Winners and Losers of the 2025 MotoGP season

The 2025 MotoGP season delivered extremes: for some riders, surprise breakthroughs and career-defining campaigns; for others, frustration, injury or unmet expectations. As the paddock heads into the off-season, the gaps between riders have rarely felt larger, or more telling. 

Let´s take a look at the winners and losers of the 2025 MotoGP season: 

Winner: Marc Márquez 

Nine-time world champion Marc Márquez I Credits: GEPA pictures / Matic Kiansek via diePresse.com

Starting off strong with Marc  Márquez, it might seem obvious to call him a ”winner”. His move to the factory Ducati Lenovo Team paid off: he clinched his ninth world title, confirming that even after multiple seasons away from the top, he remains at the top of his sport. Finishing his first year riding a Ducati third overall, fans were eager to see what he would do in the seasons to come, and he didn´t disappoint. 

Throughout the season, he delivered brilliant racing and set new personal and historical milestones. Many wondered if he would surpass his own record for the most Grand Prix wins in a single season(13 in the 2014 season), but the injury to his shoulder sustained at the Indonesian Grand Prix ended his chances. His campaign ended prematurely and Márquez missed out on the last rounds of the 2025 season, along with the Valencia test, as he had to undergo surgery. Still, the fact that he secured the title before the season's close speaks volume about his dominance. 

Winner: Álex Márquez

Marc [right] and Álex [left] pictured together after celebrating their MotoGP double win I Credits: IMAGO

Álex Márquez emerges as perhaps the biggest story of the season, finishing second in the championship - a major leap from his 8th place in 2024. 

He claimed three Grand Prix victories in Spain, Catalonia and Malaysia. His worst race finish was 14th, suggesting strong consistency throughout the season. 

In doing so, he silenced critics who had long considered him merely “the younger brother” and now positions himself and his team, Gresini Racing, for a serious shot at further victories next year. 

Winner: Marco Bezzecchi

Credits: PaddockGP

Adjusting to a new team and an unfamiliar manufacturer is never a simple transition in MotoGP, and history shows that such moves can produce anything from immediate success to prolonged struggle. The challenge becomes even greater when the rider on the opposite side of the garage happens to be the reigning world champion. That was the environment Marco Bezzecchi stepped into for his first year with Aprilia Racing in 2025. The expectations were already high, but Jorge Martín´s injury-hit campaign elevated the stakes even further, making Bezzecchi´s contributions central to the team´s progress. 

With Martin sidelined for long stretches, Bezzecchi took on the responsibility with striking authority. He delivered three Grand Prix wins, a first for any Aprilia rider in a single season. He demonstrated that the RS-GP had the speed to confront Ducati head-on. His wheel-to-wheel battle with Marc Márquez at the San Marino Grand Prix became one of the standout contests of the year, showcasing his composure, aggression and confidence at the front. 

In many ways, Bezzecchi represents the “best of the rest”. Riding for Aprilia Racing, he secured third place in the final standings, the strongest result among non-Ducati riders. 

By the end of the season, Bezzecchi had established himself as one of the key challengers to Márquez heading into the 2026 season. He enters the new campaign with a strengthened reputation and a clearer sense of what the Aprilia package can do, whilst also preparing for renewed competition from a fully recovered Jorge Martín within his own team. 

Loser: Somkiat Chantra

The first Thai rider to race full-time in MotoGP I Credits: MotoGP

The expectations on Somkiat Chantra were high as he entered the 2025 season as the first Thai rider to race full-time in MotoGP. His move to the Idemitsu Honda LCR team did little to ease the challenge; the bike had not been a consistent frontrunner and questions about whether he was ready for MotoGP persisted. 

Chantra´s talent has never been in doubt - his 2016 Asia Talent Cup title and his wins and podiums in Moto2 attest to that, but in 2025 he struggled to carry that form into the top category. He finished the season with seven points, collected across five races and recorded a best result of 13th at the Indonesian Grand Prix. 

Injuries compounded his difficulties. Arm-pump surgery after the Spanish round forced him to miss the French Grand Prix and a later training crash resulted in a ligament injury that sidelined him for four more events. The interruptions prevented him from building any rhythm or confidence. 

Chantra will not return to MotoGP in 2026. Instead, he moves to WorldSBK, joining the Honda HRC squad alongside Britain's Jake Dixon. Early signs have been encouraging; both riders finished inside the top ten on their first day of testing, suggesting that Chantra may find a more suitable platform to demonstrate his ability in his new championship. 

Loser: Jorge Martín

A horror season for the former world champion I Credits: AFP

Jorge Martín entered 2025 as the reigning MotoGP World Champion, expected to defend his crown despite switching from Ducati to Aprilia. But instead of a straightforward title defence, his season unravelled due to  a relentless series of injuries that restricted him to just seven Grand Prix starts with the #1 plate. 

His misfortune began immediately. On the opening day of pre-season testing at Sepang, a violent highside left him with fractures in his right hand and left foot, requiring surgery and ending his test before it barely started. Weeks later, a training crash caused a fracture in his left hand, again requiring surgery and ruling him out of the Thailand season opener. He missed the first three rounds. 

Martin finally made his Aprilia debut at the Qatar Grand Prix, but another heavy fall on lap 14 caused a pneumothorax and multiple broken ribs. The injuries forced him out of seven more races as he underwent hospital treatment followed by an extended rehabilitation period. 

His return before the summer break showcased his determination to deliver. He managed a respectable seventh-place finish, his first completed Grand Prix of the season. Just as momentum appeared to accumulate, a first-lap incident in the Japanese Sprint ended that progress abruptly. The crash took down teammate Marco Bezzecchi and left Martin with a displaced collarbone fracture, again requiring surgery and another four-race absence. 

He returned for the final round of the season, completing the weekend cautiously as he dealt with pain and fatigue. Despite rumours throughout 2025 that he was seeking an early exit from his Aprilia contract, Martin will remain with the team in 2026. With luck, a season free from injuries may finally allow him to demonstrate the full potential of the Aprilia package.  

Loser: Francesco Bagnaia

Credits: Michelin Motorsport 

Francesco Bagnaia endured a season he will want to forget. After losing the 2024 championship by a narrow margin, the two-time MotoGP title-winner entered 2025 expected to challenge again at the sharp end - especially with Marc Márquez now sharing the Ducati Lenovo garage. Early rounds hinted that this scenario might unfold. But as the season progressed, it became evident that Bagnaia was wrestling with persistent problems on the GP25, particularly with the front-end feel and he repeatedly fell short of the pace set by his teammate. 

He was not alone in his difficulties: Fabio Quartararo at VR46 reported similar frustrations. Yet the contrast between Bagnaia's previous form on Ducati machinery, and his performances this season, made the shortcomings impossible to overlook. Tension grew within the camp as setup changes failed to produce a breakthrough, with both Bagnaia and the team acknowledging that their patience was wearing thin. 

There were moments when it looked as though he might have turned a corner, most notably the double victory at Motegi, where he finished comfortably ahead of Márquez. But in a year defined by the importance of consistency, Bagnaia could not sustain any momentum. Five straight DNFs to close out the season ultimately relegated him to fifth in the championship standings.