Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
The atmospheric ‘stadium-setting’ of the Ricardo Tormo circuit made a welcome return to MotoGP after a year away from the series. The 4km, largely flat layout is a very familiar track for the entire Grand Prix grid and provided 14 low-grip and winding corners as a stage for the 22nd fixture of the campaign.
Pedro Acosta got down to work immediately on Friday and headed afternoon Practice. Brad Binder missed out on Q2 direct entry by just 0.056 of a second while Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini were P18 and P19: the last riders within a one second gap from Acosta.
Saturday’s Q1 and Q2 saw Binder, Bastianini, and Viñales fix 15th, 20th and 21st positions on the grid despite Binder circulating over half a second from the circuit record. The times were even tighter in Q2, and Acosta classified 5th as 0.169 of a second split the top six, Pedro being less than a hundred of a second from Pole.
Acosta and Binder both made a great start in the Sprint. Pedro leapt to P2 in the first corners and pursued the leader for the opening half of the race. Only a mistake into Turn 7, where he ran slightly wide, caused a break and he then tried to close the gap. He was just 1.1 at the finish. Brad entered the top ten and secured P8 while the Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo tried to win ground and benefit from the mileage to be P13 for Enea and P18 for Maverick. The Sprint points made positive reading for Acosta: he now has a 6-point buffer over Francesco Bagnaia in his quest for 4th in the championship.
The 2025 curtain-closer begins at 14.00 CET on Sunday for the last 27 laps of the season.
Pedro Acosta, 5th in qualification, 2nd in the Sprint: “I was super-focused for the start because we know how tough it is to pass here in Valencia. I was aggressive in Turn 2 and then followed in P2. I lost the front into Turn 8 later. It was cooler today and with the soft tire I thought it was better to bring the bike back to the box after the finish than take a risk. It was a good result. I’m quite happy. Sunday will be a different race with more tire management. I think it will be even better for us.”
Brad Binder, 15th in qualification, 8th in the Sprint: “I really need to improve qualifying and get better in the one-lap time attacks! It’s what I’m missing at the moment. The pace wasn’t disgusting in the race; I could pass a few dudes and get forwards. I think tomorrow in the long race we’ll stand even more chance of passing a few more. That’s my goal: to make a strong finish for the 2025 season.”
Enea Bastianini, 20th in qualification, 13th in the Sprint: “I gave 100%, as always, and it was difficult to push today. It was not a bad race or bad pace but I feel we can be better tomorrow. It’s a difficult track because of the small layout and the lap-times are so close. Anyway, we have double the amount of laps to make more overtaking tomorrow!”
Maverick Viñales, 21st in qualification, 18th in the Sprint: “We changed the ergonomics to brings the bars a bit closer and it was significantly different to help with the feeling in the middle of the corner. With the mobility I have in my shoulder at the moment, we needed to be closer to the front tire. I could not turn the bike so quickly or brake hard so I could not make the lap-time in Q1 and after the Sprint I felt the muscle was very tired. For MotoGP you need another type of strength! Especially on the brakes. It was stressful. So, I need to keep working.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Good progress for us during the weekend here in Valencia. It was a busy Friday with a lot of work towards the performance, and the grip here is not so great. So, we had to build-up. We made a step for the Sprint today and Pedro, once again, was able to fight at the top. For sure, he wants more and is looking at the highest position for this final race. We’ll analyze everything tonight and look to make the right decisions for tomorrow to be in contention again. Brad also made some solid work. Not the greatest quali but a brilliant start and points in 8th. We go again tomorrow!”
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing
The last Saturday of 2025 ends with a podium for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, celebrating Fabio Di Giannantonio’s third place in the Sprint of the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community. Franco Morbidelli secured the Top6 after crossing the finish line in sixth position.
After securing third place in qualifying (1:28.853), Di Giannantonio started from the front row, showing excellent pace. Fabio was the protagonist of a great duel and made the decisive overtake in the closing stages, allowing him to take his fifth Sprint podium of the season. With this third-place finish, the #49 is sixth in the World Standings with 246 points.
Morbidelli made a good start from the third row and showed strong rhythm throughout the Sprint. After a duel that ended with a nice overtake, Franco gained one position compared to the start, securing sixth place at the chequered flag. The #21 sits seventh in the World Standings with 231 points.
The Grand Prix of the Valencian Community, which will mark the end of the 2025 season, will conclude tomorrow with the main race, scheduled to start at 14:00 (local time).
Fabio Di Giannantonio – 49
“Being on the podium is always a great result! Honestly, my feelings are a bit bittersweet because of the start, which wasn’t one of my best. But we’re working to be consistent in this area too. I pushed really hard throughout all the Sprint laps to get on the podium, which is an important result for the team as well. I had so much fun in the battle for third place. Tomorrow we’ll try to replicate this great result and end the season on a high note.”
Franco Morbidelli – 21
“Today we just missed out a bit in qualifying, so I started from the third row. In the Sprint, the start was good, although I stayed behind Quartararo for many laps because I was looking for the perfect moment to overtake. Then I passed him, but once I was ahead, I was already too far from the leading group. For tomorrow, I hope to have a race similar to today’s. The goal is to start well like in the Sprint and then navigate the group properly in the opening laps.”
Gresini Racing
ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“It went better than expected, but we made a good start and then attacked early in order to dictate the race from the lead. We achieved the goal and the Spanish crowd surely helped to take a bit more risks for the win. Tomorrow won’t be easy, but we can fight for the podium and who knows, maybe finish this great season on a high.”
FERMIN ALDEGUER #54
“We had a good qualifying, but then in the race, honestly, Jack’s manoeuvre ruined our performance. With no wings, we struggled on the straight, but we have some ideas for tomorrow. The top five is not outside our reach, even though a podium would be an incredible way to wrap up the season.”
Honda HRC Castrol
A racing incident saw both Luca Marini and Joan Mir suffer a double DNF in the final Sprint of the year as a complicated Valencia GP continues.
Luca Marini put in his best effort to advance through Q1, less than a tenth of a second the difference between his 13th position and a spot in Q2. On the other side of the Honda HRC Castrol garage, Joan Mir earned a respectable tenth place on the grid. Guiding his Honda RC213V around the four-kilometre circuit in 1’29.233, both were hopeful of fighting further ahead in the 13-lap Sprint.
An incredible start saw Marini get the jump on his teammate and lead him into Turn 1, Mir tucking in just behind his fellow factory Honda HRC rider. Attempting an overtake on the second lap, Mir would fall and unfortunately collect his teammate in the process. Both walked away from the fall unharmed. Mir received a long lap penalty for Sunday’s race as a result of the incident.
Both riders are aiming to make amends in the last Grand Prix of 2025, the 27-lap Valencia Grand Prix.
Luca Marini
DNF
“The only thing we can say is that today we struggled more than we expected. I spoke with Joan after the crash, and these things can happen. I made a really good start and was happy with how the first lap had gone. We have another chance to make improvements tonight. Seventh is the objective so that we can level up our concessions. Anything can happen on Sunday, especially here with the weather. Let’s keep focused and go for it.”
Joan Mir
DNF
“First and foremost, I want to apologise to Luca, to the team and to Honda HRC. As you can imagine, it’s something you don’t want to happen, and I am deeply sorry. I was trying to overtake him, and I lost the front. I lost some ground on the first lap, and I was trying to make it up and get into a comfortable position for the rest of the race. The crash was my fault, the tyre a bit cold, a bit off the braking point and what happened, happened. Our objective is to end this year in a good way, to remember as it has been – one of positives.”
Aprilia Racing
The sprint at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit ended with a strong result for Aprilia Racing, as Marco Bezzecchi clinched third place in the riders’ championship.
In Q2, Bezzecchi delivered an outstanding performance, taking pole position in 1:28.809, a new all-time lap record, beating the previous benchmark set by Aprilia in 2023. This was the Italian rider’s fifth pole of the season and his second in a row, adding to those secured in Austria, Misano, Mandalika and Portimão. In the sprint, Bezzecchi encountered some difficulty in the opening corners, dropping several positions. The Italian rider finished the sprint in fifth place, securing third in the championship with one race remaining in his debut season with Aprilia Racing.
Starting from seventeenth on the grid, Jorge Martín made a good getaway and moved up to eleventh by the end of the first lap. However, he ran wide on lap four and dropped to the back of the pack, despite continuing to set competitive times. The Spanish rider finished the sprint in twenty-second place.
Raúl Fernández also delivered an excellent performance on Saturday. The Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider earned fourth place on the grid, progressing from Q1 to Q2, and finished the sprint in fourth after battling for the final podium spot throughout the race.
MARCO BEZZECCHI
“I’m not entirely satisfied with the sprint because I was hoping to accomplish more, but overall it was a good day. Unfortunately, on the opening lap, the fork didn’t release, and coming out of the first corners, I couldn’t accelerate as I wanted, so I lost several positions straight away. From then on, the sprint became difficult.”
JORGE MARTÍN
“It was a good sprint. I got off the line very well and was immediately up to eleventh. At turn 8, I ran straight on and found myself at the back of the group. From that moment, I focused on finding my rhythm: I tried different maps and adjusted some aspects of my riding style to work out how to close the gap to the riders ahead. I maintained a steady pace, and I’m happy about that. We made a big step forward. I’m getting my confidence back, but I also need to be aware of my physical condition and take things steadily on that front.”
FABIANO STERLACCHINI
“It was a positive day, although a bit of a mixed bag, because starting from pole, this result doesn’t fully reflect our potential. We had a minor issue at the start that affected Marco’s initial getaway. We are investigating the cause, but we are confident everything will be fine for tomorrow. We’re sorry if this problem influenced the sprint’s outcome. It was great to see Jorge back on track: he has already shown flashes of his great talent, and now it’s just a matter of getting the miles under his belt. We hope he can have a good race tomorrow, something that will help him regain confidence and rhythm.”
Monster Energy Yamaha
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Fabio Quartararo’s strong start and opening lap allowed him to battle towards the front of the pack today. His efforts were ultimately rewarded with a 7th place in the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community Sprint. Álex Rins continued working on improving his feeling around Circuit Ricardo Tormo on the Saturday. He ended the 13-lap dash in 15th place.
Quartararo had a good start from P6 and moved up to fourth on the opening lap. He was fully occupied battling with Fabio Di Giannantonio, who ultimately overtook him on the second lap. The number 20 swiftly moved on to fending off a charging Marco Bezzecchi. After some back-and-forth, El Diablo found himself riding in sixth place on lap 5 and under pressure from Franco Morbidelli. Quartararo held firm until Turn 1 on lap 9, when the Italian sneaked through. Unable to retaliate, the Frenchman focused on keeping Brad Binder at bay and held steady to the finish line, crossing it in P7, 7.102s from the winner.
Rins started from P19 and gained a position on the opening lap. On the next lap the two factory Hondas collided. The commotion briefly moved the Yamaha rider up to P15 before Enea Bastianini overtook him. With Jorge Martin running wide on lap 4, Rins moved up to 15th again. The number 42 defended his position from Nicolo Bulega all the way to the finish line, taking the chequered flag 14.264s from first.
After today’s results, Quartararo stays in 9th place in the overall standings with 201 points, and Rins holds 19th position with 66 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 6th in the team championship with 267 points, and Yamaha remain in 5th position in the constructor championship with 240 points.
The team will be back in action tomorrow for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+1), and the 27-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Massimo Meregalli
Team Director, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
“It’s not been an easy outing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for us so far. Ahead of the Sprint we knew that, given our qualifying positions, the riders would face tough battles. That said, this track is narrow, and overtaking is generally tricky here. Fabio had a really good start and did everything he could to hold on to his position. In the end, he couldn’t fend off the chasing rivals, so he finished in P7. For Álex it was tough, starting from the seventh row. That already compromised his Sprint race, and he didn’t have the pace to make up ground. We still have some tweaking to do for tomorrow to improve the riders’ feeling with the bike. We’ll analyse today’s data thoroughly as we prepare for the season’s final Race, and we’ll give it everything we’ve got.”
Fabio Quartararo
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“Our Sprint race was more about defending than attacking. I could attack a bit on the first few laps, especially in Turn 4 where Marco made a small mistake, and I could overtake in those moments, but from that point on I was defending. I expected less drop from the rear tyre this afternoon, but I also saw so many other people struggle with the front tyre, and that’s something we’re working on too. Let’s see tomorrow what happens when we have double the number of laps.”
Álex Rins
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“It’s true that since we’ve returned from the overseas races, we are struggling a bit more. We are looking for a way to improve. We want to finish this season in the best way possible. We tried different things today and already worked a bit on the pace for tomorrow. Let’s see how it goes.”
