MotoGP
Catalan GP 2024: Bagnaia closes the gap to the top of the championship
At the track of Circuit de Barcelona- Catalunya, it was another showing of what Moto GP does best – CLOSE UNPREDICTABLE RACING.
With Motogp riders arriving in the paddocks of the Catalunya circuit, it was understood that the championship leader would not change statistically. Still, the Catalan GP presented itself as an opportunity to close the gap to the table toppers. Here is a timeline of how the weekend unfolded-
Free practice 1
With Jorge Martin topping the first practice session on Friday closely followed by Marc Marquez in second position, the weekend already looked set for another great battle. They were followed by the KTM machines of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3)
With Aleix Espargaro announcing that he’ll be hanging his boots come the season’s end, it was the last Catalan Gp he would be attending as a rider. He started his weekend by placing his bike in 5th position in free practice 1.
Here’s how the top 10 looked at the end of FP1:
Practice
With a 60-minute practice session presenting itself as an opportunity to have a direct entry into Q2, Riders were pushing their limits to have a position inside the top 10. With the factory KTMs keeping the top positions for themselves for the majority of the session, it was looking like a strong weekend for the KTM riders.
It was Aliex Espargaro however, who topped the session in a perfect start to the weekend. Brad Binder came in a very close second, only 0.072s adrift of the top step. With Pedro Acosta coming in 3rd place, it was yet another strong performance from the rookie.
The top 10 gaining a direct entry into Q2 were –
Free Practice 2
With Saturday providing the riders with a last 30-minute FP2, everyone was out on track to gather data to fine-tune their setups.
Aleix Espargaro continued his pace from Friday practice to top FP2 before the all-important Qualifying. Elsewhere it was Francesco Bagnaia who had a strong start to his Saturday from finishing P2 in FP2 followed by two fast Prima Pramacs, with Franco Morbidelli in 3rd and Jorge Martin in 4th. Pedro Acosta rounded up the top 5 positions.
Qualifying
With 10 positions in Q2 already decided from Friday’s practice session, Q1 was ever important as it gave the riders entry into the final 2 positions in Q2. As a fast Q1 came to an end, Fabio Di Giannantonio topped the session with a time of 01:38.208. However, it was Raul Fernandes of Trackhouse Racing who gathered the most eyes as he outqualified both Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez, and entered Q2.
Come Q2, the competition was as fierce as ever. It was Aleix Espargaro at his home run, who broke the lap record and secured pole position for himself. Beside him was Francesco Bagnaia who posted a lap time 0.031s slower than the Spaniard. Coming in P3 was Raul Fernandes who got his lap time reinstated. However, it was a disaster for the Prima Pramac Racing garage as both Jorge Martin and Franco Morbidelli came down at the same corner barely moments apart. Jorge Martin eventually qualified in P7, with plenty of work to do. Elsewhere, Alex Rins pushed his Yamaha to a brilliant p8.
Here are the full results- Qualifying Results
Sprint
With the weekend hinting at a close race, we were not disappointed in the sprint. With 3 Riders crashing out of the lead, it was anybody’s win.
At the start, it was the world champion with the best of the starts followed closely by Pedro Acosta in his GASGAS machine. It didn’t take much time for the rookie to start attacking Bagnaia for the lead resulting in a back-and-forth battle between the two. Behind these two, a fast-charging Trackhouse Racing machine of Raul Fernandes was lurking.
As Acosta cleared Bagnaia at Lap 3 of the race, Fernandes too took his chance and overtook Pecco to slot into P2. Raul Fernandes made easy work of Acosta and was now leading the race. Behind them, Brad Binder too had arrived at the scene and started fighting with Acosta. Meanwhile, it was a disastrous end for Raul Fernandes as he slid off the track in turn 10, understandably dejected.
Now the duel between Pedro and Brad looked like it would become one for the race lead, but KTM of Binder built a gap for himself, leaving Pedro Acosta to defend himself from Francesco Bagnaia in P3. But Binder’s race lead wasn’t long-lasting either, as he lost it in Turn 5.
With Pecco inheriting the lead, Acosta was again left to fend his position from Aleix Espargaro, with the Aprilia rider quickly clearing the GASGAS rider. It was now a match between Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta for the final position on the podium.
The front of the sprint was looking sealed until the very last lap, when Francesco Bagnaia lost his Ducati in Turn 5, with Aleix Espargaro inheriting the lead in almost a fairytale end of the Sprint for the Spaniard.
A scrap for p2 on the grid between Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta went all the way up to the final sector. Jorge Martin finished in P4, with Enea Bastianini finishing in P5 from outside the top 10.
Here are the top 10 –
Race
If anything could be made out of the Saturday sprint, it was a certainty that Sunday’s race would be a close-fought battle. And as the five lights went out, we fans were certainly not disappointed.
It was Francesco Bagnaia who got the best of the starts followed by Pedro Acosta in P2. Brad Binder slotted into 3rd as Aleix Espargaro being not so lucky, fell down the grid. Jorge Martin shot up from P7 to P4.
Martin looked determined to move up the grid as he cleared Brad Binder with an ambitious lunge into turn 10 of lap 1 itself. Further ahead Acosta had started his attack on Pecco, allowing Martin and Binder to close onto them. Martin eventually passed Acosta into turn 10.
Martin was looking very determined as he passed Pecco as well into turn 1. Next, it was Acosta who passed Pecco into turn 10. The rookie was looking very quick as he easily closed the gap to Martin and started attacking the Pramac Rider.
Behind Bagnaia, a fierce scrap ensued between Brad Binder, Raul Fernandes, and Aleix Esparago. Eventually, both Fernandes and Esparago passed Binder who got shuffled back into P6.
Further ahead, it all came crashing down for the rookie Pedro Acosta as he slid off the track into the gravel at turn 10.
This promoted the #1 bike to P2. From there, Bagnaia drove on his toes to close the gap to P1 and eventually passed Jorge Martin for the lead of the race.
From then on, Pecco shot ahead in the distance, with Jorge dropping. Eventually, Jorge managed to maintain the status quo and maintain his second position until the chequered flag.
Further behind, Marc Marquez had clawed his way back to the front from all the way back in P14. It was now a battle between Aleix Espargaro and Marc Marquez for the final podium position. Marquez made the overtaking move on Esparago and made it stick. He just had to hold onto it till the end of the race. In a battle that happened until a drag race to the line, it was finally Marc Marquez who finished in third position.
Elsewhere, one of the heroes of the entire weekend was Raul Fernandes. From maiden front row start to leading the sprint to eventually finishing the race in P6, it was an overall great weekend for the Spanish rider.
Praise shall also be showered at Pedro Acosta who after falling off his back, managed to claw back into the points and finished p13
Championship Standings
After the CatalanGP, the championship looks like this:
The next race takes place at the iconic Mugello circuit in Italy from 31st May to 2nd June.
MotoGP
MotoGP 2025 : Marquez brothers dominate the season opener at Buriram
Marquez brothers dominate the opening weekend of MotoGP at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram. This is the first 1-2 for brothers in MotoGP history.
The 2025 MotoGP season roared to life under the blisteringly hot sun at Buriram’s Chang International Circuit. The first GP of this season delivered a historic and emotional comeback for Marc Marquez who won a season opener since 2014 and is leading the championship for the first time since Valencia 2019. Join us as we review, session by session, the spectacle of the Thai GP.
Marc Márquez returns with a bang
In his debut in red, Marc Márquez comes in with a bang, snatching the triple-pole position in qualifying, victory in the sprint race and victory in the Grand Prix. He has an overall amazing weekend, comfortably cruising to a victory in the sprint race. This was Marc’s s 63rd MotoGP win and his third in Thailand (along with 2018 and 2019). He also equalled MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa in third on the list of riders with the most MotoGP podiums with 112.
However, in the Grand Prix, he inexplicably drops down to P2 behind his brother on the sixth lap.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! @marcmarquez93 SLOWS DOWN AND LOSES THE LEAD 🚨#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/fUnyJB9l7B
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 2, 2025
Allegedly, this was due to the tire pressure rule – Márquez had to keep his tire pressure over 1.82 bar for at least 60% of the race or suffer a 15-second penalty. If Marquez were to keep leading the pack, he would’ve been allegedly in violation of this rule, so he dropped behind his brother to pick up heat form his bike and keep the tire pressure high enough. He did overtake Alex in the final laps of the GP, winning the debut round of a season for the first time in 11 years.
Alex Márquez a surprising second
Alex Márquez had a standout weekend – he qualified in P2, came second in the sprint and came second in the Grand Prix. He even led the GP for almost 18 laps. Throughout the sprint, he masterfully defended against Francesco Bagnaia, retaining his position. Even while he was leading his brother, he gave him a hard time overtaking.
Alex’s record has shown that he takes time to get in form. He won the Moto3 championship in his 3rd year in the series, and the Moto2 championship in his 5th. Currently, this would be Alex’s 6th year in MotoGP. Could he be a title contender this season, going against Pecco, Martin or even his brother Marc?
Ai Ogura’s MotoGP Debut, Aprilia capable enough for Martin?
Of the four rookies this year, Ai Ogura was the best performer in the Thai GP. Riding on an Aprilia for Trackhouse Racing, Ogura qualified P5. His performance in the sprint was consistent, holding on to P4 throughout 14 laps, fending off the likes of Miller and Morbidelli. In the beginning of the GP, Ogura was even pressuring Bagnaia from P4, however, in the later laps he fell behind to P5, being overtaken by Morbidelli.
It wasn't a fluke 💪@AiOgura79 brings an outstanding P5 home at his debut 👏#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/4IWilk3I1U
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 2, 2025
Seeing the Aprilia being placed consistently in the top 5 by a rookie must have instilled some extra confidence in Jorge Martin about the capabilities of the bike. Unfortunately, it appears like Martin is going to be out of the picture for a few more races to come, no thanks to the surgery he underwent.
KTM all over the grid, Acosta underperforms
Of all the manufacturers, KTM’s performance in the debut round was the most underwhelming. Only one of their riders, Pedro Acosta, even made it into Q2. KTM’s best performer in the sprint race was Acosta, who finished in P6, with Binder in P8. The Tech3 crew consisting of Viñales and Bastianini finished in a disappointing P14 and P18 respectively.
In the Grand Prix, Acosta botched the start and fell back into P9. He tried to fight for a total of three laps, after which he crashed out and fell straight to the back of the pack. KTM’s best performer in the GP was Binder, who finished in P8.
Safe to say, this was an underwhelming performance for KTM. Last year, KTM looked like the only manufacturer who could challenge the Ducati dominance. Along with that, they had built a star studded roster with the likes of Bastianini and Viñales. However, both of them have not yet been able to adapt to the bike, and are performing below their potential.
The comeback of the Japanese manufacturers?
Unlike last year, Yamaha and Honda are not at the absolute back of the pack! In fact, Honda had two riders finish in the Top 10 for the sprint race, and one in the GP too. Johann Zarco finished P7 for his best result with Honda, which is also Honda’s best result since Marc
Marquez was sixth in Thailand in 2023.
Meanwhile, Yamaha had Quartararo finish P7 in the sprint race, and Miller finish just out of the Top 10 in the Grand Prix. This is a sign of improvement for the Japanese manufacturers. It remains to be seen whether they will carry this momentum throughout this season and the next, and if they will be competing for the top anytime soon.
Highlights of the Thai GP
Following are some moments in the weekend that I consider particularly exciting :
- The battle between PA37 and BB33 for P8 in the sprint race.
- JM43’s crash out from P6 in the sprint race.
- PA37’s crash out in the third lap of the Grand Prix.
- The battle between JM43 and MB72 in the Grand Prix.
- Marc’s overtake on Alex in the Grand Prix.
Championship Standing
This is what the championship standings look like after the Thai GP :
Read more posts on MotoGP here.
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MotoGP is heading to Thailand for the sixth time in their history, this also marks the first time the country is hosting a season opener. It is also the first time we have a season opener in South East Asia for the first time since 1999, underscoring the region’s growing significance in the sport. Here are the top storylines for this weekend:
Marc Marquez Makes his Debut in Red
Mar Marquez, who was the face of Honda for over a decade, which helped him bag 6 premier class titles switched to Ducati last year, driving a year-old Desmosedici with Gresini. This year, however, he has made a switch to red, joining the Factory Ducati outfit. Hopes are high for the Spaniard who was constantly challenging the factory riders with his a-year older bike, helping him finish third in the Riders Championship. Stats favour Marquez heading into Buriram, as the Ducati bike has been on the pole, won the sprint race and the main race in the last 2 years. Marquez is also the rider with the most wins (2) in the current grid in Buriram.
A point to prove for Francesco Bagnaia
The 2023 MotoGP Champion, Francesco Bagnaia lost out the title last year by fine margins to Jorge Martin. This year, Bagnaia will be looking to turn things around and take his second premier class title. But it will not be an easy feat, as he has been teamed up against one of the greatest riders in the history of the sport.
Setback for Aprillia and Jorge Martin
Jorge Martin created history in MotoGP last year, becoming the only rider to win the title with a satellite team, albeit they were running the factory bikes. But the start of 2025 is not what he would have hoped for. During Day 1 of the Sepang Pre-Season test, Martin had a huge moment on track which ruled him out of the remainder of the test initially. Medical checks diagnosed him with a right-hand fracture and fractures in his left foot, with surgeries to take place later that week. Now, even though the surgeries went well, Martin has been ruled out of Round 1 at Buriram and also Round 2 in Argentina.
❌ @88jorgemartin is set to miss Argentina according to Aprilia Racing's CEO #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/xIp9XU00xl
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) February 27, 2025
Shark Attack in MotoGP: Acosta’s KTM Debut
When Pedro Acosta made his debut last year, hopes were high for the rookie, and boy did he deliver. The satellite KTM rider had 5 podiums, most of any KTM rider, and he finished just 2 points shy of factory rider Brad Binder in a satellite bike. This year he has been promoted to the factory KTM outfit. Confident and fast through testing, can last year’s rookie revelation cause a stir from the start? Yet to bag that first MotoGP Grand Prix victory, it’s a story not just for Thailand but for 2025.
Fresh faces: Rookies to watch out for
Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Racing MotoGP) was one of the standout performers in testing and along with fellow Aprilia rider Bezzecchi, notched up more laps than anyone else. Keep an eye on the #79 during the first round, he may be a surprise package. Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) had a sparkling pre-season too and was one to watch; the Buriram Test proved more challenging but when the visor goes down when it matters, Aldeguer is very likely going to be there.
A rockstar in Thailand and one of the stars of the Season Launch, Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU LCR Honda) has perhaps the hardest job of all the rookies: he’s on an improving but not yet perfected Honda and he’s making his debut at home. He’ll be looking to have a solid weekend on track and shine in the spotlight off it.
Yamaha and Honda on an upward trajectory
Yamaha and Honda appear to be on an upward trajectory as the 2025 MotoGP season kicks off. Fabio Quartararo impressed with his consistency at the Sepang Test, while both he and Alex Rins showed promising improvements at Buriram. With Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP now fielding factory-spec bikes, Jack Miller is already settling in, and Miguel Oliveira is expected to unlock more pace. Meanwhile, Honda’s HRC Castrol squad made notable progress, with Joan Mir and Luca Marini showing competitive pace over Sprint simulations. Johann Zarco continues to be a key asset, and with Aleix Espargaro and Takaaki Nakagami bolstering Honda’s development, the Japanese manufacturer seems well on its way back to the front.
Schedule and Where to Watch MotoGP in India
You can watch all the MotoGP sessions live in India on Fancode (digital) and Eurosport (TV Broadcast).
The complete schedule in IST is given below:
Two world championships with season openers on the same weekend. Read our WEC Qatar 1812KM preview here.
MotoGP
MotoGP 2024: MotoGP back at Misano for exciting weekend
MotoGP is back at Misano as the title fight reaches it’s climax.
MotoGP once again returns to Misano for the second time this season. The original race was scheduled to be in India, then in Kazakhstan and finally in Misano. Join us as DRC previews an exciting weekend ahead of the 2024 Emilia Romagna Motorcycle Grand Prix. Read the last race review here.
Table of Contents
Three-way MotoGP title fight brewing
At the start of the year, it looked like it would be either Jorge Martin or Francesco Bagnaia who would be the title protagonists. It looked like it was the case even in Silverstone. But with his recent return to form, Marc Marquez has also made his claim as a potential title challenger. With back-to-back wins, the last one on the same circuit in Misano, he is one of the favorites to win. Right now the Gresini rider sits 3rd in the championship, 53 points behind leader Jorge Martin. With a bit of luck and a lot of victories, Marquez surely has a chance at his ninth title.
While Marquez needs some luck, the two at the front don’t. Both Martin and Bagnaia are 50 points ahead of the opposition and have dominated this year with all but 3 wins going to them. 7 points separate them with martin leading the championship by 7 points. A lot of pressure will be on him to outscore Bagnaia for some crucial points. Another big talking point will be how well can Martin handle pressure. Pecco has been very good at putting Martin under loads of pressure, which often culminates in him making a mistake or crashing out. Martin in the past has been vocal about how he needs to be better in the psychological battle against Bagnaia.
Francesco Bagnaia will come into this weekend as confident as ever after topping the Misano test right after the San Marino GP. He is the home-crowd favourite and has more wins than anybody else this season. Misano historically has not been his best track, with him winning twice in 8 starts since his debut.
Yamaha aim improvements
The last race at Misano was an excellent stride in improvement for Yamaha. Fabio Quartararo put his factory Yamaha in the top seven. And this was not just the rain mixing things up. Fabio was 6th and 9th in the practice sessions, got a straight entry into Q2 and qualified ahead of every single Aprilia. Alex Rins had a fantastic ride as well and was at one point fighting for tenth place when the rain came.
This is the first time in nearly a year that a Japanese bike has cracked a top-10 finish. Further, Fabio finished fifth in the Misano test earlier on and showed great improvement with the new tire compounds being tested. This was received by the community as a huge leap forward for Japanese motorcycle racing, and Yamaha has said with recent improvements they aim to be fighting at the top end by the end of the 2025 season. With Prima Pramac also switching to Yamaha 2025 onwards, the team will also benefit from having European expertise involved in the development process.
Honda on the other hand, are facing blow after blow. Both Repsol Honda riders sat out the San Marino Grand Prix due to sickness. Repsol also parted ways with Honda after a very successful partnership that saw them win 15 titles and score more than 450 podiums in MotoGP.
The LCR Honda team scored some points for the Japanese powerhouse, but the outstanding problems with the bike are still fixed. Zarco was the lead Honda in the Misano test in 18th place 1.3 seconds off the lead. Johann Zarco even went on to say that there were some problems whose cause have not even been identified as of now, and a “total postmortem” of the bike is necessary to make it competitive. He also went on to say that it is not that Yamaha and Honda are bad, just the fact that Aprilia, KTM and Ducati are way better.
KTM look to impress again, Aprilia try to bounce back
KTM were the team that took the challenge to Ducati here two weeks ago. Three KTMs were in the top three with Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro finishing ahead of every single Aprilia. The wonder rookie Pedro Acosta was also on point fighting for a potential 4th place but crashed out while duelling with Morbidelli and had to finish a lap down in 17th.
Acosta was once again the lead KTM in the Misano test, finishing a strong 4th by the end of the day. He was the leader of the pack until the final hour when Bagnaia, Morbidelli and Bastianini put in very quick laps to overtake him. Binder, Miller and Dani Pedrosa also impressed with the consistent pace.
Aprilia have traditionally not fared well at Misano and it showed in both the San Marino GP and the test. The only Aprilia to score points last time out was that of Miguel Oliviera for Trackhouse. They were outpaced and outraced by the KTMs and hence dropped valuable points to them in the Constructer’s championship. KTM will once again try to jump on this opportunity to score more points than Aprilia. It is rumored that they may bring in Pedrosa as a wildcard in-order to score more points, just like they did with Espargaro last time out.
Weekend Schedule and weather report
This is how the weather looks like for the Emilia Romagna GP
This is the weekend schedule. All times are in IST. Races can be watched live on Eurosport and on Jio Cinema.
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