MotoGP Riders and Team Managers reflect on the MotoGP of Argentina

MotoGP 2025

Round Two – Argentina – Termas de Rio Hondo – Sunday
MotoGP Rider Quotes

Marc Márquez – P1

“The race pace was incredible and a had a few moments in the final laps. Alex pushed me to the limit: we were both able to lap in the low 1’38s, and we really made the different. It wasn’t easy to overtake him, as the only spot was at turn five. The first time I tried, I ended up wide, but then I was able to make it stick at the second attempt as I was a lot closer to him. I’m happy for my team as they did an incredible job. We weren’t in such a perfect condition as in Buriram, my riding was not as smooth, but the lap-times came and that’s what matters. I can’t wait for the next race weekend at Austin, especially given the moment we’re living right now.”

Alex Marquez – P2

“It was another great Sunday, maybe the first one in which I really thought I could win. It didn’t happen, but still, it’s a historical day, another one. I knew where I was faster and where I was losing to Marc, but it didn’t go as planned and we know we gave our best. Four second place finishes in the first four races are easier said than done… and never in my wildest dreams I would have imagined that. Let’s continue this way.”

Franco Morbidelli – P3

“It’s fantastic, I was missing this feeling, and getting back to the podium right here in South America is special. We started the weekend struggling a little bit, but the team changed something on the bike and we arrived to Sunday with a really good bike. The performance was great, I could recover many positions. Now it’s important to understand how to have a good performance in time attack too, but it was a great weekend, starting from eighth, the team convinced me to use the soft tyre in the race. They did ad amazing job, I thank them for all the hard work during all the weekend, and I want to dedicate this podium to all the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and the VR46 family.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P4

“I tried to keep a consistent pace, but my strategy didn’t work. When Franco (Morbidelli) passed me, I tried to stay with him, but I struggled a little bit. I managed to get up to speed in the final laps, but I had no chance to try and overtake me. It’s true that we narrowed the gap down, but not enough. Our pace was similar to the frontrunners, but not close enough to finish on the podium. I still miss the feeling I had last year, despite the two bikes being very similar, but we’re working on it and we’ll try to make another step forward at Austin. We need to stay focused because it’s a long season, and it’s important to finish every race, and with the best possible result.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P5

“It was a super weekend. We made a massive step forward in Argentina compared to Thailand, we could fight and we were as fast as the top guys. I am very proud of the team; they are incredible, and we’re doing amazing work together. Today’s race was packed with drama somehow, I did a fantastic start, but then I struggled a little bit with the front tyre due to the temperature. But I was able to take my pace to get a Top5, that is good, but I wanted a podium today. I need to train my body this week to arrive in Austin in a good shape.”

Johann Zarco – P6

“Although I couldn’t make it to the podium, I gave it my all, and we were strong throughout the entire race. I did everything I could to extract the maximum from what we had, and it was interesting to analyze our rivals and compete at the front. This weekend has felt like a dream and has given us a lot of motivation to keep working and begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Many thanks to everyone for their amazing work”.

Brad Binder – P7

“I’m happy because I gave absolutely everything I had from the first lap. Also happy to get some points after what happened yesterday. I had a decent enough start and tried to go with the guys. I knew it would be tricky once we had our tyre drop, but I did my best and tried to make zero mistakes. Unfortunately, 7th was a good as it was going to be today. We are strong in braking and entry but we need to find more grip on the edge of the rear tyre. Once we do that then life will get much easier for us.”

Ai Ogura – P8 (Then DSQ)

“The race was really good. I was lucky after the start and gained a lot of positions and after that, I could pass a few riders, I was riding with very good pace. In Warm Up we found something and that made it a lot easier to go faster in the race. I think on the brakes, I was ok to pass the other riders, but against Binder, it was really tough to get past. On the exit, I had a bit more compared to him but on the brakes, he was doing very well. I was a little bit disappointed about my last lap, that I couldn’t find a way to pass Binder, but anyway, it was a great race and I’m really happy about today. I’m happy about the weekend, but especially Sunday. It is a great sadness that the result cannot stand.”

Pedro Acosta – P9

“The bike was working better but we need to understand why it is changing for us between the sessions. My race was more a handicap of high pressure in the front, once I controlled that I could move forward and pass other riders. I was catching Brad at the end but then had some arm-pump and it was hard to change direction in some corners. The only time I had arm-pump in my life was my first race in MotoGP. Normally I don’t have these things. I don’t think it is something important.”

Joan Mir – P10

“I knew that here, tyre management would be important, and I was in a group that allowed me to do it at the start. Defending myself under braking, I was comfortable, and I had Zarco and Bagnaia just ahead – I was riding in a good way. Then the battle really started with everyone, and I was defending all the time on the brakes, but we had to use a lot of tyre to do this. It’s quite frustrating honestly because I think I could have been deeper inside the top ten – but we were in the mix and fighting with everyone. A good job, but I want more which is also good because it shows the progress we have made.”

Luca Marini – P11

“My pace towards the end of the race was really good, we did a big, big step with the setting of the bike compared to yesterday. My team did a great job. It’s a bit of a pity because Miller had a slide at the start, so I had to change my trajectory which put us back a bit. I was able to close almost four seconds to Mir after fighting through many riders which meant I had no tyres left right at the end to try and pass him for tenth. During the race we were able to understand some more areas to work on in the coming races which should allow us to be better. Overall, it has been a good weekend with a couple of limits and the picture for Honda is coming more positive. We need to find something in Qualifying to avoid these sorts of situations at the start of the race but super happy with our work.”

Alex Rins – P12

“Today was tough. It was my decision to race with the soft rear tyre. Yesterday, after the Sprint, all the data pointed towards the medium rear tyre for the Race, but I tried it in this morning‘s Warm Up, and the feeling was not good, so I decided to go for the soft. It was actually quite difficult to manage all the race with the soft. I had to be very gentle to manage the tyre life. The front of the M1 is super nice, but there are some other areas we need to work on.”

Maverick Viñales – P13

“It has been an important weekend for us. We did not start as we wanted, but we recovered a lot of information that has brought us to a better feeling overall. Today, I rode much better than yesterday, and it gave me extra motivation for the next round. I think that we found a way to go, and I felt much more comfortable on the bike, so I am looking forward to the next round.”

Jack Miller – P14

“The release at the start of the race wasn‘t too bad, but then I had a bit of wheel spin — maybe I was a little too aggressive on the clutch, or the track was quite dirty — which caused me to lose a few positions. Fortunately, I was able to recover them fairly quickly. However, we struggled with grip. We opted for the medium rear tyre, and I‘m not sure if it was the right decision, but it‘s always easier to say that after the race. Anyway, I tried to be as gentle as possible and find my rhythm. With 11 laps to go, I felt like I was catching up to the other riders, but in the end, our tyre degradation was similar, so I wasn‘t able to move forward as much as I had expected. Overall, it‘s been a valuable learning weekend for us. Of course, we want to be closer to the front, and I‘m confident that we‘ll come back stronger in Texas in two weeks’ time.”

Fabio Quartararo – P15

“There’s not much to say. The touch between Bezzecchi and me in the first corner was unfortunate. I went wide, I was in last place, and also our pace was not super good all weekend. I could have maybe been a few positions higher, because starting the Race like this, you pretty much keep your position. It was a really tough weekend overall. Let’s see if we can do a bit better at the next GP.”

Raul Fernandez – P16

“First of all, I’m happy with the new steward panel. You can speak with them and can explain your point of view. I agree only 50% with the penalty, because I touched with Enea (Bastianini) a little bit, but he crashed alone because he didn’t pick up the bike. But I’m still happy with the stewards – this is a step for us. Apart from that, we changed the bike again today – I got on this bike in Thailand, when I was injured and I didn’t feel so well with my body and maybe that was a mistake, because we lost the line a little bit. In Thailand it was more or less good but here, after two days, the bike didn’t work like I want. So, we came back to the way I had last year and that was the key to feel competitive again. My starting position wasn’t the best, plus the penalty, but lap by lap I felt the pace to fight with them. I had a very similar pace like Fabio (Quartararo), who was much faster than us yesterday. This gives me the feeling we improved. In the last part of the race, I felt very good with the bike and the tires, so I am very motivated to go to Texas.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P17

“Too bad, because with the long-lap penalty the race was kind of compromised already. We even had a good start and then, in the best time, while I was behind the faster group and ready to learn, I had to perform the penalty. I re-joined with a good pace but then a coming together with another rider made me lose some focus. We need to improve in many areas, especially under braking, but today I can say that, compared to Thailand, I saw some improvements. Still not result-wise, but we need to be patient.”

Enea Bastianini – P18

“My race finished early, unfortunately, after Raul Fernandez pushed me out in T9 as he arrived too fast, and I crashed, which was a great shame because I took a strong start, already fighting for 13th after one lap. I got up to rejoin the race, to take the experience and see how my feeling was, even if I was missing the wing on the left side. Our pace was good today despite the strange sensation without one wing. Tyres dropped a lot in the final laps, but I pushed a lot in the middle as I gave everything to come back. In the end, we made the gap, and at least I did not finish last, but it was just an unfortunate race for us.”

Somkiat Chantra – P19

“Today was quite challenging; the feeling was notably different from yesterday. I couldn’t fight for the positions the way I wanted to, and it was difficult to maintain my pace. We’ll analyse the data thoroughly and see what we can do to improve this feeling moving forward.”

Marco Bezzecchi – DNF

“It was my mistake — I braked too late. I managed to miss Franco Morbidelli, but unfortunately, I hit Fabio Quartararo’s rear tyre. I’ve already apologised to his team, but I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise once again to Fabio. In any case, it was a good weekend. We had the pace to battle for the good positions. We still need to improve in qualifying, and that will be my goal for the next GP. I also felt good on the bike in the warm-up session, and I expected to be able to ride a good race, but the mistake on the first corner changed my plans”.

Team Manager Quotes

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Team Principal

“A great day again for Ai. He did a great recovery, starting in P15 and finishing eighth but especially what we really enjoyed are the fights with many experienced riders, overtaking when it’s not so easy to do, overall, it was very good, another great weekend from Ai despite the starting position. We go forward, keep going. Raul unfortunately, had this penalty. There’s nothing you can do. This penalized all his race. It looks like at the end, he was comfortable with the bike, he was doing well and could have probably get a good place but he couldn’t use it. Anyway, his feeling with the bike improved and now we hope we can restart from there in Austin. The post race sanction against Ai is very disappointing. We have to accept the decision of the Stewards but feel very sorry for Ai because this didn’t give him any advantage and it’s so disappointing to take away points from a great race and the great performance that he did on track. It doesn’t take away anything for what he has done. It was just a wrong version of the software in the ECU. He did a great race, a fantastic recovery and we move on and we will continue.”

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“This is a track where we always struggled in the past. Having five Ducati machines in the top give is therefore a very important result and especially with all three of our teams on the podium, which is a great sign. Marc put together another perfect weekend and there’s not much to say about it, the results speak for themselves. Pecco had more of a challenging time and we’re working hard to find a solution. He still did a great job to score the best possible result and I’m sure he’ll be back to the level we know well, and very soon.”

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“It was a very hard race. We took the risk on the grid putting the soft tyre. We knew that all Ducatis were using the medium, but the race was fantastic, Franco was very fast and finally we are back on the podium. I am very happy for him because I know he went through hard times. We decided to use the soft tyre for Fabio too, we knew at the end of the race it would have been very hard, but we made a good start and he finished in Top5. That’s a very good result, since he didn’t do any winter test, in Qatar the plan is to be at our 100%.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“It was a difficult Argentina GP overall, and this was not the end we had hoped for, especially for Fabio, though our riders did show perseverance. We weren’t strong enough this weekend for Álex to be able to fully engage in battle, but he managed his pace enough to maintain 12th place. Fabio was unlucky today. He got clipped at the start of the Race by a rival. Though Fabio fortunately stayed on the bike, it lost him a lot of ground. He was at the back of the pack, and his bike had taken a hit. It was difficult for him to catch up, but he still rode to 15th place and scored a point. Looking back on these first two GPs, starting with the positives, we have been able to improve our qualifying. However, we lost something in terms of tyre degradation and pace, which was not an issue in the past. We have to investigate what caused this, and we look forward to the next GP at COTA to try again.”

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“After a challenging Saturday we have to be happy for the progress we made for the Grand Prix race. We have to be positive about being in the top ten with both riders in our team but, of course, it is not what we want. After the extreme conditions in Thailand we have more important information here. It’s time for more analysis and to see what we can do in the short term for the next races.”

Nicolas Goyon – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“We knew that this Sunday in Argentina would be quite difficult, and it was tricky for both Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini. However, Maverick produced a great effort with a P13 finish from 19th on the grid. It is of course not what we are targeting, but it is a decent result, especially that it seems that Maverick found a better base on the bike this morning, which was confirmed in the race. This is what we are looking for. Enea was quite confident heading to the race, but unfortunately a contact with Raul Fernandez forced him to crash, and that was it. He did not give up, and finished the race to get more data for the future. I feel that we made some steps this weekend, and it is what will help us close the gap to the leaders. Let’s pack everything, and head to Texas for the next round in Austin!”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“First and foremost, I hope Miguel’s injuries from Saturday‘s Sprint Race crash are not severe so he can be back on the bike in two weeks at Austin. Fortunately, he sustained no fractures from the heavy impact, but withdrawing from the race and returning home to properly assess his condition was the most logical decision to avoid further complications. As for Jack, his less-than-ideal start certainly didn‘t help, as losing positions forced him to push harder in the early laps. Nonetheless, he managed to recover quickly with a consistent pace, securing some valuable points and, more importantly, providing engineers with crucial data for further development.”

Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing

“This is one of those Sundays to forget, but one of the positive aspects is undoubtedly the bike’s performance we saw with Marco throughout the various sessions. I feel bad for Fabio Quartararo who was blamelessly involved in Marco’s accident on the first corner. We’ll pick up our work with Sava in Austin, hoping that he is at 100% fitness, since we will continue developing the bike. We’ll try to increase Marco’s confidence on the bike, which is already good, but it certainly needs improvement with new tyres.”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin

“We have just experienced an exceptional race weekend, in front of a large and ever-passionate crowd here in Argentina. Many fans travelled from neighbouring countries, including a strong Brazilian community, which contributed to the festive atmosphere of the event. All records fell this year, and we return to Clermont-Ferrand proud of the performance and consistency of our tires. It is important to highlight that we had not raced on this circuit for two years. Our partners had to start from scratch in terms of setup, while we capitalised on our databases and digital simulation tools to prepare for this round. We brought to Termas a tyre allocation that was stiffer at the front and softer at the rear compared to 2023. In Argentina, the MICHELIN Power Slick rear and front tyres were symmetrical, despite the circuit’s asymmetry (5 left-hand corners versus 9 right-hand corners). All specifications performed flawlessly throughout the weekend, and many riders shared their satisfaction and confidence with us.”

MotoGP Race Report

Marc Marquez fended off Alex Marquez to collect the holeshot into Turn 1 as drama unfolded for Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing). The Italian, who made contact with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) after struggling to get his RS-GP stopped into Turn 1, crashed at the opening corner.

At the front, Johann Zarco (LCR Honda CASTROL) was hounding third place Bagnaia, with Turn 8 a popular passing place for the Frenchman. This squabbling between Pecco and Zarco saw the Marquez brothers skip to a 0.7s lead, with Alex shadowing Marc in the opening three laps.

On Lap 4, there was a change for the lead. Alex Marquez capitalised on a small mistake made by Marc Marquez at Turn 1, as blue led red for the first time in Argentina.

Meanwhile, Morbidelli had picked his way past Zarco and Bagnaia to climb into P3.

After a busy opening handful of laps, the Grand Prix settled down a tad as the riders settled into their early race rhythms. The blue corner Marquez was leading the red corner Marquez by 0.3s, Morbidelli was 0.7s behind Marc, with Bagnaia a further 0.8s off the back of his fellow Italian. Zarco, meanwhile, was 0.3s behind Pecco.

On Lap 11, it was as you were at the front. Bagnaia was losing ground though on the top three and Zarco was still swarming all over the rear end of his GP25. A couple of laps later, Morbidelli began to lose touch with Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez, but crucially, Morbidelli was still over a second clear of Bagnaia and Zarco.

With 10 to go, Marc Marquez had a bit of a moment coming through the fast Turn 11. It was a warning that cost the six-time MotoGP World Champion a couple of tenths, but a lap later, that deficit had been clawed back. And now, Marc was properly swarming all over the rear Michelin tyre of his brother.

Lap 18 of 25 – an attempted pass. Marc Marquez lunged at Turn 5 but couldn’t get his bike hooked up and stopped in time, so Alex Marquez kept the lead with seven laps to go. And having run wide, the margin between the leader and chaser was up to 0.4s.

What a showdown it was. On Lap 19, the brothers exchanged fastest laps of the race, with Marc going slightly quicker to latch himself on the back of Alex. Then, another move. Again it was Turn 5 and this time, it was a pass that stuck. Now it was all about whether Alex Marquez had anything in response.

The early signs were no, there wasn’t a response. With four laps to go, Marc Marquez stretched his advantage to 0.7s. At the beginning of Lap 22 of 25, the gap was then just over a second, as Marc Marquez’s team-mate Bagnaia was trying to put a late attack together to steal P3 from Morbidelli.

LAST LAP! Marc Marquez held a 1.5s lead over Alex Marquez, with Bagnaia 0.5s behind Morbidelli. Could the 2022 and 2023 MotoGP World Champion find a way to earn a late podium? No he couldn’t. And Alex Marquez couldn’t do anything about Marc Marquez from clinching another victory in 2025 as the #93 made it four wins from four – two Sprints, two Grands Prix – to begin his factory Ducati career in perfect fashion.

Another brilliant effort from Alex Marquez saw the Gresini rider finish second again, as Morbidelli clung on to pocket his first MotoGP podium since the 2021 Spanish GP. Bagnaia was breathing down his neck but the latter walks away from Argentina with an underwhelming fourth place. Bagnaia already 31-points behind his team-mate after only two rounds.

On the final lap, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) pinched P5 away from the incredibly impressive Zarco, as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) collected a P7 after yesterday’s Lap 1 crash in the Tissot Sprint.

Reigning Moto2 World Champion Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) produced a stellar ride to cross the line in P8 from 15th on the grid, but was then disqualified after the race for using a version of software not homologated by the Championship. That moves Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) up into P8 and means three Hondas are classified in the top 10 as each rider behind gains a place – putting Joan Mir in ninth and Honda HRC Castrol teammate Luca Marini in tenth.

That’s Marini’s best Sunday result in Honda colours, as Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), Quartararo and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) rounded out the points scorers in Termas.

Two Sprints, two Grands Prix, four wins for Marc Marquez. It’s been a magical start to 2025 for the six-time MotoGP King and next up is a trip to the Circuit of The Americas – a track he adores. Can anyone halt Marc Marquez’s momentum in Austin? Alex Marquez and Bagnaia will be two riders who’ll be desperate to do just that.

MotoGP Race Results

2025 MotoGP Calendar