MotoGP riders and Team Managers reflect on the ups and downs of Portimao

Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) produced a flawless ride to win the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Portugal, leading all 25 laps to take his third victory of the 2025 MotoGP season. The Italian’s performance moved him clear in the battle for third in the championship standings ahead of Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who completed the podium.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Marco Bezzecchi – P1

“I am extremely happy. It was a brilliant race. I started well and managed to get out front straight away. I really felt good – better than in the sprint race. We worked late into the night to try and find that something more, and this morning in the warm-up session, I realised immediately that I’d be able to be more competitive and stay in the pack with the other favourites. I am truly happy that I was able to win. It was a great race and a great day. A huge thank you to all of Aprilia.”

Alex Marquez – P2

“I tried to stay with Marco at the start of the race, but I quickly realised that it would have been hard to do so today. I kept my position while trying to preserve the front tyre. In the end, I was struggling exactly with the front end, especially in the final part. I had fun, and generally speaking, it was a very positive weekend.

Pedro Acosta – P3

“We didn’t have the best grip from the beginning and that was the limitation for us. I was able to be quick at the end of the race – like yesterday – but we have things to think about. We have to be happy, again we have back-to-back podiums. I want to thank all the team, KTM, Dani and Pol. We know our weak points but we are working on them and being on the podium again is a good signal.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P4

“It was a great race and we clearly did better than yesterday, when we did well already. I wasn’t expecting the front runners to keep such a strong pace, but we had a very positive Sunday and with a better qualifying, we would have been in the game. We continue to make experience and grow: it’s not easy to be fast in every circuit, but at least we’re always giving it a try.”

Brad Binder – P5

“Happy with the job today. I felt I could do something decent after the Sprint and the confidence I had. I felt great on the bike and my guys did a great job. I was able to get a good start and push on right away. It was nice to battle a bit and good also that the changes we made gives a direction for what we need further.”

Fabio Quartararo – P6

“I was pushing from lap 1 until the end – of course keeping in mind to not burn through the tyres, but I was not exactly managing the tyres either. It was a tough one, but I think we did a great job. This was the maximum that we could do with what we have. We are working hard on improving. I think it was nice to turn the Friday we had into an acceptable result on Saturday and Sunday.”

Ai Ogura – P7

“Today’s race was a lot better than yesterday. I could be a little bit more aggressive in the first part of the race, especially in the first two laps and after that I could keep my pace. I managed to overtake a few riders later, so I’m really happy about the race and really happy about the performance in Portimao because it was a track that I always struggled on in the past. I felt I was quite strong in sector one, but Johann (Zarco) was riding really well in turn 14 and all the time I prepared to overtake him, he had a little bit more and it wasn’t enough. It took a bit of time to overtake Zarco and I think, if I could have managed to pass him a little bit earlier, maybe it would have been enough to catch up with Fabio (Quartararo) in front as well. It could have been better but, as I said, I’m very happy about the race overall and I felt quite strong on the track. It was a good one.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P8

“The race was complicated right from the start: unfortunately, we got stuck in traffic in the first corners, so I had to recover some positions. We made a lot of overtakes and a good comeback, our pace was strong. But we finished eighth, and I’m not happy with the result. The positive thing is that the pace was there, and the feeling was good. With a better qualifying, we had the pace to be in the Top5 today, so it’s something we need to improve. We’re working on it and will keep doing so for the end of the season.”

Johann Zarco – P9

“It’s good to score points again without crashing during the weekend, that was a small target after the struggles in Asia. It’s better to start from this perspective. The beginning of the race was quite good, although I couldn’t overtake Quartararo. After that, I struggled and tried to stay as close as possible. In the final stages, it wasn’t easy to keep the pace. I’m not riding the bike the way I want, and we’re trying to find a solution for that. Overall, this weekend has been positive, so we need to focus on that and keep working.”

Pol Espargaro – P10

“Coming back here in Portugal, being able to finish the race in the top 10, and being able to bring back good information to the team, is something that I am really happy about. I feel like I have closed the circle, I have finished the weekend here that I did not finish in 2023, so it is a relief somehow, and we can all kind of close that chapter. I hope that it is the last time of the season that I am racing, because it would mean that Maverick Vinales is finally fit and ready to come back. In case it is the last time this season, I would like to thank the Tech3 team for the few rounds we have spent together, they are family to me, so thank you to everyone for making me feel at home!”

Luca Marini – P11

“This weekend we missed a little something. In the morning, we tried a setting in Warm Up but it wasn’t enough for what we were targeting. I made a really good start to the race and made up a lot of ground, but then I was not riding well in the first half of the race. We are still trying a lot of things, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. We need to analyse everything well and check the data in the wider context because this is a very unique track. On paper Valencia should be more positive for us to end the year correctly.”

Jack Miller – P12

“Sunday went a little better than yesterday. I had a decent start and tried to challenge the guys ahead of me, but there were some areas where I was really struggling — especially on the exit of turns 14 and 15, and also through turn 6. When the tire started to drop, it just got harder and harder; the bike was pumping like hell, and I was just trying to do the best I could. So, not happy with the day, but we‘ll try to do better in Valencia.”

Alex Rins – P13

“It was a really difficult weekend for us. It was hard to overtake in today’s Race, but I tried my best, starting from P17. I had the medium front because yesterday I was struggling on the hard. On Friday my feeling was so good with the medium tyre, and I think it was the right choice for me today. We also changed the suspension a bit compared to yesterday. It was a bit better but not enough. For the last GP next week, we just need to enjoy the final Sprint and Race, because the Tuesday after that the new season will already begin.”

Miguel Oliveira – P14

“I‘m really happy with my race, especially considering where we started on Friday. We managed to stay close to the other Yamahas, in what we knew would be a tough weekend. It wasn‘t an easy race — it was hard to manage the rear spin, and when there was a bit more grip, the bike felt really unstable. Things got better towards the end, and I was able to push and do some fast laps. Honestly, it was the best I could do. Before the start, my daughter gave me the Portuguese flag, and with the beautiful tribute I received, it was really hard to put the helmet on and focus on racing. But when I crossed the finish line, it felt like a hundred kilos had been lifted off my shoulders. It‘s been such an emotional and special week — one I‘ll never forget.”

Nicolò Bulega – P15

“Today was surely a better day. Yesterday, in the Sprint, I made a rookie mistake and only completed a few laps. The goal for today was therefore to finish the race and gain as much experience as possible, while trying to understand the bike better and the many areas that make it so different from the Panigale. In the last six or seven laps, my pace wasn’t too bad; I was able to be quick and to close the gap to the riders ahead of me. Then, unfortunately, I made a mistake that cost me three or four seconds. I bridged the gap once more, but it was too late. The important thing was to finish the race and bring this experience with me to Valencia, and all in all, it went well.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P16

“The race was positive and I spent much of it in the group battling for points. We tried a few interesting solutions that allowed us to improve anyway. It was a wonderful day for Aprilia, with Marco’s victory which repays all the hard work we’ve been doing on developing and growing the bike. I’m happy for everyone and for Aprilia.”

Somkiat Chantra – P17

“Today I struggled in the braking areas; at the beginning, it was difficult, I immediately lost the group. From the middle of the race until the end, I tried to maintain my pace, but it was hard to set consistent lap times. In the final laps, I struggled with both the front and the rear. Overall, it was a tough weekend, but we’ll see what we can do in Valencia.”

Enea Bastianini – P18

“Unfortunately, I had contact with Franco Morbidelli who was too optimistic at turn 5 in the opening lap, and that broke my front fairing, the steering somehow was locked into the fairing, I could not turn properly, so it was necessary to stop and change. We rejoined the track, and we did a really good race, with a pace that would have allowed me to fight for the top 5 today, so it is frustrating of course. When you start from the back, you are always going to face potential troubles in the midpack, so obviously, we must improve qualifying, as always.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“Our start today was good, and I made up some places, but I saw some warnings with the bike. A technical issue, unfortunately, again put us out of the race, not the same as on Saturday, but the engineers are checking everything very deeply. It’s painful because we had some potential in the race, but this is what can happen. The positive is that we had good speed all sessions and we were able to improve and keep the pace of the other riders. One more chance to try in Valencia, the motivation is still high to end the season in the way that we know we can.”

Francesco Bagnaia – DNF

“After yesterday’s grip issues, today I was simply trying to stay with the frontrunners. I gave it my all, but unfortunately, they were faster than me. My margin to the riders behind was increasing, but then I crashed. I entered turn ten a bit faster than usual, and while trying to decelerate, the front tucked. I was pushing hard, and these things can happen. The positive note is that we made a step forward compared to yesterday, so we’ll try to do our best in the final Grand Prix of the season.”

Team Managers

Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing

“Marco was simply perfect, from the start all the way to the final lap. This morning in the warm-up session, we had already seen that he was more than okay with the medium tyre, and we had hoped that he’d be able to make a play for the win. Still, I think he demonstrated an undisputed superiority today. When we manage to be more prepared already on Friday, we are always in it for at least the podium, and we would have been in Sepang as well. Ogura did well too; it was great to see him ride like he knows how, and it’s a pity about Raúl, who was unable to participate in the race due to a crash in FP1. Everything Sava tested throughout the weekend was good, too. One of the objectives was to take second place in the Manufacturers Championship, and now we’ve clinched that. The next goal is to ensure third place for Marco, and we’ll have to do whatever it takes to achieve that. We’ve been working extremely well in Noale for some time now, and I am truly pleased with everyone who is working in the factory. We are hoping to have a great final race and an outstanding test, because we need to be protagonists out of the gate in 2026.”

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“We’re really happy with today’s performance: two riders in the top five and one on the podium. We’ve worked all year to have solid results and with Pedro and Brad in the top five is really good for us at the moment. Generally, we’re really satisfied with the weekend and especially on Saturday, with this chance to fight for the win until the flag. It gave us a boost and we hoped to have that chance again today so we need to analyze why we were not quite as close. Now we move on to the final race and then the first test towards 2026 and we’ll keep pushing with the positive work we are making.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha Team Director

“Today’s results were broadly in line with our expectations heading into the Race. While our ambition is always to fight at the front, we knew realistically that this would be a challenging task. Fabio delivered an outstanding performance – his riding was exceptional – and securing sixth place was the best possible outcome under the circumstances. Álex, unfortunately, was unable to engage in the battles as he had hoped, resulting in a solitary and relatively uneventful race for him. We will now review all the data from this weekend and focus on preparing thoroughly for the final round of the 2025 season in Valencia.”

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“It was a complicated weekend. Yesterday, Diggia had a great Sprint – finishing in the Top5 from the third row is an excellent result. It’s a pity that today’s race start wasn’t good, but he made a strong comeback with a great pace. We need to work on having a better qualifying session to start further up the grid and be fast in the opening laps of the race. Unfortunately, Franco’s weekend wasn’t easy, as he couldn’t find the right feeling. Today he crashed during the race, but, luckily, the doctors confirmed that there are no injuries. This is the most important thing.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“It was a good race from Ai – it feels like we’re back to normal. He had a good recovery from his starting position and was up to seventh with a good battle, so we really enjoyed watching him riding and we’re happy about this. Of course, it was a pity not having Raul here with Aprilia being in a good shape on this track but as we said, the priority is to get him fully recovered for next week. So, we are looking forward to go to Valencia, trying to keep the momentum going with Ai and recover Raul.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“First of all, I really would like to thank Pol Espargaro who did another unbelievable weekend for us. I know he was not 100% ready to replace Maverick this week since the decision was made quite late, and we all know that the last time he was in Portugal was a bad memory. It was for sure not easy mentally, but we are really glad that he got ‘closure’ with this track, with two top 10 results this weekend, and with our team also, so thank you for everything Pol. On the other hand, congratulations to Enea Bastianini for his never give-up attitude today. He had an early contact which broke his fairing, and somehow blocked the steering of the bike. He came back for a quick fix, and then rejoined the race. He rode a really fast pace, close to the top 5 pace, and he clocked the 5th fastest lap today, which shows he had a really good potential today. Anyway, that gives us a lot of hope heading to the last race, and we will do everything we can to finish the season on a good note. See you next week in Valencia for the final round!”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“It‘s the end of a very emotional and important weekend, considering it was Miguel‘s last MotoGP race in front of his home fans. He, like the whole team, worked really hard to make sure this would be a weekend to remember, and in fact, his race pace was definitely good, in line with the other Yamaha riders. Unfortunately, his result was clearly compromised by his starting position. I want to give him a big hug for what he did in what was, for him, a very emotional and difficult weekend — I know how much pressure he had to deal with. With Jack, on the other hand, we were hoping to do a bit better; the goal was to finish inside the top ten, but the significant drop in the rear tire and the big movements, especially in the last corner, didn‘t allow him to ride as he wanted. He lost a lot of speed on the exit of the last corner, which made it impossible for him to defend himself. We‘ll try to bounce back this coming weekend in Valencia.”