Winners and Losers: MotoGP 2025 Valencia Grand Prix
- Silvia Cojocaru
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Written by Silvia Cojocaru, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
With the 2025 MotoGP season coming to an end, it is time to take one final look at the race weekend’s winners and losers.
Winner: Marco Bezzecchi
Valencia marked another nearly perfect weekend for the Italian rider. Marco Bezzecchi qualified on pole on Saturday for the fifth time this season while also setting a new all-time lap record at Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
During the sprint, he failed to take advantage of his starting position, losing several places during the first lap. He managed to finish the sprint just outside the podium, in fourth place.
The Sunday race went much smoothly for the Aprilia rider. Bezzecchi nailed the start and maintained his lead for the entire race.
Winner: Raúl Fernández
It was clear from the start of the weekend that Raúl Fernández was ready to put out another memorable performance in Valencia. The Trackhouse rider qualified fourth, finishing the sprint in the same position.
However, the main race was the one where the Spaniard really shone. On Lap 3, after passing Fabio Di Giannantonio, he began hunting the leading duo of Álex Márquez and Bezzecchi.
At the final corner of Lap 11, Fernández finally moved to second place, even threatening Bezzecchi’s position during the final laps of the race.
Although he was not able to make the final overtake, Fernández managed an impressive race.
Winner: Fabio Di Giannantonio
After managing to qualify third for the weekend, Di Giannantonio maintained this position throughout both the sprint and the Grand Prix.
However, this does not mean that the Italian did not put out some incredible performances, both in defence and in offence, with opponents such as Fabio Quartararo, Márquez, Acosta and Fernández.
Loser: Francesco Bagnaia
After losing the chance to finish third in the championship on Saturday, all Francesco Bagnaia had to do was defend his position against Pedro Acosta.
This did not last for too long, as the Italian made contact with Johann Zarco and crashed out of the race on Lap 1.
Running out of fuel in Q1, finishing the sprint in 14th place and crashing out of the Grand Prix almost seem like the symbolic way to end Bagnaia’s forgettable 2025 season.
Loser: Franco Morbidelli
Another unfortunate start to the race came from Franco Morbidelli, who was not even able to start the Grand Prix. The VR46 rider came into contact with Aleix Espargaró, as they were both preparing to take their place on the grid.
The Italian rider signaled to his team that he needed to enter the box and it was later confirmed that he suffered a left-hand fracture.
An unfortunate end to Morbidelli’s season, as he will also be ruled out of the test on Tuesday.
Loser: Jorge Martín
Making his return to racing once again, Jorge Martín struggled to get used to the new bike.
Although the expectations for him were low, simply finishing the race on Sunday could’ve been an amazing result. Instead, the 2024 champion retired after just 12 laps. It was later revealed that his retirement was pre-planned with Aprilia, as the Spaniard was still not feeling fit enough for the Grand Prix.
The sprint and qualifying did not go any better for the Spaniard, only starting from 17th on the grid and finishing last on Saturday.
Bonus loser: MotoGP fans
With no more racing until 2026, all fans are left to do is wait.
After a beautiful Valencian farewell to the 2025 season, here’s to even more exciting racing next year!
