Blow by blow recap from MotoGP Valencia finale – Results – Points

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MotoGP Race Report

The final race of season 2025 began with an unusual incident before the lights went out. As the grid formed, Franco Morbidelli crashed into the back of Aleix Espargaro when the HRC rider braked hard to engage his holeshot device.

Morbidelli rode back to the pits but withdrew before the start and was later confirmed to have suffered a fracture that also rules him out of this week’s post-season test.

When the race finally got underway, Bezzecchi made the jump from pole to take a clear lead into and out of the opening turns.

Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio struggled to disengage their ride height devices, which cost them some time early on.

The first major drama of the afternoon unfolded at Turn 4. When trying to overtake Fabio Quartararo on corner entry, Johann Zarco ran in way too deep, which forced Pecco Bagnaia to abort his corner entry in order to avoid contact and head off into the gravel.

Zarco was handed a Long Lap penalty for causing the incident.

At the front, Bezzecchi settled into a steady rhythm while Alex Marquez held second place in the early laps. Raul Fernandez began to close the gap almost immediately, moving past Fabio Di Giannantonio and then reeling in the Gresini rider.

On lap eleven, Raul Fernandez made a clean pass on Alex Marquez at the final corner and set off after his fellow Aprilia rider.

Alex Marquez suffered a significant loss of rear grip after only a few laps, which ultimately limited his potential.

Bezzecchi maintained a margin of just over a second, but Fernandez was consistently faster through the middle part of the race as he pulled clear of Alex Marquez, who Pedro Acosta and Di Giannantonio were now catching. The pair eventually worked their way past the Sprint winner, with Acosta moving through at Turn 4 on lap twenty, followed one lap later by Di Giannantonio with an identical move.

By this stage, the race had split into two clear contests: Bezzecchi defending the lead from a steadily closing Fernandez, and Acosta trying to hold onto third with Di Giannantonio applying continuous pressure.

With five laps to run, Fernandez reduced Bezzecchi’s advantage to around half a second, but the Italian responded with lap times that stabilised the gap.

Behind them, Di Giannantonio finally found a way past Acosta with two laps remaining, again at Turn 4, completing a strong recovery after losing places in the opening laps.

The closing stages saw Raul Fernandez briefly reduce the deficit to three-tenths on the final lap, but Bezzecchi kept control and crossed the line 0.6 seconds ahead to secure back-to-back victories for the first time in his MotoGP career.

Raul Fernandez completed an excellent home weekend with second place, matching his podium result from Australia. The Spaniard was the only rider to record a 1m29s lap in the race; Raul’s 1m29.976s fastest lap of the race was completed on lap four.

Fabio Di Giannantonio held off a late counterattack from Acosta to take third, ensuring Ducati extended its run of consecutive Grand Prix podiums into next season.

Fermin Aldeguer passed Alex Marquez at the final corner to claim fifth, while Luca Marini delivered an important seventh place for Honda. Aldeguer had to work his way forward after a poor start and once again demonstrated his late race pace.

Those nine points scored by Marini moved Honda out of the lowest concession tier for 2026, marking the end of its Rank D status.

Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Enea Bastianini completed the top ten.

Jack Miller finished the season with a top ten but finished a lowly seventeenth in the championship standings.

Miguel Oliveira signed off his MotoGP career with eleventh place before his shift to WorldSBK next year.

Johann Zarco recovered from his penalty to take twelfth, ahead of Joan Mir, Alex Rins and Nicolo Bulega, who scored a point as Marc Marquez’s replacement at Ducati.

Jorge Martin started the race and completed his two long-lap penalties before pulling out of the race. A strategic move that lets him start 2026 season with a clean slate while also keeping him fresher for Tuesday’s important test.

Marco Bezzecchi’s victory made him the first Aprilia rider to win three MotoGP Grands Prix in a single season. It is his third win since joining the team mid-year, adding to his successes at Silverstone and Portimao, and his sixth career premier-class triumph. Bezzecchi now joins Aleix Espargaro as Aprilia’s most successful MotoGP race winner.

For the Aprilia brand, the result capped their strongest season to date. The 1–2 finish ensured they ended the year second in the Constructors’ Championship, their best result since joining the class.

With the final chequered flag of 2025 now waved, the focus turns immediately to the first test of the 2026 season on Tuesday at Valencia, where several riders and teams will debut new machinery and line-ups.

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