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo
2. Fabio Quartararo Monster Yamaha (+1.299s)
3. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+3.653s)
4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM (+5.868s)
5. Enea Bastianini Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+5.913s)

Sunday
MotoGP

Alex Marquez banished his Sprint demons with a phenomenal victory at the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia, fending off brother Marc Marquez to claim a sensational home win. The #93’s unbeaten Sunday run ended, but P2 extended the title race to at least Japan. Enea Bastianini secured his first Sunday podium with KTM in P3.

Marc got the holeshot from P3, leading into Turn 1, while Pedro Acosta launched into third. Quartararo slotted into fourth, ahead of Bastianini. But on Lap 2, chaos hit: Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing #72) clipped Morbidelli (#21) and crashed, with Di Giannantonio going down moments later trying to avoid him – both out of podium contention.

Alex Marquez took the lead on Lap 4 with a decisive Turn 1 move, and behind him, Marc had Bastianini and Acosta in close pursuit. Meanwhile, Binder crashed out from P10 on Lap 7, as Pecco Bagnaia surged from P22 to P8 by Lap 8, which was an impressive recovery. By Lap 10, the top four had pulled 2.1s clear. Bastianini moved past Acosta into P3 and began closing on Marc Marquez, cutting the gap to 0.8s.

As the race wore on, Acosta faded and eventually lost touch with the podium fight. By Lap 19, the stage was set for an epic Marquez showdown. But a couple of mistakes from Marc on Lap 20 gave Alex a gap of 0.8s – then 1.3s with two laps to go. Alex held his nerve, conquered his Turn 10 demons from Saturday and crossed the line 1.7s clear for his second MotoGP win – and a very special one on home soil. Marc settled for P2, proud to share the podium with his brother in a Marquez 1-2. Bastianini claimed a hard-earned P3.

Acosta secured P4, while Quartararo won the fight for fifth. Rookie Ai Ogura (#79) charged late to bank his best MotoGP result yet in P6.

“It feels so good. It’s true that I have in my head a little bit the race from yesterday, but when I was there on the bike, I said ‘this one needs to be with me’ so I just needed to push all the race and manage the tyres. With six, seven [laps] to the end, it was the time to see if I had something. I was able to make good lap times in that moment,” Alex Marquez explained.

MotoGP Race Results

1. Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati
2. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (+1.740s)
3. Enea Bastianini Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+5.562s)
4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM (+13.373s)
5. Fabio Quartararo Monster Yamaha (+14.409s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

1. Marc Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati – 487
2. Alex Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 305
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 237
4. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing – 197
5. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM – 183

Moto2

Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Aspar Team) led every lap of the Catalan GP to take his first Moto2 victory in commanding style. The pole-sitter blasted off the line and never looked back to become the ninth different winner of the season. Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing) returned to the podium in second, while wildcard Daniel Muñoz (#17) stunned with a maiden P3 finish.

Holgado got the holeshot and immediately opened a gap to Dixon. Turn 4 claimed Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS #12), who was forced wide into the gravel, while Ayumu Sasaki (RW-Idrofoglia #71) crashed out on the opening lap. By Lap 3, Holgado led Dixon, with Muñoz charging in third ahead of Izan Guevara (#28) and Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (#18).

Muñoz made his move on Dixon at Turn 1 on Lap 6 to take second. Behind, Jorge Navarro (#9) wiped out Salač at Turn 1, while Aron Canet crashed at Turn 7 to put a nasty dent in his title hopes. Gonzalez and Guevara battled hard for fourth, swapping positions on Laps 16 and 17 before Gonzalez made it stick. He sat in a strong P4 as Holgado stretched a 2.5s gap up front. On the penultimate lap, Dixon reclaimed second from Muñoz at Turn 1, holding the place to the flag. Muñoz, subbing for Deniz Öncü, held on for a remarkable debut podium. Further back, Diogo Moreira’s (#10) weekend worsened with a Long Lap Penalty for exceeding track limits, thus meaning he finished outside of the points.

For Aspar, it was a back-to-back debut win – this time from the other side of the garage. Holgado’s lights-to-flag masterclass was a career milestone. Dixon earned a solid P2, Muñoz celebrated a shock podium and Gonzalez extended his title lead with P4, just ahead of a season-best fifth for Guevara.

Moto2 Race Results

1. Daniel Holgado CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team
2. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing (+2.500s)
3. Daniel Munoz Red Bull KTM Ajo (+3.119s)
4. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (+4.497s)
5. Izan Guevara BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (+5.859s)

Moto2 Championship Points

1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 217
2. Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 179
3. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team – 175
4. Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 153
5. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing – 152

Moto3

A crucial win in the title race. Ángel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) emerged victorious from an intense Moto3 battle in Barcelona, cutting five points from José Antonio Rueda’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo #99) championship lead. Despite a Long Lap penalty, Rueda recovered brilliantly to finish P2. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia #72) was passed at the final corner but held on for P3 – his second podium of the season.

From his maiden pole, David Almansa led into Turn 1, as Maximo Quiles (#28) jumped from P9 to P4. Piqueras dropped to P6, while Rueda took his penalty on Lap 3, falling from P5 to P15. By Lap 4, Piqueras was up to P3, as Rueda clawed back to P10 and rejoined the lead group. Almansa continued to lead a 14-rider freight train until Lap 9, when Quiles briefly hit the front before Almansa and Piqueras retaliated. Rueda moved into the lead on Lap 11, but Quiles ran wide at Turn 1, tumbling to P14.

With four laps to go, Rueda had a 0.5s lead over a chasing pack of Almansa, Piqueras, Adrian Fernandez (#31), Furusato and a charging Ryusei Yamanaka (#6), who’d started from the back. Two laps from the end, the top ten were locked together. On the final lap, Piqueras took the lead at Turn 1. Rueda dropped to P4 after a failed Turn 5 lunge but pulled off a bold final-corner move to snatch P2 from Furusato. But the win belonged to Piqueras – a vital one for the championship. Furusato held P3, with Almansa and Fernandez just missing the podium in P4 and P5.

Moto3 Race Results

1. Angel Piqueras FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI
2. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo (+0.081s)
3. Taiyo Furusato Honda Team Asia (+0.156s)
4. David Almansa Leopard Racing (+0.229s)
5. Adrian Fernandez Leopard Racing (+0.542s)

Moto3 Championship Points

1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo – 270
2. Angel Piqueras FRINSA – MT Helmets – 206
3. Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team – 168
4. David Munoz Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 163
5. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo – 149

How Did the Aussies Do?

Starting 14th and finishing 12th in the Sprint, Jack Miller (#43) was content with his Saturday effort, where he showed excellent pace and engaged in some fierce battles throughout. Then in the main race, Miller recovered from early adversity to secure 14th, fighting his way back into the points after being pushed wide by Brad Binder on the opening lap, which dropped him to the back of the field.

Although Senna Agius (#81) banked an admirable P8 in qualifying after having his best lap cancelled, a poor start, grip issues and a Long Lap Penalty ensured 14th was the best he could muster on his return from his heavy crash in Austria. Rocketing to P2 on the grid in qualifying set Joel Kelso up superbly for a strong race. Frustratingly, he couldn’t translate that pace into the race itself, dropping as far back as 14th before admirably recovering to secure P7. Starting the race from P11 on the grid, Jacob Roulstone’s (#12) round was disappointingly ended prematurely when a technical issue forced him to retire.