MotoGP riders and Team Managers reflect on Portimao Sprint Race – Moto2/3 QP

MotoGP 2025

Round 21 – Portimao
Saturday Sprint Round-Up / Results

Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing)  claimed victory in the MotoGP Tissot Sprint at Portimão, narrowly defeating Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) after an intense 12-lap contest. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) completed the podium in third.

Alex Marquez – P1

“I tried to get a front-row start and I crashed while trying to do so… Despite that, I strongly wanted this Sprint win. I think that, compared to yesterday, the others made a bigger step forward than us, and today was a battle. It was a great battle to watch and be part of, especially when you come out on top… Tomorrow won’t be easy, but we’ve been feeling good the whole time this weekend and we want to keep the momentum going.”

Pedro Acosta – P2

“That was sick. It was nice. I enjoyed it. The only problem is that our weak point is [extra] traction and that was the others’ strong point! I was not losing a lot in places and I was super-strong in turns 3 and 5 but my goal was to be in front, and I tried to be there as long as I could. I was missing 0.2 at the end to try something for the win. The factory and the team are working a lot to give me a better bike and we’re just trying to take the 100% from what we have. Let’s try again tomorrow.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P3

“I’m happy. It was a good sprint race and a good day in general with pole position. The pace I had in the practice sessions was more or less the same as today. I obviously hoped to do a bit better, maybe even battling with the top two, but unfortunately, I was slightly slower.”

Fabio Quartararo – P4

“We had a good day, especially considering how difficult yesterday was. I’m a hard braker, and I wanted more support on the front to be able to brake a bit harder. I was expecting the track to be dirtier, but it actually was quite okay. My pace was good from the first lap of the Sprint, but the three guys in front were faster. I was more pushing myself to the maximum whilst also nursing the tyres. We did feel a bit of a drop, but I saw that Pecco was 1s behind me and on the next lap it was Diggia with 0.8s, so I was pushing more on the last laps, and I could maintain the same gap.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P5

“We made a change this morning, but the unstable weather conditions only allowed us to test it during qualifying. We weren’t satisfied, so we went back to the previous setup for the Sprint, as yesterday’s solution gave us a better bike. We managed to get a good start, I had a solid pace, and I was able to close the gap to the top group, although a bit too late since I lost quite a lot of time in the battles during the Sprint. For tomorrow, we’ll try again and aim to get even closer. In the long race we’ll have more opportunities. Tyre choice will be crucial: the soft is an option, but we’ll see if it’s possible to make it last until the end.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P6

“We started really well but then at turn one I hit the brakes too early, losing all the positions I had gained. Then I made my way back little by little, I really wanted to do well and I gave it a go at the last turn. I wanted to make the most of that corner in which I know I’m very strong and it went well. Tomorrow will be a completely different race, but we’re competitive.”

Johann Zarco – P7

“It was a good Saturday overall. Starting from the second row on the grid was positive, and during the race I made a strong start. It’s fair to say everything went well today; I was just missing a bit of pace. We’ve gained some speed, but there’s still room for improvement, and we’re working to find a solution. In any case, I really enjoyed the battles until the finish, it was great fun. Finishing seventh is a positive result, and I’m happy to be back in the points in Saturday’s Sprint. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow”.

Francesco Bagnaia – P8

“The Sprint didn’t go as we’d hoped. I wore the tyres out a lot in the early laps and, in the end, I got passed at the exit of the last turn. It was a wrong evaluation on my side and we need to do some more work ahead of the race. Today’s set-up was good in the fast corners, but I was lacking a bit of rear grip. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make the most of FP2 so we continued with this configuration. At the end, the grip was non-existent: I tried to manage it throughout the Sprint, but unsuccessfully. Tomorrow’s warm up will be very important to improve the situation and we’ll do our best in the race.”

Brad Binder – P9

“Not too bad. I felt better than I have all weekend. I made up a few places but not as many as I’d like. A bit too late…but we have the main race tomorrow and if we can find a bit more rear contact and more balance then we can make good improvements that will take us a long way.”

Pol Espargaro – P10

“We are happy with our day! We were satisfied with our grid position, and then in the sprint, we had a good rhythm! I was in the group battling it for 6th until the end, but I made a couple mistakes and I almost had Ai Ogura catching me up, but I got P10 in the end, which is great because the level was insane! Good feelings heading to tomorrow’s race, I hope that we can have a great race.”

Ai Ogura – P11

“For today, we were quite OK. I think in Qualifying the others were a bit more in time attack mode – it was almost the first session of the day and I needed a bit more time to understand the conditions as there were some wet patches on track and the rest was dry. My pace in the Sprint was pretty decent, so I could catch the riders in front of me, but I struggled to pass Pol (Espargaro). It was not a great race, but my pace was acceptable.”

Luca Marini – P12

“A really frustrating day, missing Q2 compromised our race today but also we are lacking something in our overall rhythm. I had a moment at Turn 5 on one lap where I lost a bit of ground but it’s a trickier weekend than we expected speaking honestly. I was able to stay with Zarco in the Sprint after a really good start from myself. We need to try and improve the grip; the circuit is a little greener. We are learning and taking more information for next year, it’s important to always be moving forward.”

Enea Bastianini – P13

“The sprint was complicated, I was expecting a bit more to be honest. I tried to give more after 4/5 laps, but the front tyre had dropped too much, which is strange, because normally we are good with the hard component. I am still missing a lot of confidence on corner entry, and grip on the edge, which is a big problem for us because I am losing time in many parts of the track. So we need to keep working, and try to find ways to improve these issues, which are happening every weekend.”

Jack Miller – P14

“Not the day we wanted, even if it was nice in qualifying to make it through Q1. The start of the race got messy right away — I had contact with Joan Mir, I‘m not sure if he had a problem or what happened — and then a few more clashes in the first corners where I lost quite a few positions. It‘s tough in those opening laps because we‘re all vulnerable and can‘t really stick to our lines. Apart from that, I had a decent pace in the race, but I was really struggling in the last corner. We need to find a way to fix that.”

Franco Morbidelli – P15

“With this morning’s weather conditions, we lost a bit of useful time, but the positive thing is that I’ve regained the feeling with the wet tyres and I’m fast in those conditions. I even topped the timesheets at one point. When the track dried up, things got more difficult, but many times we’ve managed to turn the situation around, so we’ll keep working. That’s what we’re doing already and what we’ll continue to do until the end of the weekend: we don’t have grip, so tomorrow’s goal is to find it again. We have some solutions to try, so hopefully we can improve.”

Miguel Oliveira – P16

“The race was better than qualifying. We made a step forward in terms of pace and also had a good start and a strong first lap, which helped me gain a couple of positions. The main issue is still rear grip — we haven‘t been able to fix the problem I already experienced on Friday. In the time attack, I couldn‘t make the difference, which is of course disappointing. But we‘ll start tomorrow with a positive approach. Maybe with the medium rear tyre we‘ll struggle a bit less, though it won‘t be easy. The goal is to fight for points in what will surely be an emotional race, in front of so many of my fans.”

Alex Rins – P17

“It all began at the start: I had an issue with the clutch, and I lost some positions. After that, on the first lap, I almost crashed into Savadori in corner 1, so I went wide, out of the track. I was a couple of seconds behind. I closed the gap, but I spent 5-6 laps to overtake a rider though I had a better pace than him. So far, it’s been a tough weekend for us. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. I aim to be inside the points.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P18

“I had a good start and I battled a bit at the beginning. We tried a few new elements for the development of the bike. It’s great to see Marco in pole position and on the podium again today.”

Nicolò Bulega – DNF

“Today I didn’t manage to put everything together, but there were some positive aspects. Under braking is where I struggle the most, because the tyre specs are completely the opposite of what I’m used to. This morning, during qualifying, I lost six tenths at the last turn because I made a bit of a mess with the ride-height device; it’s a pity because it would have been a decent lap time. I struggled at the start of the race and then I tried to catch Franco (Morbidelli); I was on a good lap, but unfortunately I ended up crashing. I’m sorry for the team, who have to do some extra work. I need to reset and start again from scratch.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“We are ready for Sunday, our lap time is good and I know that we can do a lot more than what we showed today. At the start, something wasn’t correct and I got a strange feeling. Everyone is working to understand fully what happened and that will be the first job of tonight. In Qualifying we missed a little bit with the lap time, the track conditions were very critical with grip and that hurts us maybe a bit more than the other riders. We know where our strengths are and I feel like we can exploit them more in the longer race.”

Somkiat Chantra DNF

“It’s been a tough day. I had a small problem with the clutch during the Sprint, so I decided to come into the pits. The team is checking and analysing everything to understand the issue, make a step forward, and come back stronger tomorrow”.

Raul Fernandez – DNS

“After the crash of yesterday, I didn’t sleep too well last night because I had a lot of pain in the shoulder, in the neck and in the back. This morning, I was fit to ride the bike and be safe, which was very important but, after FP2, we decided to stop to see how I can recover in the best possible way and hopefully to arrive in good shape in Valencia. So, we decided together with Dr. Angel Charte to stop here and we will see in the coming days how much I can improve my condition. For sure, we will try in Valencia because I think we are in a really good position – the bike is working very well, we saw with Marco (Bezzecchi) today and also with Ai. Of course, we have another good opportunity in Valencia to try to get a good finish for the season.”

MotoGP Team Managers

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“It’s quite special for us when we get the chance to fight for the win and Pedro’s 2nd place was a great result. On the other hand we also feel that today was a very good chance to go for the first victory of the year and we need to analyze what we were missing. We believe we understand, and tomorrow we will have another chance so let’s try to use it well. Generally, it was also a positive day that we could have three riders in the top ten and we have continued our positive trend of work in this last segment of the season.”

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Aprilia Racing Manager

“It was a positive Saturday, especially since we were coming from a rather difficult race. Performance this morning in qualifying was extremely positive. We were missing something in the race, but the important thing is staying out front and battling for the win. Lorenzo also did an outstanding job. His contribution is truly important, testing various new things, both in terms of strategy and components that we will then apply to Marco’s bike. Overall, we should be satisfied with our work. We took another step forward towards achieving our goals.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha Team Director

“While the weather improved compared to yesterday, our results remained mixed. On the positive side, Fabio delivered an impressive turnaround, advancing through Q1 to secure third on the grid and then pushing hard for a strong fourth-place finish. It’s a testament to his determination and ability to perform when it matters most. Unfortunately, it was a challenging day for Álex. Starting from P17 and a difficult opening lap compromised his chances to battle in the mid-pack. But he’ll have an opportunity to come back stronger in tomorrow’s 25-lap Race.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“Pol Espargaro continued to amaze us, because it was for sure not an easy task to qualify in the top 10. Then he achieved another top 10 in the sprint, which we are really happy with, because he has been riding a bike with some potential future evolutions. On Enea Bastianini’s side, we expected a bit more, but the issues have remained the same as usual unfortunately, and we still have not really found a solution to help him feel more comfortable in the fast corners. He took a strong start during the sprint, but he finished in 13th, which is obviously far from our target. Let’s focus on everything that has been done today, and try arriving tomorrow in better shape.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Team Principal

“It’s a pity that Raul can’t race this weekend, but we decided to give him a rest in order to get him fully recovered for the next weekend. So, we had Ai in the Sprint – the Qualifying was a little bit difficult with the track conditions but then the Sprint was OK. I think it was quite solid, but we couldn’t recover too many positions. I think anyway, we have some good information for tomorrow and we will try to improve and stay closer and more in front.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“A day that I expected to go a bit better, especially on Jack‘s side of the garage, since he had managed to put together an almost perfect qualifying. But the race ruined everything — he made contact with someone in the first few corners and wasn‘t able to recover his position. Once you‘re stuck at the back, everything becomes difficult: we can‘t overtake on the straights, and when you‘re in the pack, it‘s hard to do any better. As for Oliveira, his position is not ideal, but he made a step forward compared to the past few days, when he was really struggling. I‘m confident that tomorrow, with the medium tyre, he‘ll be able to perform much better.”

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

Bezzecchi made the holeshot into Turn 1 from pole, with Acosta holding second and Márquez moving up to third after gaining two positions off the line. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) initially settled into fourth and fifth.

At the start of Lap 3, Acosta passed Bezzecchi into Turn 1 to take the lead, with Márquez soon also moving past the Aprilia for second at the same corner. The trio then broke clear of Quartararo, Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing).

Further back, Nicolo Bulega (Ducati Lenovo Team) crashed at Turn 13 in his first MotoGP Sprint, while Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) retired shortly afterwards.

The lead battle continued to change hands, with Márquez and Acosta repeatedly trading positions at Turns 1, 3 and 5 through the middle phase of the race. Bezzecchi remained in close contact in third but was unable to mount a pass on the leading pair.

With three laps remaining, Márquez managed to open a small gap over Acosta, who reduced the deficit again on the final lap but fell just short at the line. Márquez took the chequered flag 0.120 seconds ahead of Acosta, with Bezzecchi finishing third, 0.5 seconds behind the winner.

Aldeguer won a close fight for sixth over Zarco and Bagnaia, with the latter losing additional ground in the battle for third in the championship. Binder completed the points in ninth.

MotoGP Portimao Sprint Race Results

MotoGP Qualifying Results

Moto2

Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) will start from pole position for the Moto2 Portuguese Grand Prix after edging out Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) by just 0.017 seconds in a tight qualifying session at Portimão. The result puts the Brazilian in a prime position to wrap up the 2025 Moto2 title, holding a nine-point lead heading into Sunday’s race.

Rookie Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completes the front row in third after an impressive late charge.

Moreira’s nearest rival, Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), will start eighth, adding to the pressure on the Spaniard as he faces a must-finish situation to keep the championship alive.

Dixon, mathematically still in contention at 41 points adrift, crashed during the session but avoided injury, losing only his final opportunity to respond to Moreira’s late improvement.

Fourth on the grid is Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing), who remains an outside title hopeful 35 points from the lead. His teammate Aron Canet, fifth in the standings, lines up alongside in fifth place. Completing the second row is rookie Daniel Holgado (CFMoto Inde Aspar Team), who could clinch Rookie of the Year honours on Sunday if he extends his margin to 26 points or more.

Senna Agius qualified 14th, but due to a grid penalty for a competitor, the 20-year-old moves up to 13th position and will start the race highly motivated from row five, confident of delivering a strong result in Portimão.

Senna Agius – P14

“It wasn’t the best qualifying session, as I had major problems with rear tyre grip on both new tyres. We also made a small mistake with our timing. But nothing is lost yet, as we’ll be starting from P13 on the grid tomorrow, which isn’t a bad starting position. I’m confident that we can definitely move up in the race, as our pace is much better. It’s still a bit of a shame that we didn’t feel better in qualifying to get the most out of the bike.”

With just two rounds remaining, the Moto2 World Championship remains wide open, but Moreira’s pole puts him firmly in control of his own destiny at Portimão.

Portimao Moto2 Qualifying Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) secured pole position for the Moto3 Portuguese Grand Prix, setting a time of 1:46.764 in the closing stages to edge out Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) by 0.069 seconds. The result marks Kelso’s ninth front row start of 2025 and his second pole in the last three rounds.

Ángel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) completed the front row in third, just 0.123s off the top, as the top 16 riders were separated by less than a second in a tightly contested session.

Quiles briefly held a front-row position before a late crash ended his session and chance to respond. Pini and Esteban completed the second row, while Casey O’Gorman (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) continued his strong form to qualify seventh.

Adrián Fernández (Leopard Racing) and David Almansa rounded out the top nine.

The Moto3 field will line up for the penultimate Grand Prix of the season on Sunday, with Kelso chasing his second win of 2025 from the front.

Portimao Moto3 Qualifying Times

MotoE

Alessandro Zaccone (Aruba Cloud MotoE Team) has been crowned the 2025 MotoE World Champion after a measured performance across two races at the Portuguese Grand Prix, sealing the title in the final event of the electric class era.

Zaccone’s path to the 2025 title was marked by consistency rather than domination. Throughout the season, he recorded two victories, two additional podiums, and consistently achieved top-five finishes.

The Italian first joined MotoE in 2020, having previously competed in the European Supersport and Moto2 European Championship, where he was a race winner and multiple-time podium finisher. After a short stint in Moto2, Zaccone returned to MotoE in 2023, progressing steadily as the class transitioned to Ducati machinery.

Portimao brought down the curtain on MotoE’s first era as the official electric category.

MotoE Race One Results

MotoE Race Two

MotoE Championship Points