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MotoGP 2025 Season Opener: Thrilling Showdown Awaits at Buriram

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MotoGP season launch at Bangkok

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.

MotoGP 2025 Season Opener: Thrilling Showdown Awaits at Buriram
Marc Marquez at the Sepang Pre-Season Test. Photo – MotoGP/Dorna

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.

MotoGP 2025 Season Opener: Thrilling Showdown Awaits at Buriram
Francesco Bagnaia at Sepang Pre Season test. – Photo – MotoGP/Dorna

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.

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.

MotoGP 2025 Season Opener: Thrilling Showdown Awaits at Buriram
Pedro Acosta at the Sepang Pre-Season Test. – Photo – MotoGP/Dorna

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.

MotoGP 2025 Season Opener: Thrilling Showdown Awaits at Buriram
Somkiat Chantra at the season launch in Bangkok. – Photo – MotoGP/Dorna

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.

MotoGP 2025 Season Opener: Thrilling Showdown Awaits at Buriram
Fabio Quatraro at the Sepang Pre Season Test – Photo – MotoGP/Dorna

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:

MotoGP 2025 Season Opener: Thrilling Showdown Awaits at Buriram

Two world championships with season openers on the same weekend. Read our WEC Qatar 1812KM preview here.

MotoGP

MotoGP British GP: Bezzecchi Capitalizes as Quatraro’s Search for a Win Continues

Marco Bezzecchi makes the most of Fabio Quartararo’s misfortunes as he takes the win in MotoGP British GP.

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Marco Bezzecchi celebrates after winning the MotoGP British Grand Prix
Credits: MotoGP

Fabio Quartararo did something that many thought would be impossible at the start of the year: he scored a hat-trick of pole positions riding the Factory Yamaha bike. However, he is yet to convert it into a victory. Despite starting 6 races from the front (3 Grand Prix and 3 Sprints), he is yet to stand on the top step of the podium. Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi made the most of Quartararo’s misfortune to take his first win of the season.

Read More: MotoGP 2025: Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone

Hattricks of Poles and a Brace of DNFs for Quartararo

When the season started, anyone, even Fabio for that matter, would not have expected to get 3 back-to-back pole positions on his Factory Yamaha, a bike that has not been the most competitive in the recent past. But to his surprise, and everyone else’s, Fabio put in a storming lap to go 3 tenths clear of the rest of the field and get his third Pole Position of the season. But, as fate would have it, he also scored a back-to-back DNF in the Grand Prix.

In Silverstone, it was looking good for the Frenchman, as he was leading the race ahead of Bezzecchi, but a ride height issue in the middle of the race forced the Yamaha rider to retire from the race. He tried half a lap to fix the issue, but to no success.

Bezzecchi Gets His First Win of The Season

Starting from 11th on the grid, not a lot of people would have had Marco Bezzecchi on their cards to win the British Grand Prix. But the Aprilia rider slowly and steadily picked off riders one by one to climb up to second position, and when Quartararo’s misfortunes hit, Bezzecchi was at the perfect place to make the most of it and cross the finish line in first.

A season with lacklustre results for the Italian driver, this win would do him a world of good. Before this race, his best finish was 6th; now the win has shot him to 7th in the standings.

MotoGP British GP: Bezzecchi Capitalizes as Quatraro's Search for a Win Continues
Marco Bezzecchi wins the British GP. Credits: MotoGP

Another Weekend of Struggle for the Factory Ducati

Riding on a wave of success at the start of the season, the Factory Ducatis have been struggling of late. Marc Marquez is no longer the dominating force, as he has lost out on Pole Position in the last 3 races, and in the most recent one, he wasn’t even on the front row. Marquez has still managed to salvage the Sprint races, winning every single one of them this year except the one on British GP Saturday, where he finished second to his brother Alex Marquez. Meanwhile Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the race after struggling throughout and dropping down the order before he went down.

Marquez struggled throughout this weekend, this has been a circuit where he does not go well historically either. His qualifying run put him on the second row in P4, Sprint was better as he managed to finish P2. The struggle paused for 2 laps at the start of the main race, where he took the lead of the race, before eventually crashing out of the race. A red flag due the another incident further meant the race would be restarted, but even then Marquez could only manage P3, after he dropped down the order outside the Top 10, then made a recovery ride to finish on the podium.

Back-to-Back Grand Prix Podiums for Zarco and Honda

Johann Zarco has been having a very underrated season this year. The last 2 races specifically, the French rider has managed to put the Honda on the top step of the podium in Le Mans and in second place in Silverstone. Throughout this season, Zarco has only been out of the points in one race. He currently sits fifth in the Riders’ standings with 97 points; for comparison, the next Honda rider is Luca Marini on 38 points in 13th.

MotoGP British GP: Bezzecchi Capitalizes as Quatraro's Search for a Win Continues
Johann Zarco celebrates after finishing P2 in the British GP. Credits: MotoGP

Championship Standings

As things stand, the Marquez brothers still sit at the top of the standings with Marc ahead of Alex by 24 points.

Up Next for MotoGP

After a small break, MotoGP will now head to Aragon for Round 8 of the world championship from 6-8 June.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/XInstagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

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MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone

Marc Marquez goes in with the largest championship lead so far this season at a track which has historically been a beacon of unpredictability.

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MotoGP at Silverstone in 2024
Credits: MotoGP

The British GP, held at Silverstone since its conception, has historically been one of the most unpredictable races. Just in the past 10 years, 10 different riders have won the race at Silverstone. And the unpredictable British weather plays a large part in this. Heading into one of the most dramatic tracks on the calendar, the riders brace for unpredictable challenges, and unexpected contenders may emerge. Join us as we go over everything you need to know before the lights go off in Britain.

Read More: Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans

Marc Márquez seeks to secure sophomore success at Silverstone

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Marc racing at Silverstone last year. Credit: motogp.com

At this point, the preview section regarding Marc is gradually becoming a parody of itself. Marc is undoubtedly the best rider on the grid currently, and he is in his best form. It is undeniable that he will perform well.

However, Silverstone has not been Marc’s strongest suit. He has only managed to win one race here, all the way back in 2014. The closest he has gotten since is getting second place in 2019 in one of the closest races in MotoGP history, where he was barely edged out by Alex Rins on the final turn.

Now, Marc seeks to secure a second victory at this classic circuit. And as long as he manages to keep his motorcycle upright, there is no one who can prevent him. Or is there?

The Silverstone Dark Horses

Silverstone is used to throwing curveballs – once in a blue moon, an incredibly unexpected rider steps up out of nowhere and manages to clench the victory.

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Enea Bastianini during the 2024 British GP. Credit: cyclenews.com

Just last year, as the title fight between Martin and Bagnaia was heating up, Enea Bastianini somehow swooped in and secured his first and only win of the 2024 season. However, now that Bastianini has moved to KTM, who are admittedly trying their best to improve, the chances that Enea could be a contender for the British GP are slim.

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Aleix Espargaro during the 2023 British GP. Credit : motogp.com

Similarly, in 2023, the British GP was won by none other than Aleix Espargaro. In fact, Aleix was one of only two non-Ducati riders to win that season, the other being Alex Rins. Aleix will be making an appearance in 2025 as a wildcard on the Honda. Even though Zarco managed to take the French GP for Honda, Zarco’s victory was by virtue of strategy rather than machinery or skill. Hence, Espargaro being a serious contender for the victory is also a pipe dream, but it is more realistic than Bastianini.

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Rins crossed the finish line barely ahead of Marc. Credit : motorsportmagazine.com

And then we have Alex Rins. The winner of the 2019 British GP. Arguably, the most exciting race in the past decade. Rins, in a display of pure skill, was battling with Márquez up until the very last corner of the very last lap, taking the chequered flag with a lead of mere 0.013 seconds.

However, since then, a lot has changed for Rins. Multiple crashes and injuries, plus moves to inferior teams and unreliable machinery, have left him in a sticky predicament. While he has the skill, he lacks the support from his team or from his own injured body. While Rins has managed to win in a glorious manner in the past, it is nigh impossible that he stands a chance this year.

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Quartararo during the 2021 British GP. Credit : eneos.us

Finally, we have Fabio Quartararo. The 2020 world champion has had his ups and downs over the past few years, but he finally appears to have found his groove, with back-to-back pole positions. Having already won at Silverstone in 2021, all El Diablo has to do is find a way to convert his qualifying speed into race pace, and he could be a very serious contender.

Bagnaia confesses troubles with Ducati machinery

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Bagnaia’s tumble at the French GP sprint. Credit: the-race.com

The 2025 season has been a tragedy so far for two-time world champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia. He is currently trailing 51 points behind the championship leader in third place. After his sudden drop in pace last weekend, Pecco has finally admitted to having troubles with the front end of the bike, quote “It’s true I’ve been struggling with this bike […]”

This should be an early warning to Ducati not to make the same mistakes as those who came before them. Back in the days of Honda/Márquez dominance, Honda was incredibly determined to build the best motorcycle for Márquez. However, their focus on catering to one star rider resulted in them making a motorcycle that could not be operated by anyone besides Márquez. Ultimately, this led to Honda’s downfall. Ducati must take feedback from all their riders, championship leaders or not, to prevent suffering the same fate.

Championship Standings

Following are the championship standings going into the British GP :

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone
Top 10 Rider standings. Credit : @MotoGP on X

Schedule and Where to watch

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

Following is the complete schedule of the MotoGP race weekend in IST:

MotoGP 2025 : Riders brace for unpredictable weather at Silverstone

Read more posts on MotoGP here.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

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MotoGP 2025 : Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans

Both the Frenchmen have a magnificent home race, with Quartararo taking pole for second time in a row, and Zarco taking the big victory in MotoGP.

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Johann Zarco celebrates after winnning the MotoGP French Grand Prix at Le Mans

The French GP, held at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, was a glorious flag-to-flag spectacle for anyone to behold. Honda and Yamaha both stepped up their game to support two of their riders in their home race. Meanwhile, the ever-dominant Marc Márquez sets new records, extending his unbroken sprint winning streak. Join us as we review, session by session, the spectacle of the French GP.

Read more: Title fight heats up as the paddock heads to Le Mans

Weather Causes Chaos before Race Start

The rainy weather of Le Mans caused chaos in the GP before it even started. On the Warm Up Lap, most riders set off on slick tires on a wet track. Evidently this was a bad choice as almost everyone ran wide going into the first chicane, and Fabio Quartararo almost crashed out 3/4ths of the way into the lap.

The race got white flagged, and every single rider decided to go to the pit lane to swap bikes. Now, because too many riders were to start from the pit lane, the race got red-flagged as a whole and got delayed.

Furthermore, after the race restart, some riders, including the Márquez brothers, decided to pit again after the second warmup to swap back to slicks. Because the pit lane was closed, these riders were imposed with a double-long lap penalty.

Marc Márquez Regains his Championship Lead

MotoGP 2025 : Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans
Marc serving one of his two long laps penalties during the Grand Prix. Credit: motogp.com

After Marc’s unfortunate crash in Jerez, he lost the championship lead to his younger brother Álex. However, going into France, Marc was determined to regain his championship lead, and he ultimately succeeded in this endeavour.

Having qualified in P2 just behind Quartararo, Marc’s start to the sprint was rather uneventful. However, within just a couple of laps, he engaged in an aggressive back-and-forth with race leader Quartararo and managed to snatch the lead from him. He proceeded to cruise to victory in typical Marc Márquez fashion. With this sprint win, Marc has set a new record by winning six consecutive sprint races.

During the Grand Prix, however, things went a little differently for Marc. Because he went into the pit lane after the race restart, he was imposed with a double long lap penalty. Furthermore, Marc came into the pits for a third time to switch bikes again. Amidst this chaos, he lost a lot of positions, going down all the way to P7 at one point. He did make a recovery, amidst other riders also changing bikes or serving penalties, and ultimately finished the race in P2.

Fabio Quartararo’s Stellar Performance at Le Mans

MotoGP 2025 : Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans
Quartararo’s custom livery for his home race. Credit : @YamahaMotoGP on X

The past couple of years have not been kind to Frenchman Fabio Quartararo. Complacency in development from Yamaha, along with a lack of support from his team, had placed Fabio as a mid-pack rider at best in the past few seasons. However, in these recent couple of races, Fabio has been making a recovery, from his pole position at Jerez, to finishing on the podium there. And he seems determined to keep pushing on.

At Le Mans, Fabio qualified in pole position, setting a time faster than the likes of Marc Márquez. During the sprint race, he had a stellar start and held his own. He did eventually get overtaken by Marc and a few others, and finished the race just short of a podium in P4.

During the Grand Prix, however, Fabio’s fortunes soured. Early on, his bike showed signs of instability, and in the midst of the early-to-mid race chaos, Fabio crashed out after a collision with Binder, ending his dreams of a victory on home soil.

Johann Zarco Knocks it Out of The Park

MotoGP 2025 : Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans
Johann Zarco after winning the French GP. Credit: motogp.com

Zarco was heading into the French GP with big expectations. Being the best rider on a Honda currently, he was already in talks with the manufacturer, who was considering pulling him off the satellite LCR team and putting him on the factory team. And after his triumph, he has almost guaranteed himself that factory seat.

Zarco’s sprint was uneventful at best. He started from P11 and managed to claw his way up to P6. However, he really shone in the Grand Prix. Having made a better strategic decision on the tires as compared to the other riders, combined with not having to suffer a double long lap penalty, firmly placed Zarco in the lead, and he finished almost 20 seconds ahead of the runner-up Marc Márquez. With this victory, Zarco ends a 71-year drought, becoming the first French rider to win the French GP since 1954.

Rookie Aldeguer finally finds his element

MotoGP 2025 : Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans
Aldeguer is celebrating his first podium. Credit: motogp.com

For the past few seasons in Moto2, Fermín Aldeguer was one of the most promising riders on the grid. That is why Ducati signed a contract with him at the beginning of the 2024 season. However, the move to the premier class has not been sunshine and rainbows for Aldeguer. For the first few races, he struggled to even make points.

However, Aldeguer had an awe-inspiring performance in Le Mans. He qualified in P4, just behind Quartararo and the Márquez brothers. During the sprint, he had a glorious battle with Quartararo for P3, which earned him his first sprint podium.

The Grand Prix was no different. Aldeguer held his own amidst the chaos, and he briefly managed to become the race leader for a lap. Ultimately, he finished the race in P3 after a glorious battle with Pedro Acosta, earning his first full race podium in the same weekend. Because of this, he overtook Ai Ogura as the best-performing rookie this season. Hopefully, we get to see similar performances from Aldeguer in the near future.

Highlights of the French GP

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

  • Marc vs Quartararo battle for the lead in the sprint
  • Fermin Aldegeur vs Quartararo battle for third in sprint
  • Race start chaos in the Grand Prix
  • Quartararo vs Marc battle for the lead in the Grand Prix
  • Aldeguer vs Acosta battle for P3 in Grand Prix

Championship Standings

MotoGP 2025 : Johann Zarco takes the home race victory at Le Mans
Top 10 Rider standings. Credit : @MotoGP on X

Read more posts on MotoGP here.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

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