Marco Bezzecchi made it two wins in a row, holding off Raul Fernandez to claim victory at the Valencia GP. The result marked the Italian’s first back-to-back victories in the premier class and secured third place in the championship.
- Bezzecchi ends seasons with third in the championship
- First Aprilia 1-2 finish since Catalunya 2023
- Bagnaia suffers fifth consecutive DNF
Bezzecchi and Fernandez lock horns at the front
Fernandez denied P1 despite late charge
Bezzecchi secured a clean holeshot from pole and led the opening lap ahead of Alex Marquez. Further down the order, however, drama unfolded when Johann Zarco forced Francesco Bagnaia into the gravel, ending the Italian’s race – his fifth consecutive Sunday DNF.
Up front, Raul Fernandez, who started P4, made strong early progress. He passed Di Giannantonio and then set his sights on Marquez and Bezzecchi ahead. Just a few laps in, the Trackhouse Aprilia rider clocked successive fastest laps and was soon right on the tail of the leading duo. On lap 11, Fernandez moved past Marquez at the final corner to take second and began to pull away shortly after.
At this stage of the race, Bezzecchi held a 1.3s lead over Fernandez, but the gap shrank lap after lap, dropping to just 0.4s with three laps to go. However, Bezzecchi on the factory Aprilia, despite firm pressure from the Spaniard on the satellite Aprilia, crossed the line in first and secured Aprilia’s first 1-2 finish since Catalunya in 2023.
Di Giannantonio steals podium on penultimate lap
Late pass on Acosta keeps Ducati’s podium streak alive
Behind the leading duo was a three-way battle for the final podium spot between Alex Marquez, Pedro Acosta, and Fabio Di Giannantonio. On lap 20, Acosta slipped past Alex Marquez, who was then overtaken by Di Giannantonio just a lap later.
Di Giannantonio was consistently quick, even setting the fastest lap in the closing stages as he rapidly closed in on Acosta for third. On the penultimate lap, the VR46 Ducati rider made his move to take P3 and held the position to the chequered flag. The result also extended Ducati’s astonishing podium streak to 88 consecutive races heading into 2026.
Acosta finished fourth ahead of Fermin Aldeguer, who snatched fifth from Alex Marquez at the final corner. Marquez had to settle for sixth after a disappointing second half of the race. Luca Marini brought his Honda home in seventh, Brad Binder was eighth, followed by Jack Miller and Enea Bastianini, rounding out the top ten.
2025 MotoGP standings
Bezzecchi secures third
The Marquez brothers had already locked down the top two championship positions before Valencia, and third place was all but guaranteed for Bezzecchi after Bagnaia’s disastrous run of results. His victory in the season finale seals that position. More importantly, another DNF for Pecco meant he also lost out to Acosta, who passed him to claim fourth in the overall standings, dropping Bagnaia to fifth.
