MotoGP News: Marquez brothers finish 1-2 in Barcelona

Marc Marquez’s 15-race winning streak ended dramatically at the Catalan MotoGP at Barcelona, as his brother Alex Marquez (pictured) claimed a thrilling home victory.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The Marquez brothers dominated the race, trading the lead and pulling away from the field. As the final laps approached, Marc, riding for Gresini, stayed close to Alex but couldn’t overtake. Alex, who had faltered in Saturday’s Sprint, held firm to secure his first Catalan MotoGP win, denying Marc a mathematical chance at the 2025 title in Misano next weekend.

Marc’s unbeaten run, which began at Silverstone in May, came to a close. Alex celebrated his triumph by stopping at Turn 10—where he had crashed the day before—and playfully rolling in the gravel during his cooldown lap.

The race began with Marc outmaneuvering pole-sitter Alex into Turn 1, setting a cautious, tire-saving pace early on. Alex, who had been faster all weekend, later reclaimed the lead and upped the tempo. Marc and the KTMs of Pedro Acosta and Enea Bastianini kept pace initially. While most riders, following Michelin’s advice, switched to medium rear tires, Acosta gambled on softs. This choice cost him as he faded mid-race, overtaken by Bastianini, who secured third for Tech3’s first KTM Grand Prix podium.

Fabio Quartararo and rookie Ai Ogura finished fifth and sixth, while Marc’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia recovered from 21st to seventh, salvaging a tough weekend. Luca Marini led Honda in eighth, followed by Miguel Oliveira (Pramac Yamaha) and Jorge Martin (Aprilia) in the top ten.

The race saw several incidents. Marco Bezzecchi, fastest in warm-up, crashed early after contact with Franco Morbidelli at Turn 1. Fabio di Giannantonio fell avoiding Bezzecchi. Morbidelli and Fermin Aldeguer served long-lap penalties for prior incidents, while Brad Binder, Johann Zarco, Alex Rins, Lorenzo Savadori, and Morbidelli also retired due to crashes on the low-grip track.

Joan Mir, penalized for obstructing Martin in qualifying, started 20th. Tech3’s Maverick Vinales returned from a shoulder injury, while LCR’s Somkiat Chantra raced for the first time since the Dutch round. Wild-card entries Aleix Espargaro (HRC) and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia) competed, with Savadori serving penalties from a prior race.

Yamaha and Honda will stay in Barcelona for a private test on Monday, where Quartararo will test Yamaha’s new V4 prototype. Test rider Augusto Fernandez will then debut the bike as a wild-card at Misano.

2025 Catalan MotoGP Race Results: 24 Laps

* Rookie