MotoGP 2025 Italian Grand Prix: Preview
- Finn Glover
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Written by Finn Glover, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
One of the spectacles on MotoGP’s illustrious calendar; MotoGP heads to the Ducati dreamland of Mugello for round nine of the championship; for the Italian Grand Prix. No other manufacturer dares to challenge the Ducati hierarchy here in Tuscany; but will 2025 be the year to change that?
The Tuscan hills will be alight with red as beloved Italian pilgrims flock to the Tuscan venue to watch their darling Ducati; yet, will that place a relatively disjointed Ducati and Pecco Bagnaia in 2025 under even more pressure?
The Italian Grand Prix: Mugello Circuit
A circuit designed for pure bike racing (and amazing photographs), Mugello is a circuit like no other, as it intertwines its way through the luscious Tuscan hills to produce a rider and fan-favourite layout.
15 corners and 3.269 mi (5.245 km) of pure tarmac haven make up the circuit; with the main straight leading to San Donato allowing for bikes to reach their fastest speed of the season. KTM’s Brad Binder currently holds the fastest ever MotoGP speed record at this very track in 2023, at a whopping 227.5 mph (366.1 km/h).
The incredibly satisfying corners only add to the spectacle of Mugello; composed of a series of long, flowing, multi-lined corners woven with undulation changes and tightly-packed with harsh gravel traps.
In particular, the renowned Arrabiata 1 / 2 complex (T8- 9) is praised by many as being MotoGP’s finest corners, testing riders and bikes to the absolute limit and allowing no remorse whatsoever for any mistake.
Past Results
Since 2022, Mugello has been a heavily governed Ducati dictatorship, with the Italian manufacturer, Pecco Bagnaia, taking all of the last three race victories here in dominant fashion. With only one win to his name this season, a win which fell rather fortuitously in COTA in April, this is the perfect and best opportunity for Bagnaia to get his season back on two wheels.
Across the other side of the Ducati Lenovo garage, the Mugello magic hasn’t really sunk in for Marc Márquez, who, remarkably, has only claimed one MotoGP victory at the Italian circuit, all the way back in 2014. Only one other rider on the MotoGP grid has won a premier-class race at the circuit, with that being Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo in 2021.
The track's flowing layout and the long run out of the final corner, Bucine, to the line has allowed for the most spectacular racing, and some of the most spectacular last-lap battles in MotoGP history. Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez were separated by just 0.019 seconds in 2016; while Danilo Petrucci claimed a superlative last lap victory in 2019, his first in MotoGP, beating both Andrea Dovizioso and Márquez to the line.
Last year, there were seven Ducatis in the top ten; heralding ominous signs for the rest of the grid this weekend, as they look to climb on their Aragón resurgence and make their way back to dominating after an incredibly difficult Le Mans and Silverstone.
Key Notices
Homeboy Lorenzo Savadori will have the honour of riding an Italian Aprilia at the Italian Grand Prix; with the Italian still replacing reigning champion Jorge Martin, whose injury woes continue to dot his tumultous 2025 season, in what has been an incredibly sad and depressing watch.
After his Le Mans heroics resulting in a remarkable P6 finish, Takaaki Nakagami is back; this time, replacing Luca Marini, who misses out whilst he still recovers from his awful crash whilst testing for the Suzuka 8H.
All being well through practice, Mugello will also mark the return of rookie sensation Ai Ogura, who missed the last two races after sustaining an injury at the British Grand Prix for Trackhouse Aprilia.
After keeping his streak of total and utter Aragón annihilation, Marc Márquez now leads his brother by a very respectable 32 points in the championship; with Bagnaia, after a decent round, still 97 points behind the championship leader.
The ‘best of the rest’ manufacturer battle continues to rage on; with the gap between the four excluding Ducati now standing at just 20 points; and Joan Mir’s incredible P7 last time out holding the silver medal spot for the Japanese manufacturer Honda.
In news external to the 2025 season, MotoGP also announced two-time World SBK champion Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s move to the PRAMAC Yamaha team for the 2026 season, replacing either Jack Miller or Miguel Oliveira.
From now on, this means an intense showdown between the two riders; and despite Oliveira’s contract for the 2026 season, PRAMAC has confirmed by no means that his seat is certain for the upcoming season.
With the sun set to shine on Mugello, get ready for the action; at a track renowned for drama and unadulterated racing. Can Bagnaia make it the four-peat and claim another victory at Mugello? Can Márquez continue his fine form after Aragón? Or will Mugello’s incredible layout throw a few surprises in store?
You’ll have to watch to find out! The race starts at 1PM BST.
Oh, and look out for some special Ducati liveries this weekend whilst you're at it.
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