MotoGP

Argentine GP 2025 : Termas-terclass from the Márquez brothers

The Márquez brothers repeat 1-2 feat in Argentina, Marc achieves a historic 90th win.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 17, 2025

Argentine GP 2025 : Termas-terclass from the Márquez brothers

The Argentine GP at Termas de Río Hondo showcased a thrilling sibling rivalry as the Márquez brothers repeated their 1-2 feat in qualifying, the sprint race as well as the grand prix. This victory not only extended Marc’s unbeaten streak this season but also solidified the brothers’ dominance in the championship standings. Join us as we review, session by session, the spectacle of the Argentine GP.

Marc Márquez continues dominating, breaks long-standing records

Marc Marquez takes the chequered flag at the Argentine GP 2025. — Marc Márquez crosses the finish line after the GP victory. Credit: motogp.com

Just like the season opener in Buriram, Marc Márquez snatched the triple again – he got pole position in qualifying, victory in the sprint race and victory in the Grand Prix. Most impressively, however, over the course of the weekend, Marc Márquez set four new all-time lap records – one during Practice on Friday and the other three during Q2 on Saturday. He beat his own all-time lap record at this track which he had set back in 2014.

During the sprint race, Marc cruised to a rather comfortable victory. He had a good start off the line, and though he was initially pressured by his brother, he was able to break off in the latter stages, taking the chequered flag 0.903s ahead of Alex.

The race, however, was a completely different story. On the third lap, Marc made a mistake and ran wide, allowing his brother to take the lead. He had to spend a good chunk of the race battling against his own brother and was able to retake the lead on the 20th lap and cruise to a victory.

As tense as it gets! @marcmarquez93 takes the lead with 5 laps remaining 🚨#ArgentinaGP 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/xFZ805yNJr
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 16, 2025

This victory is Marc’s 90th in all of GP racing combined, and he has equalled Ángel Nieto’s record, taking the third place for most victories in GP racing combined, standing just behind legends like Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini.

Alex Márquez gives his brother a tough time

Alex Márquez qualified just behind Marc in P2. However, he was on Marc’s tail throughout the sprint. In the Grand Prix, Alex took the lead after Marc made a mistake on the third lap, and he held on to the lead for a good part of 15 laps. He was consistently keeping up his pace with Marc’s, even though Marc was breaking records. Overall, Alex had a stellar weekend in Argentina.

Johann Zarco surprises on the Honda

Johann Zarco is certainly not the most technically skilled rider on the grid, nor is he on the best motorcycle by any metric. However, he had a surprising performance in Argentina, to say the least. He took P3 in qualifying just behind the Márquez brothers, even though the Honda lacks the straight-line speed of the Ducatis. He had an amazing sprint, finishing in P4. He had a nothing short of astounding race as well, keeping his position cemented against challengers, and consistently staying on Pecco’s tail, ultimately finishing in P6.

It is hard to imagine that not too long ago, Honda was running at the very back of the field, struggling to make points, and now, they’re putting bikes on the front row and finishing in the top 5.

Morbidelli makes his comeback in the race

The past few years have been tough for Franco Morbidelli. He was the runner-up in the 2020 MotoGP championship standings, but has since struggled, first with the bike, and then with his health. In these four years, Morbidelli has had multiple crashes and injuries, each one degrading his performance more and more. However, in the Argentine GP, even though he started the race from eighth on the grid, he worked his way up to P3, getting a podium finish. This was his first podium since Jerez in 2021, 1414 days ago.

KTM continue on a downward spiral

Not too long ago, it appeared that the only manufacturer who could challenge Ducati’s dominance in the sport was KTM. So naturally, going into the 2025 season, fans had great expectations from them. However, so far, their performance has been underwhelming, to say the least. In the sprint, Acosta was their best rider, finishing P9 after Binder crashed out. In the race, Binder finished P7, with Acosta right behind in P8. However, the Tech3 crew is still lurking at the very bottom of the rankings. Even the factory crew was beaten by Zarco’s Honda during the race, and both Zarco and Mir on the Honda and Bezzecchi on the Aprilia during the sprint.

KTM needs to find their groove again, or they will be in threat of being overtaken by manufacturers like Aprilia and Honda.

Ai Ogura disqualified for inexplicable infringement

⚠️ @AiOgura79 crossed the line in P8 and was then disqualified from the Grand Prix for using a version of software not homologated by the Championship#ArgentinaGP 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/P7UUlHf7vQ
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 16, 2025

The rookie Ai Ogura had a mixed weekend in Argentina. Due to a crash during qualifying, he started P15 on the grid. He wasn’t able to do much in the sprint, but turned things around in the race, going all the way up to P8, and finishing ahead of Acosta. However, he was stripped of his result after his Trackhouse Racing Aprilia RS-GP was found to be running a “non-homologated software” on the ECU. It is unclear as to how this happened, as MotoGP has been running spec ECU software for the whole grid since 2016.

Highlights of the Argentine GP

Following are some moments in the weekend that I consider particularly exciting :

Early battle for 3rd in sprint between FB63, PA37 and FQ20
Crash between FA54 and MO88 during the sprint
Battle for 3rd between FB63 and FM21 in the Grand Prix
Four-way battle for 7th in the Grand Prix between FD49, JM36, AO79 and PA37
Late-stage battle between MM93 and AM73 in the Grand Prix

Championship Standing

This is what the championship standings look like after the Argentine GP :

MotoGP

Francesco Bagnaia Wins as Marc Marquez Blunders in Austin

Rain, chaos and drama filled weekend comes to an end as Francesco Bagnaia takes his first win of the season in Austin.

Published

9 hours ago

March 31, 2025

Anuj Tripathi

Francesco Bagnaia eats a hot dog to celebrate his win in Austin, Texas.

MotoGP headed to Austin for the Grand Prix of the Americas, Round 3 of the 2025 championship. COTA has long been considered Marc Marquez’s second home, and after his dominant performances in the first two rounds, it seemed like only one rider could stop him—Marc himself. And that’s exactly what happened.

Marquez crashed out of the race while leading, rejoining at the back of the field and handing victory to Francesco Bagnaia. Alex Marquez continued his strong form, finishing second yet again. Despite Marc’s misfortune, the Marquez name still tops the championship standings—only this time, it’s Alex leading the way, sitting one point ahead of his brother.

Francesco Bagnaia Wins as Marc Marquez Blunders in Austin — Marc Marquez on his damaged GP25 at GP of the Americas 2025 – Photo – Dorna Sports

Drama, Drama and more Drama

Drama ensued on Sunday even before the race began, as riders had to contend with tricky wet conditions during the sighting lap. The rain caught Fabio Quartararo off guard, causing him to crash, but he managed to get back around to the grid. Little did anyone know, this was just the beginning of the chaos at COTA.

Despite the wet sighting lap, the track was drying rapidly, making tire choice a tough decision—slicks or wets? While most riders sat on their bikes awaiting the race start procedure, Marc Marquez was off his, standing on the grid. Just as the three-minute board was about to be signalled, he suddenly sprinted across the tarmac into the pit lane, heading to the garage to swap his slick-shod bike for one fitted with wets.

Looking back at this moment 👀 @marcmarquez93 wasn't sat on the bike and decided to bolt back to the pits #AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/1SxFj03R5u
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 30, 2025

His move triggered a chain reaction. Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, Alex Marquez, and several others abandoned their bikes on the grid and ran back to switch to their spare machines. Meanwhile, riders who had already committed to starting on slicks—Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3)—remained in position. Their gamble might have paid off, but Race Control had other ideas, throwing the red flag and delaying the start.

Race Director Mike Webb explained the reasoning behind the decision:

“We called for a delay and then quick start procedure due to safety concerns. Given the number of riders, bikes and pit staff on the grid and in the pit lane area, it was impossible to start the Warm Up lap. A new race start was the safest way to respond to the unprecedented circumstances at the start of the Grand Prix. We will analyse the situation together with the teams and revisit the regulations.”

After the delay, the pit lane reopened for a quick-start procedure, with every rider resuming their original grid positions. However, the drama wasn’t over yet—last year’s Austin winner, Maverick Viñales, was wheeled off the grid before the race even started.

Marc Marquez’s deliberate tactic in vain

Marc Márquez admitted he deliberately left the grid, anticipating that other riders would follow suit and force the race start to be aborted. Under MotoGP regulations, Article 1.18.1 states that if “more than 10 riders” abandon their grid slots, the start must be called off.

“I really know the rules, and how to do, and how to be on the limit all the time.” Marquez told MotoGP.com afterwards.

“And yeah, I asked to [Marco] Rigamonti my chief mechanic, seven minutes before the start, if the second bike was ready. He told me ‘yes’. And then I said to him ‘maybe I will leave the grid’. Why? Because I predicted when I will leave – I saw that the rain tyres were [already] not the correct strategy – and I predicted that when I will leave, more than 10 riders will follow me and then they’ll stop the race. And that’s what happened.”

However, in reality, exactly 10 riders left the grid—not more than 10. Márquez still got the result he wanted, even though his assumption was slightly off.

A very important clarification, because I think there's some misinformation out there: 10 bikes pulled off the grid today. The rules say that it has to be one more than that to trigger a full restart. pic.twitter.com/6IJRnTtK6F
— Simon Patterson (@denkmit) March 31, 2025

Once the race eventually got underway, Márquez made a perfect launch off the line, immediately seizing control at the front. His brother, Alex, followed closely in second, while Bagnaia, who had started sixth, gained three places to slot into third.

Marc Márquez’s dominant run in 2025 came to an abrupt halt on Lap 9. The Ducati rider misjudged his line, clipping the curb too far and hitting a wet patch at Turn 4, which caused his front end to wash away, sending him to the ground.

MORE DRAMA! 💥💥💥💥@marcmarquez93 HAS GONE DOWN! #AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JWVRiiJYFt
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 30, 2025

Determined to salvage something from the race, Márquez rejoined in 18th, but his GP25 was significantly damaged, including a missing right footpeg. With the bike lacking pace and any realistic chance of scoring points—let alone fighting at the front—his efforts quickly turned into a lost cause. Struggling to stay competitive, he retired on Lap 13, officially bringing his winning streak to an end.

Francesco Bagnaia rewarded for consistency

With Marc Márquez out of contention, Francesco Bagnaia inherited the race lead—his reward for a consistently strong start to the season. While Márquez had dominated the headlines with his form, Bagnaia was quietly enjoying his best-ever start to a MotoGP season, accumulating 43 points in the first two races.

Although his victory came as a result of Márquez’s misfortune, Bagnaia’s performance was nothing short of brilliant. He managed the race flawlessly, avoiding mistakes and keeping his GP25 upright—something even his in-form teammate failed to do. His composed ride earned him his first win of the season and his 30th career MotoGP victory, putting him just one win behind MotoGP legends Dani Pedrosa and Eddie Lawson. It was also his first triumph at COTA, making it the 17th different track where he has taken victory in MotoGP.

Bagnaia had already showcased his strength earlier in the weekend, briefly leading the Sprint Race on Lap 1 despite starting from sixth on the grid. Now leaving Austin full of confidence, the Italian will look to carry this momentum into the next race weekend. Currently sitting third in the standings, 12 points behind leader Alex Márquez, Bagnaia knows there are still 19 race weekends left—plenty of time for the championship battle to unfold.

Same Name, But a New Championship Leader

The name Márquez still tops the championship standings, but this time it’s Alex Márquez leading the way. The Gresini Ducati rider secured a strong second-place finish in Austin, which, combined with his runner-up result in the Sprint Race, propelled him to the top of the standings.

Pure delight for @GresiniRacing and @VR46RacingTeam 🥳#AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JVJp7JqwgK
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 30, 2025

Alex’s consistency has been remarkable. He has now finished second in every race this season, making 2025 his best MotoGP campaign in terms of podium finishes. His latest result in Austin marked his third consecutive podium, making 2025 his best MotoGP season regarding podiums.

Having won Moto3 and Moto2 in the past, Alex Márquez now leads the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in his career, with 87 points to his name. Meanwhile, Marc, who was in contention for the win before crashing and eventually retiring, now trails his younger brother by a single point.

More storylines from Austin:

Austin delivered plenty of talking points beyond the dramatic battle at the front.

Fabio Di Giannantonio secured his first Grand Prix podium since his maiden MotoGP victory in Qatar 2023, finishing P3. This marks his third career podium in the premier class.
Jack Miller claimed P5, his best result since joining Yamaha this season and his strongest finish since placing fifth in Thailand last year. This also marked Yamaha’s first top-five finish since Fabio Quartararo’s P5 in Malaysia in 2023.
Luca Marini finished as the top Honda in P8, his best result since joining the Japanese manufacturer last season.
Marco Bezzecchi produced an impressive comeback ride to P6, making up seven places after starting from 13th on the grid.
Rookie Fermin Aldeguer showed flashes of brilliance, briefly setting the fastest lap of the race and overtaking Miller for P5. However, his strong performance ended in heartbreak when he crashed out at Turn 15 in the final stages of the race.

Championship Standings and Up Next

With Marc Marquez failing to score, Alex Marquez now leads the world championship by a single point over his brother. MotoGP next heads to Qatar for Round 4 of the Championship from 11-13 April.

A new World Championship leader in #MotoGP 😎 @alexmarquez73 #AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9qUSgILlYT
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 30, 2025

MotoGP

GP of the Americas 2025 : Márquez brothers aim for glory at COTA

The Ant of Cervera seeks to reclaim his title as the King of COTA. But will one of the other challengers prevent him from doing so?

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

Sayujya Apte

GP of the Americas 2025 : Márquez brothers aim for glory at COTA

Going into the Grand Prix of the Americas, we have Marc Márquez on top of the championship standings, having won the trebles (pole, sprint victory and race victory) at both the previous events. However, Alex Márquez is also emerging as a very strong challenger, and he has demonstrated his skills against his brother previously. Bagnaia is still at a massive disadvantage. Circuit of the Americas, however, is one of those tracks that just shakes the order up, as we have seen historically. Join us as we go over everything you need to know before the lights go out in America.

Will the King of COTA reclaim his throne?

Marc Márquez is definitely the strongest rider going into the American GP. COTA is a counterclockwise track, which is Marc’s forte. And, Marc has previously demonstrated his mastery at this track, having clinched the victory a whopping seven times. Combine that with the absolutely perfect run he is having this season, and Márquez presents a strong case. However, COTA is no stranger to surprises and Marc might have to compete against two unexpected but strong riders and maybe others to reclaim his throne.

What about the younger brother?

Alex Márquez does not have as strong a track record as his brother. In fact, he has never managed to crack the top 10 at Texas in the premier class. His only podium here comes from 2018 when he was racing in Moto2. So, history is not on the younger brother’s side going into this weekend. But he has just as much momentum as Marc this season, and if he can maintain that momentum, he might just be the one to break Marc’s perfect streak.

Jorge Martin loses any hope of a championship

The track awaits you, Champ! 🦾#MotoGP #JorgeMartin pic.twitter.com/o6nDD7hDZg
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 24, 2025

After missing the first two races of the season due to a testing injury, the defending champion is set to miss the third. And that, combined with the run Márquez is on, crushes any of Martin’s hopes of defending his championship title.

Martin’s Aprilia is a very good motorcycle, and Martin had just found great form near the end of last season. Unfortunately, it appears that due to the serious nature of his injuries, the full capability of Martin on an Aprilia will remain the largest what-if of this season.

Could Álex Rins rise to the occasion?

🥇 @Rins42 gave @lcr_team their 100th podium with a stunning victory at COTA in 2023! ✨#AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/cZekI0ftAk
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 26, 2025

Álex Rins might just be the strongest rider on the track after Márquez. He has two victories in COTA, including one on a Honda in 2023, which was at that time the absolute worst bike on the grid. However, as of recently, Rins has been hanging around the middle-to-back of the pack due to some injuries he sustained.

But, Rins is now appearing to recover somewhat from his injuries. Combine that with the strides Yamaha has been making, Rins could be a potential dark horse contender for the sprint race or even the GP.

Maverick Viñales – contender or not?

Maverick Viñales has not been doing very well this season. He is taking time to acclimatize to the KTM and has only managed to secure 4 points so far. However, this does not disqualify him from performing well at Texas. Viñales has won at COTA in 2024, being the only non-Ducati rider to win a race that season. Moreover, he also holds the all-time lap record, the race lap record and the top speed recorded at the track. However, his recent struggles with KTM indicate that his possibility of a surprising performance is slim.

Championship Standings

Following are the championship standings going into the GP of the Americas :

Where to Watch

All MotoGP sessions can be watched in India on Fancode (digital) or on Eurosport (TV broadcast).

MotoGP

MotoGP 2025 : Argentina awaits – can anyone rival Márquez?

Marc Márquez seeks to extend his championship lead as Francesco Bagnaia hopes to catch up, all while the reigning champion is still out of the action.

Published

3 weeks ago

March 13, 2025

Sayujya Apte

MotoGP 2025 : Argentina awaits - can anyone rival Márquez?

The MotoGP paddock returns to Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo in Argentina after a year away. Termas has delivered some of the most memorable battles and impressive performances in recent memory, from the likes of Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi. Join us as we go over everything you need to know before the lights go out in Argentina.

Can Márquez conquer Termas again?

Marc Márquez is definitely the favourite choice, going into the Argentine GP, coming off a masterclass performance in Thailand. Also, he is the most successful rider in Argentina, having won the Argentine GP three times already – in 2014, 2016 and 2019. He has also been involved in some of the most thrilling battles this track has seen – from Márquez’s clash and subsequent crash with The Doctor in 2015, to his battles with Rossi in 2016 and 2018 being some of the most memorable in recent history.

A clash of titans during the 2015 #ArgentinaGP ⚔️@ValeYellow46 🆚 @marcmarquez93 #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/T6NSRDYfXq
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 11, 2025

The question now is, with three wins to his name, will Márquez try to clench a fourth? Or will he be overpowered by a re-motivated Bagnaia?

Bagnaia seeking his way back to the top.

Bagnaia at the MotoGP Thai GP. — Pecco before the Thai GP. Credit : @PeccoBagnaia on X

Although Márquez currently sits atop the championship standings, his teammate and two-time world champion Pecco Bagnaia seeks to change this. Bagnaia has stated, “We weren’t perfect in Thailand, we have to work to have our say this weekend.”

However, if we look at history, we see that Pecco hasn’t what one would call a strong track record in Termas. In fact, his best finishing position in Argentina is P5, and he crashed out of P2 the last time he raced here. The best move for Pecco right now would be to not let his ambition get the best of him, and tail behind Márquez, finishing on the podium and racking up points.

The defending champion Martin still out of the picture

Can't wait to have our Champ back! 🦾#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/oo6kB5ftCZ
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 4, 2025

Jorge Martin got into a significant crash during the Day 1 of Sepang testing. He sustained fractures to his right hand and left foot, and has underwent surgeries for it. He missed out on the season opener because of his injuries, and it appears that he has been ruled out for the second race as well. This is sure to make it more difficult for Martin to be a serious championship contender this year, especially with the pace that Márquez has found.

Could Bezzecchi hold any surprises?

Termas holds a special place in Marco Bezzecchi’s heart. It was where he got his first premier class victory in 2023. He has also taken victory in Argentina while in Moto3 in the year 2018. On the other hand, Aprilia has set a precedent of being a good performer in Argentina, and Ogura’s exploits during the season opener also deem it a competitive motorcycle in general. All these facts support the possibility of Marco Bezzecchi being a dark horse in this race. Bezzecchi has the ability to fight for the podium, or even the victory. But will he be able to find his channel his form from two years ago?

Is there a comeback in KTM’s fortunes?

After nothing short of an underwhelming performance in Thailand, KTM will surely be seeking redemption in Argentina, and Binder may be the only one who can do something about it.

Brad Binder took home the Argentine GP Sprint race victory in 2023, pulling off a spectacle starting from 15th on the grid. However, there have been 20 consecutive rounds since where Binder has not scored a podium in either a sprint race or a full-length race. However, standings-wise he is currently KTM’s best rider. Will KTM find redemption? Only time will tell.