Beyond domination: MotoGP 2025 season review
- Silvia Cojocaru
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
Written by Silvia Cojocaru, Edited by Dhara Dave
A historic season in MotoGP, 2025 will always be remembered for its iconic moments. Today, we are taking a look back at each rider’s year – the good, the bad and the crashes.
The return of a champion
The star of the season, the history-maker, the living legend: Marc Márquez. Now a nine-time World Champion, the 2025 season was marked by the Spaniard’s domination. He won 11 out of the 18 Grand Prix he entered and a total of 14 Sprint races.
Márquez was simply unstoppable. He became the first rider to achieve seven consecutive wins with Ducati, scoring a record-breaking 541 points and winning the championship with five races remaining, thus becoming the oldest rider to do so in the four-stroke era.
He even broke his curse of never winning in Austria and finally conquered the Red Bull Ring.
His achievements could have been even more impressive if it weren’t for Márquez’s shoulder injury that he picked up after colliding with Bezzecchi at the Indonesia Grand Prix, which forced him to retire for the rest of the season.
A perfect start and a bittersweet end to 2025 for the champion and a comeback for the history books.
Bagnaia’s Ducati problems
While his teammate had a dream season, the same cannot be said about Francesco Bagnaia.
From the start, it was clear that Bagnaia could not replicate Márquez’s pace. The Italian complained about the bike not being to his liking but hoped that he could figure out a way to improve his results.
However, the situation seemed to worsen as the season progressed. With only two victories and five DNFs, Bagnaia quickly went from trying to fight with Álex Márquez for second in the standings to attempting and failing to defend third place against Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta.
An overall disappointing year for the 2024 runner-up, whose moments of celebration were all followed by unexplainable mistakes and crashes.
A change for the better
Before the start of the season, besides Márquez’s move to Ducati, Aprilia’s line-up also made headlines. Half of this signing was Marco Bezzecchi, the ex-VR46 rider with great potential, but he failed to really show what he is capable of.
The Italian’s debut season for the factory team might not have started remarkably, but almost halfway through the season, that changed.
Once he won the British Grand Prix and started to climb in the standings, he eventually threatened Bagnaia’s position. He went on to win three Grand Prix this season and especially started to shine once Márquez retired from the season, becoming the one rider that everyone wanted to beat.
Bezzecchi’s achievements are even more impressive considering that he developed the bike on his own, leading Aprilia to finish fifth in the Teams’ Championship and second in the Constructors’.
“Martínator” struggles
The 2024 World Champion definitely had greater expectations for his 2025 campaign, but it all took an unfortunate twist when Martín crashed on the first day of pre-season testing.
The Spaniard suffered multiple fractures to his right hand and foot, leaving him out of testing altogether. A few weeks later, while training on a motocross bike, Martín picked up another injury, breaking his left radius and scaphoid.
This meant that the champion had to sit out the first races of the season, planning his return at the Qatar Grand Prix. The Spaniard’s goals on return were modest: to simply finish the feature race.
However, another nasty crash on Lap 14 of the Grand Prix led to numerous rib fractures and a hemopneumothorax, which led Martín to take the backseat once again.
On his second return of the season, this time at the Czech Grand Prix, things went a lot smoother, with the Spaniard even managing to score points. He also put an end to various rumours about his commitment to Aprilia Racing, clarifying that he wishes to stay with the Italian team until the end of the next season.
The celebrations didn’t last long, as just two races later, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Martín collided with Franco Morbidelli and picked up another injury that would put him on the sidelines once again up until the final race of the season.
Although the Spaniard returned for Valencia, it was too late, and the bike was too unfamiliar for the “Martínator” to redeem his season.
The younger brother rises
With the eldest Márquez brother leaving Gresini and a rookie joining in his place, Álex Márquez was the one left to lead the team.
Right from the start, the Spaniard showed that he can closely follow his brother, cementing his status early-on as the second-fastest rider on the grid. He seemed to be the only one who could challenge Marc in the first half of the season.
Álex even claimed his first-ever Grand Prix win in the premier class at Jerez, in front of his home crowd.
He finished second in the standings with two Grand Prix remaining, and helped Gresini claim the title of the Best Independent Team of 2025.
However, the most memorable moment of the season was his win on home soil, at the Catalan Grand Prix. Despite Marc claiming the lead at the start of the race, he was unable to distance himself from his brother, who eventually took the lead on Lap 4 and kept it for the entire race.
A first-time winner
Regardless of what expectations were had about Fermín Aldeguer’s debut season, very few could have predicted that the rookie would go on to win his first race in a gravely competitive season.
Aldeguer capitalised on an early mistake made by Bezzecchi and fought against Pedro Acosta like a veteran to become the second-youngest winner in MotoGP history.
His performances throughout the season showed that, even though he still has plenty to learn, he has the potential and the talent to control a race and eventually fight for the title.
Clearly deserving the title “Rookie of the Year”, Aldeguer’s journey with Gresini will hopefully help him reach his fullest potential.
Close to the top
Many riders would be more than pleased with finishing fourth in the standings in their second-ever season in the premier class, but Pedro Acosta is not one of them.
Despite his amazing season, especially towards the end, Acosta was missing the final piece: a Grand Prix win. With Aldeguer winning in his first season, all eyes shifted to the equally impressive rookie of 2024, who is yet to stand on the top step of the podium.
After Márquez retired from the season, the first win seemed closer than ever, with the young Spaniard being the favourite to win in Valencia.
Still, numerous mistakes and sometimes even technical issues stood in the way of Acosta, who will undoubtedly enter 2026 even more motivated.
A three out of ten
In Brad Binder’s own words, he would rank his 2025 campaign as a “three out of ten”. His only top-five finish in a Grand Prix came in Indonesia, where the South African finished in fourth place.
Binder struggled with the bike’s pace, tyre management and qualifying form throughout the season, which is disappointing considering what his teammate was capable of.
He hopes to come back stronger next season and states that he admires Acosta’s ability to always perform at his best: “I've been racing since 2020, so it's been a few seasons, but he has this incredible ability to perform at his best in any situation. That's what I strive for, and it's really great to have him as my teammate.”
A dangerous track
Franco Morbidelli made the move to the VR46 team this year, managing some overall good results.
The highlight of his season came in Argentina, where he scored his first podium in four years by finishing third.
This year, the Italian also came under scrutiny for some dangerous moves on the track. At the opening race in Thailand, he blocked Bagnaia during a push lap on Friday, resulting in a three-place grid penalty.
The British Grand Prix saw him receive another three-place grid penalty, this time for impeding Bezzecchi during a Friday practice session and a crash in the Catalonian sprint race that also took out Martín, giving him a €2,000 fine.
Morbidelli’s season ended abruptly, as the Italian crashed on the grid just before the race started.
Consistency is key
One of the most consistent riders of the season, Fabio Di Giannantonio, had a great first half of the season, being a part of Ducati’s domination on track.
Although he has no wins or poles to show for his 2025 campaign, he was almost always involved in the battles at the top and managed to finish on the podium five times in the sprints and four in feature races.
These results marked a good overall season for the Italian, finishing sixth in the Championship.
Fighting struggles
A season with mixed feelings for Fabio Quartararo as he was one of the very few riders who seemed able to face Marc Márquez at the beginning of the season. He claimed pole position in Spain, amidst all the Ducati riders and even stood on the podium for the first time in nearly two years.
However, his season started to come undone when, at his home Grand Prix at LeMans, he crashed out of the race after having qualified on pole.
From then on, many problems started to arise, as the Yamaha bike simply didn’t seem to stand a chance against the competition.
Still, the Frenchman managed some incredible performances throughout the season, definitely bringing his bike way higher than it should have been. The numbers don’t tell the entire story in his case, with only one podium finish to show for his efforts.
Another Yamaha victim
Quartararo wasn’t the only one who struggled this year, as his teammate, Álex Rins, also couldn’t extract much from the bike.
Rins’ best result was a seventh place at the Australian Grand Prix, and he only managed to finish the championship in 19th place.
The Frenchman didn’t shy away from his frustrations with Yamaha, writing on Instagram: “It’s hard to do more when we need the rider in front to make a mistake to pass him, and we get cooked on the straights. I’m riding at 200% each lap and not even a huge stone impact in the arm stopped me, but the maximum we could do is a P12, and that’s not enough for me.”
Miracle performances
Maybe overlooked at the start of the year, Raúl Fernández went on to have the season of his career, becoming a MotoGP race winner.
After a mixed start to his season, with some decent performances, Fernández came prepared ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. The Spaniard was convinced that he could challenge for the win and proved so by finishing on the podium on Saturday.
His maiden MotoGP win came the next day, as he dominated ahead of Acosta, controlling the race. After this commendable win, the Spaniard’s season looked even better than before.
He claimed another podium in the closing race of the season and was one of Aprilia’s star riders during Martín’s absence.
Rising star
Another impressive rookie, Ai Ogura came through with some amazing performances to prove that he is a rider to watch in the future.
He started the season by finishing fifth in the Grand Prix and fourth in the Sprint, showing great pace from the start and instantly catching the attention of everyone watching.
However, this great momentum was temporarily stagnated by a crash at the British Grand Prix, which left him with a fractured tibia. Unfortunately, after he returned from his surgery, he suffered another injury at the San Marino Grand Prix, this time bruising the bone of his right hand and the soft tissue in his foot.
This meant that the Japanese rider couldn’t compete in his home Grand Prix, something that he will definitely be looking forward to next year.
Mixed feelings
Jack Miller returned to Prima Pramac this year, adapting well to the new bike and proving valuable enough for his contract to get extended, despite not getting his desired place at the factory team.
His best result was a fifth in Austin, and besides this, he also managed to get into the top 10 several times.
Still, his results remained inconsistent, and it was clear that he also struggled with the YZR-M1. Miller has plenty of time to better accommodate himself with the team in the upcoming season and maybe even move to Yamaha’s factory team in the upcoming season.
New challenges
Another fresh face for Prima Pramac, Miguel Oliveira was eager to start the season in a new environment. Whether this move was for the better is still debatable.
The Portuguese rider struggled to break into the top 10, with his best result in a Grand Prix coming in the final race of the season, in Valencia.
He also suffered from an injury after Aldeguer attempted a risky overtake in the Argentinian Sprint. This caused him to withdraw from the feature race and from the following weekend in Qatar.
Oliveira’s results left him out of the 2026 grid, with Toprak Razgatlioglu taking his place.
A difficult time
A disappointing season for Maverick Viñales, with a major injury picked up in Q2 at the German Grand Prix setting him back. The Spaniard was left with a dislocated and fractured shoulder, causing him to miss several races.
He attempted to make his comeback at the Austrian Grand Prix, but had to retire before the Sprint due to continuous pain in his shoulder. His formal return of the season happened at the final round in Valencia, where he was unable to finish the race.
Before these issues, Viñales’ season was marked by some technical issues that stood between him and some good results. In Qatar, he lost second place due to a tyre pressure penalty and bike stalls at COTA, and a pit-lane start compromised his weekend.
Struggling to adapt
Enea Bastianini was yet another rider who needed to learn how to adapt to a new bike. The Italian made the move from Ducati to KTM, changing manufacturers for the first time in his career.
Consequently, Bastianini spent this season learning how to get the most out of the bike, marking his worst season in MotoGP since his debut in 2021.
The highlight of his season was his first podium-finish with the team in Catalonia. The Italian overtook fellow KTM rider, Acosta, and managed to impress in front of the new KTM Tech3 owner, Guenther Steiner.
Bastianini will continue in 2026 with the Austrian team, which gives him plenty of time to fight for better results in the future.
Ups and downs
A difficult season for Joan Mir, who only finished 15th in the standings, the Spaniard’s year seemed defined by crashes.
Mir crashed 22 times during races, and while he wasn’t the rider who fell the most this season, he wasn’t a very consistent point-scorer even when he remained on the bike.
But his season wasn’t all bad. Mir stepped on the podium twice during the season, putting out some genuinely good performances in Japan and Malaysia. The former marked his first podium finish since 2021, which means that the Spaniard might still be on the right track.
Striving for improvements
The first half of the season seemed like a massive improvement from 2024 for Luca Marini. The team announced that they were so impressed with the Italian’s results that they confirmed his renewal for 2026 in September. After just 12 rounds, Marini nearly tripled his total points from the previous season.
The Hungarian Grand Prix was one of his best weekends, as he finished 4th in the Sprint and 5th in the feature race, showing great consistency.
However, his season wasn’t without its setbacks. The Italian was involved in a nasty crash while testing for the Suzuka 8-hour endurance race, which left him with a dislocated left hip, ligament damage in his left knee, fractures to his sternum and collarbone, and a pneumothorax.
This forced him to withdraw from three Grand Prix weekends – Aragon, Italy and the Netherlands – and made his return at the German Grand Prix, where he placed 6th.
His injury caused him to lose some of his momentum from the start of the season, and he admitted that the RC213V is a difficult bike and catching up with the ones in front is a difficult task: “It’s a long road to travel. Reaching Ducati’s level may not be possible, but the goal is to beat all the manufacturers at the moment, and then we will try to think about beating Ducati.”
Still, a great year for the Italian, which could have gone even better, but a lot to improve for 2026.
The win of a nation
Another history-maker on the grid, one couldn't look at Johann Zarco’s season without discussing his iconic win at LeMans.
The first Frenchman to win on home soil in 71 years, and he did so in style, going from P11 to victory. Zarco finished nearly eight seconds in front of Marc Márquez, an amazing performance considering the Spaniard’s form this season.
An amazing feat for French motorsports as a whole, a victory worth celebrating in front of over 100,000 fans and definitely the highlight of the season for Zarco.
A difficult journey
The first Thai rider to compete full-time in MotoGP, Somkiat Chantra’s 2025 season proved difficult. He struggled to adapt to MotoGP’s demands and finished the season in 26th place, only scoring seven points.
These results were influenced by Chantra’s unfortunate injuries. In April, he had to undergo surgery for ‘arm pump’, and in Jul,y he suffered a LCL injury.
The latter caused him to miss numerous Grand Prix – Germany, Czechia, Austria and Hungary – and on return, it was even harder for him to meet the demands of racing in such a tough series.
Still, his season had its highlights, mainly scoring his first points in Assen, becoming the first Thai rider to do so.
Still, this wasn’t enough for him to continue his MotoGP journey, and the Thai rider will continue his career in the WorldSBK championship. He will be replaced by Moto2 star Diogo Moreira.
Conclusion
After taking a more in-depth look at the season, amidst the obvious domination and class rides from Marc Márquez, numerous stories made 2025 exciting at every corner.
What was your favourite moment of 2025?
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