MotoGP News: Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2 in season finale at Valencia

In a dramatic conclusion to the 2025 MotoGP World Championship, Marco Bezzecchi (pictured) delivered a masterclass performance to secure victory in the Valencia Grand Prix, leading an Aprilia 1-2 with teammate Raul Fernandez in second.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The Italian’s flawless ride from pole position marked Aprilia’s first one-two finish since the 2023 Catalan GP and their first consecutive race wins in the modern era. Bezzecchi, who had struggled with a faulty holeshot device in Saturday’s Sprint race, held the lead from Turn 1 and fended off mounting pressure from Fernandez in the closing stages, crossing the line just 0.686 seconds ahead after 27 laps of intense racing.

The 40-minute contest saw Fernandez, riding for the Trackhouse Aprilia squad, make a decisive move midway through to dispatch the fading Sprint winner Alex Marquez and slot into second. The Spaniard progressively reeled in Bezzecchi, closing to within 0.4 seconds with three laps remaining, but the factory Aprilia rider’s defensive prowess at the Ricardo Tormo circuit’s technical sectors proved insurmountable. “It was tough at the end—Raul was flying, but I knew I had to push every lap,” Bezzecchi said post-race, reflecting on his third win of a resurgent season that saw him climb to third in the final standings.

Behind the Aprilia duo, a fierce battle for the final podium spot unfolded. Pertamina VR46 Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio capitalized on a late charge to overtake Red Bull KTM’s Pedro Acosta on the penultimate lap, securing third by 0.984 seconds. Acosta, who had demoted Marquez earlier, settled for fourth, while Gresini Ducati rookie Fermin Aldeguer snatched fifth with a bold last-lap pass on the veteran Marquez, who faded to sixth after his Sprint heroics. The result confirmed Acosta’s fourth-place finish in the riders’ championship, edging out a disappointed Francesco Bagnaia, whose championship hopes evaporated in a first-lap collision.

Pre-Race Chaos and High-Profile Incidents

Drama unfolded even before the lights went out, as VR46’s Franco Morbidelli collided with Honda HRC wildcard Aleix Espargaro on the warm-up lap when Espargaro’s bike stalled at his grid slot. The impact fractured Morbidelli’s wrist and damaged his Ducati, forcing him to start from pit lane before retiring on lap two due to pain and mechanical issues. The Italian, a key figure in VR46’s lineup, will miss Tuesday’s end-of-season test and faces a recovery timeline that could impact his 2026 preparations.

Bagnaia’s misery compounded when LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco clipped him at Turn 5 on the opening lap, sending the Ducati Lenovo rider tumbling out and ending his campaign in fifth overall—his worst since 2019. Race stewards handed Zarco a long-lap penalty for the incident, dropping him to 12th after serving it on lap three. Similarly, Honda’s Joan Mir received a long-lap penalty for contact with teammate Luca Marini in the Sprint, but Marini battled back to seventh, securing the top-seven finish Honda desperately needed to upgrade from D to C concession status for 2026 development.

Other notable retirements included Monster Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, who crashed out from 11th on lap 22 while pushing for points on the outgoing inline-four YZR-M1; Aprilia factory rider Jorge Martin, sidelined by a technical gremlin; Trackhouse’s rookie Ai Ogura on lap seven; and Tech3 KTM’s Maverick Vinales, who pulled in with a suspected injury. Espargaro also failed to finish after ongoing issues from the grid incident.

Manufacturer Farewells and Future Shifts

The race doubled as a bittersweet send-off for Yamaha’s inline-four engine era, with Pramac’s Jack Miller leading the M1 charge to a creditable ninth—his best result since Misano. Quartararo’s late crash denied Yamaha a top-10 finish on their farewell machine, but the Japanese manufacturer confirmed just hours before the start that their all-new V4 engine would debut in 2026, aiming to close the gap to rivals after a challenging year.

Honda’s seventh-place via Marini triggered the concession upgrade, providing a glimmer of hope amid a tough season, while KTM’s double top-five (Acosta fourth, Binder eighth) underscored their progress despite no wins. Ducati’s haul was limited to Di Giannantonio’s podium and Aldeguer’s fifth, a solid but unspectacular close for the dominant force of prior years.

The 2025 season, marked by manufacturer shake-ups and rider market upheaval—including Marc Marquez’s factory Ducati switch and Jorge Martin’s Aprilia move—ends with Acosta as the breakout star and Bezzecchi’s Valencia triumph as a highlight. Attention now turns to Tuesday’s test, where 2026 prototypes will hit the track for the first time.

The 2026 FIM MotoGP World Championship season will begin on Tuesday, November 18, in Valencia, with a test session during which manufacturers and riders will start evaluating the first technical developments planned for 2026. The traditional Sepang Shakedown will follow from January 29 to 31, 2026, before another test session at the Malaysian circuit from February 3 to 5.

Preparation will then continue in Thailand, with the Buriram tests scheduled for February 21 and 22, 2026, ahead of the Thailand Grand Prix, which will take place from February 27 to March 1.

2025 Valencia MotoGP Race Results