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Tag: Jerez
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Alex Marquez clinches maiden win as Quartararo makes rostrum return
Jerez (Spain), 27 April 2025: Mr P2? Not anymore. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) is a MotoGP winner after the new World Championship leader emerged victorious in what was a hugely dramatic Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain that saw Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) crash out on Lap 3 – and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) hold off Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to clinch his first Grand Prix podium since 2023.
AN OPENING LAP BARNSTORMER
Corr, what a first lap. Quartararo launched superbly from pole, and so did Bagnaia from third. Marc Marquez didn’t get away as well as he would have wanted, and immediately the #93 was P3. Bagnaia tried to show a wheel to Quartararo at Turn 2 but thought better of it as Turn 6 saw Alex Marquez almost collect his older brother. The Spaniard was in way too hot but managed to hook it back up and hold into P4, as Marc Marquez and Bagnaia went into battle at Jerez’s famous stadium section.Marquez dived underneath his teammate at Turn 9 to the roar of 100,000 fans. But Bagnaia, hanging it around the outside and getting a better run out of Turn 10, got back alongside the six-time MotoGP World Champion. Then, contact between the Ducati duo! Both were fighting for the same piece of asphalt, and it was the #63 who came out on top.
MARC MARQUEZ CRASHES FROM P3
An opening lap for the ages was then followed by monumental drama. The home hero, Marc Marquez, while shadowing Bagnaia, crashed at Turn 8 on Lap 3 while sitting in P3. Seemingly asking too much of that front end, the Spaniard was down and out of victory contention – but not the Grand Prix.HOW THE GRAND PRIX WAS WON
Where did that leave us then? Quartararo led from Bagnaia, but Alex Marquez shoved his way past the Italian to climb into P2 and set his sights on trying to latch onto and pass El Diablo. Further back, there was more drama as lead rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashed at Turn 6 from fourth place.On Lap 10 of 25, Quartararo was keeping Alex Marquez at bay and Bagnaia was lapping 0.6s behind the Gresini star. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) was 1.3s behind the factory Ducati rider in P4 before Lap 11 saw a change of the Grand Prix lead.
Turn 1 saw Alex Marquez strike. An aggressive but great move up the inside of Quartararo saw the Sprint silver medallist snatch the race lead baton, and within a lap, his lead was up to 0.8s. Now, what could Bagnaia do about passing Quartararo?
After a few laps, the answer was nothing. And Viñales was beginning to reel in Quartararo and Bagnaia, while Alex Marquez’s lead grew to 1.7s on Lap 16 of 25. On Marc Marquez watch, he was now back in the points after crashes for Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) promoted Marquez into P15.
With five laps left, Marquez’s lead was 2.4s over Quartararo, and the latter was keeping Bagnaia 0.6s behind. Viñales was now 0.4s away from a podium spot, as we saw Marc Marquez and Aleix Espargaro (Honda HRC Test Team) enjoy a little battle for P13 on Lap 21.
Three to go. Was there life left in the fight for P2? Bagnaia was trying, but Quartararo was hitting all his markers in his efforts to keep the #63 behind him, as Alex Marquez edged closer to a maiden MotoGP win.
Two to go. It was as you were, with Viñales seemingly now settling for a P4 – the #12 was 0.9s away from Bagnaia’s tailpipes.
LAST LAP TIME IN JEREZ! Only a mistake now would cost Alex Marquez a famous win, and Quartararo was still far enough ahead of Bagnaia that it wasn’t allowing the latter to show a wheel. And after being Mr P2 for much of 2025 so far, Alex Marquez clinched a well-deserved maiden MotoGP Grand Prix win to crown himself Mr P1 in front of his adoring home fans.
Quartararo did fend off Bagnaia for an outstanding P2 finish and his first Grand Prix podium since the 2023 Indonesian GP. What a weekend for Yamaha, and although it’s not a fourth Jerez victory in a row, Bagnaia’s second P3 of the weekend brings solid points to the Italian’s camp.
YOUR SPANISH GP POINTS SCORERS
After the disappointment of a post-race penalty in Qatar, Viñales backed up his quality display by earning P4 in Spain, with Top Gun finishing three seconds up the road from fifth place Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Brad Binder and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Pedro Acosta crossed the line in P6 and P7 in what was a much more positive Sunday for KTM, as Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) rounded out the top 10.Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) took the chequered flag in P11 and having crashed early doors, a disappointed Marc Marquez managed to salvage a P12. Not the Sunday Marquez was searching for, but those four points could prove pivotal.
Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Espargaro and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) – following an early crash – closed out the points scorers in Jerez.
NEXT UP: LE MANS
He’s done it. Alex Marquez is a MotoGP winner and once again, he’s the title chase leader. Jerez, you delivered. And next up, we land at another all-time legendary venue… Le Mans. What lies ahead at the French GP? -
Impeccable Bagnaia holds off Quartararo in Jerez showdown
Jerez (Cádiz, Spain), 1 May, 2022: It’s the showdown that has built all weekend long: Ducati Lenovo’s Francesco Bagnaia vs Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo. The pair were in a class of their own at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix with victory, despite incredible late pressure, going the way of Bagnaia as he officially announced himself as part of the title race. Quartararo was forced to settle for second but did take an outright lead in the World Championship. Meanwhile, in the fight for third, Aleix Espargaro broke clear in the final laps to end Aprilia’s MotoGP™ concessions after six long years.
Indian fans can tune in to EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD to catch all the live action from the 2022 MotoGP championship, with the qualifying race in SHARK Grand Prix de France on Saturday, May 14, 2022.
ELBOWS OUT FROM THE START
As the lights went out in Jerez, the roars went up as the thousands of fans trackside celebrated their return to the grandstands after three years away. It was the poleman Bagnaia who launched himself into the lead, with Quartararo settling into second behind. Espargaro and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) were literally elbow-to-elbow off the line, with the Aprilia man diving under the eight-time World Champion into the opening corner only to run wide and allow the Honda man through to fifth. Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller was third on the opening lap, ahead of LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami.
Marquez was aggressive again on the opening lap as he fired up the inside, and sat up, Nakagami to claim fourth. The Japanese rider, forced wide by Marquez, also saw Espargaro squeeze through. Seconds later Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin crashed out for the fourth time in six races and, on his 200th Grand Prix appearance, HRC’s Stefan Bradl also hit the deck at the final corner.
Only a handful of laps had been completed but the leading duo were already flexing their muscles, edging further and further clear of Miller. By Lap 5 it was 1.5 seconds and that gap just continued to grow. Meanwhile, the Australian was more concerned about hanging onto the final podium places with both Marquez and Espargaro applying increasing amounts of pressure on the factory Ducati man.
Darryn Binder (WithU RNF Yamaha) crashed out at Turn 2, before a big moment in the World Championship fight took place. After a sluggish start, Alex Rins’ day got worse when the Team Suzuki Ecstar man was forced to straight-line his GSX-RR through the Turn 11 gravel trap after a big moment on the front end. Pramac Racing’s disaster day continued when Johann Zarco crashed out at Turn 5.
WITHSTANDING PRESSURE
Half-race distance had been completed with Bagnaia having eeked out an eight-tenth advantage. The Italian would maintain that gap up until the final three laps of the race. Quartararo sliced his lead in half and was starting to close in on the factory Ducati man. Could Quartararo steal Jerez victory away from Bagnaia late on? The pair were pushing to the absolute limit, now a mind-boggling 11 seconds clear of the rest.
They started the final lap with Bagnaia holding an advantage of just half a second. It would require something special from the World Champion on the final lap. As they came through the fourth and final sector Quartararo was closing and closing, now just a quarter of a second away from the former Moto2™ World Champion. But Bagnaia stood firm, withstanding the almighty pressure, to take a vital victory in Jerez. A first for Bagnaia since the season-closing race in Valencia last year and a second for the Bologna factory in Andalucia in as many years. Quartararo’s third podium visit of the season saw him stretch out his Championship leader from nothing to eight points, however.
PODIUM FIGHT IGNITES
Much like the duel for victory, the scrap over third took its time to come to life but when it did, it was pulsating. There were five laps left when Marquez made an inch-perfect move up the inside of Miller at Turn 5. Espargaro behind knew he had to respond or risked seeing the Respol Honda clear off into the distance. And the Aprilia man had an answer on the same lap as he braked hard and late into the final corner. Through went the Spaniard but it would quickly get even better for him.
Marquez was wide into the final corner and the front-end of his RC213V folded, before he somehow, in true Marc Marquez style, picked it up off of his elbow to continue on. Espargaro and Miller both swooped through to demote the eight-time World Champion to fifth. Espargaro checked out, quickly putting half a second into Miller but Marquez wasn’t done. The factory Honda man risked it all on the final lap to take fourth, diving up the inside of Miller at Turn 8 in spectacular style.
Ahead of them, though, Espargaro was coming across the line to take a pivotal podium for the Noale factory. Not only does the Spaniard sit second in the standings, eight points adrift of Quartararo, but Aprilia officially lost their MotoGP™ concession status after six long, hard years. Behind Marquez and Miller in fourth and fifth was Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan, who drifted into late contention but couldn’t find a move on the men in front of them.
FINAL FINISHERS
Nakagami eventually came across the line in seventh, four seconds clear of Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) who claimed eighth. The erstwhile Championship leader picked off rookie Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing), who matched his best MotoGP™ result despite that in ninth. The final place inside the top ten went the way of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder.
MotoGP™ Top 10:
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 25 laps
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.285
3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 10.977
4. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 12.676
5. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 12.957
6. Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) + 13.934
7. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) + 14.929
8. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 18.436
9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 18.830
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 20.056
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Showtime in Jerez: Cal Crutchlow sets hot pace for pole, Marc Marquez fifth
Cal Crutchlow…blowing hot in Jerez. Photo: calcrutchlow.com Jerez, 5 May 2018: Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) smashed the previous pole lap record at the newly-resurfaced Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, taking pole position for the first time since the 2016 British GP at Silverstone in some style as he topped the session and then went even faster at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, here on Saturday.
Fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), the winner at Jerez in 2017, put in another stunner to take second despite his ongoing recovery from a broken wrist sustained in Argentina, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) in third to make it eight times in a row the Frenchman will be starting the race from the front row. Reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) will line up fifth.
It was a tense final shootout at the end of the session and many eyes were on Marquez as the number 93 pushed and consistently lit up the first sectors red – and then just lost out before the line.
Unable to improve on his initial fast lap, the six-time World champion was pushed off the front row and then down to fifth as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team), the previous pole lap record holder, lit it up to take fourth and head up Row 2 at the venue at which he took his first podium for Ducati. It’s a big leap forward after a tough start to the season, with the five-time World champion consistently the quickest Borgo Panigale machine for much of the weekend and only 0.013s off the front row.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and teammate Andrea Iannone, after topping FP4 in reverse order, line up sixth and seventh respectively with the Hamamatsu factory a threat for the front throughout. Rins, who is racing in his first Spanish GP in the premier class after missing the event in 2017 due to injury, was only 0.007 off Marquez and just 0.003 ahead of Iannone.
Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) lines up eighth after he was left heading through – and going fastest in – Q1, but the gap was small once again, with the Italian only 0.042 off his compatriot ahead of him. Fellow-Italian on Borgo Panigale machinery Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) completes the third row.
It was a more difficult day for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, however. Valentino Rossi will line up tenth after just edging out his teammate by 0.014, with Maverick Viñales therefore lining up P11. Viñales, along with Dovizioso, was a graduate of Q1.
Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) lines up twelfth ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), who was just left behind in Q1 by 0.040 seconds, with some solid rookie performances from Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing the top fifteen.
With Crutchlow on pole, master-of-Jerez Pedrosa in the middle of the front row and no-holds-barred Zarco just alongside, it will be a stunning start, not even counting lightning-fast starter Lorenzo in fourth, and the reigning Champion with a point to prove shooting through from fifth. The top 12 are covered by eight tenths.
Martin storms to pole in Moto 3 with Canet P15
Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) grabbed his 11th career pole position in Moto2 with Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) in second – earning his first front row since Qatar last year. Martin’s fellow-Del Conca Gresini rider Fabio Di Giannantonio jumped to third on his final run after some last-minute front-end changes; his first front row start of the season.
One of the biggest headlines was Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) qualifying in 15th, the Spaniard with a huge task ahead of him on Sunday.
The session started with a huge crash for Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) at Turn 4 after colliding with the back of Livio Loi (Reale Avintia Academy) on the exit of the corner. Unfortunately, the South African dislocated his left shoulder and will miss tomorrow’s 22 lap race, declared unfit.
There was plenty of cat and mouse action going on throughout the session with Martin initially coming back into the pits to escape the melee of riders. The Spaniard didn’t have it all his own way during the session though, with Oettl setting a scorching pace to go 0.531 seconds clear of the rest with 20 minutes left on the clock. However, with just over 10 minutes to go, Martin pounced – setting a 1:46.193 to go 0.153 seconds clear of the German.
Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), meanwhile, was up at the sharp end again in qualifying and he will spearhead the second row in P4. His compatriot Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) continues his great start to 2018 in fifth, with Angel Nieto Team Moto3 rider Andrea Migno making it an all-Italian second row in P6.
The fastest rookie in Jerez qualifying was Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0), with P7 his best grid position so far this year and his previous form at the venue in the Moto3™ Junior World Championship coming to the fore. Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) lines up eighth for Sunday’s race, with teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta rounding out the third row.
Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was the leading Japanese rider in P10, with fellow countryman Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) a solid 11th and SKY Racing Team VR46 rookie Dennis Foggia in 12th.
Makar Yurchenko (CIP – Green Power), despite a late crash, was able to qualify P13 after a good afternoon’s work for the rookie and some much improved form this weekend, with reigning Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup Champion Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider) a slender 0.002 back in P14.
Pole for Lorenzo Baldassarri in Moto2
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP 40) took the pole position in Moto2 ahead of Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46).
In second row were Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS).
Source: motogp.com
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‘Fight until the final corner’ is the mantra; engines on at the #SpanishGP!
Andrea Dovizioso….all set for the European leg of the season. Photo: Ducati Jerez, 04 May 2018: MotoGP™ is back on European soil for the Gran Premio Red Bull de España and the grid is very much ready to get down to business at Round Four, with only eight points separating the top five riders in the Championship.
As always, it was time to talk on Thursday, with Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) joined in the Press Conference by reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone, Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo, Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat and late addition Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) after the Frenchman announced earlier in the day that he will be racing for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing from 2019.
Talk centered on the rider market, flashed back to Austin and looked forward to Jerez, with many taking stock as the European leg of the season gets in gear.
Dovizioso was the first to speak, and he was focused on the title fight. “I’m a bit surprised, with the results in the last two races, to be leading the Championship! But not too much because we finished the season in a good way last year and we started this year in a good way. We were focused on trying to get the maximum in the last two races because we knew it wasn’t the best for our bike. The results were ok but not the speed if we want to fight for the Championship, because there are so many fast riders. But we got more points than last year so I’m happy about that.”
The goal this weekend? The same as always – the consistency that has become ‘DesmoDovi’’s calling card: “We have to fight for the podium if we really want to fight for the Championship.”
Last year that fight for the title was against Marc Marquez and he, after a dramatic race in Argentina but a dominant bounce back in Texas, says it’s something of a reset in Jerez.
Marc Marquez. Photo: Honda Racing “The feeling was really good in Argentina and Austin, but now we’re in Europe it’s completely different – everything is more narrow, tight, everything is slower – so we need to understand the base setup and understand our level, and that of our rivals,” says Marquez. “And we’ll see with the new track surface – I think everyone will be very close. But we did a test here a month ago and it was good.”
One key topic for Marquez was the track and his record at the Spanish GP, where he’s only ever won once – in 2014. “I only have one victory but on the other hand, I’ve finished on the podium every year and that’s important. But I like this track. Normally we arrive here in the first part of the season without the bike being quite perfect, but this year I feel better. The first target is the podium but if I have a small chance, I will try to win.”
On domination and the style of win at the Americas GP, Marquez added it’s natural to try and win like that. But if it comes to it? “Normally, you don’t have the chance for a race like that because everything is so tight. We’ll see here in Jerez, but if we can win like that I will try, Johann will try, Andrea will try…but if not, I’ll fight until the final corner.”
Vinales. Photo: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Compatriot Maverick Viñales is another who arrives fresh from a good result, finishing second in Texas after some more difficult races. With the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team having had a more difficult race at the venue in 2017, a lot of eyes are on the Iwata marque and their progress.
“I’m curious to see how the bike is working because for sure we’ve improved a lot when there’s low grip,” says Viñales, referring to the unknown quantity of how the new asphalt will have changed the track. But first, he was very sure about something – progress. “In the second part of Qatar and Argentina, I was feeling good. We needed to improve the first part. But race by race we’re making steps and we can improve our level much more. From Qatar and in the next races we’re going to go up and up, I think we understand the way to go. I feel good on the bike and the team is really motivated.”
Andrea Iannone. Photo: Twitter Andrea Iannone was another who returned to the podium last time out. Taking his first rostrum finish at Suzuki, the ‘Maniac’ is back – and says they’re still close. “For us, it’s a positive moment,” says the Italian. “We needed the result for sure, and it’s good for us and everyone because we spent a lot of time and did a lot of work to arrive at this level. I think it’s important to stay focused, but it’s important we’ve remained more or less close to the top riders.”
Podium form is something Jorge Lorenzo had last season at Jerez. The five-time World Champion took his first
rostrum in red at the 2017 Spanish GP, and it’s a venue at which the number 99 has had much success. “Jerez has always been magic for me in the past few years,” smiles the ‘Spartan’.
Jorge Lorenzo. Photo: Ducati “I’ve had victories and last year I got my first podium at Ducati. It’s been a tough start to the year, but those tracks aren’t so good for our bike, so hopefully now we’re arriving at a good track for me and, now, for Ducati, where we had good winter tests and were fast, we can change the situation and I can demonstrate my value.”
The start of the season has been a different story for Tito Rabat, however, and the Spaniard began with a smile. “In these three races I think I enjoyed it more than the last two years! We’ve had a very good start to the season. I didn’t really expect to almost take three top-10s in a row…this year I feel good with the bike and with the team, learning and learning…now at a home GP we’ll see. It’s where I took my first win in 2013, so I’ll try to push to get a good result but as always thinking race by race and about improving.”
Zarco. Photo: Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Finally, it was time for some words from Zarco after the Frenchman’s move to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing was announced earlier in the day. The key word for the 2017 Rookie of the Year? Challenge.
“I’m happy we announced it this weekend,” smiled the two-time Moto2™ World Champion. “It’ll be a great challenge for the future. European constructor with a European rider, I think if we get a great result and we develop the bike well, we can have a fantastic future. The way they were developing the bike last year makes me think something is possible. I went there because I want the challenge. I’m on a great wave and I’m enjoying it so much, the performance is good too and I hope we can stay on this level in the next two years.”
The performance is good, the racing is close and it’s now time for the first European carnival of the season at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto. The riders taste the new asphalt in FP1 on Friday for the first time, with the lights going out for the race on Sunday.
Source: Motogp.com
