MotoGP riders and Team Managers reflect on Jerez Sprint Race – Moto2/3 QP

MotoGP 2025

Round Five – Jerez
Saturday Sprint Round-Up / Results

Marc Márquez – P1

“Managing the situation is what I’ve been repeating to myself this weekend: it’s clear that I’d like to be on pole and win every time, but if there’s no way of doing that, it’s surely still good. I got a couple of scary moments in two fast corners during my time attack in qualifying. The mistake is always around the corner: we’re very fast and we showed it. Today we took a few risks in order to pull away, then we managed the situation until the end. Tomorrow’s race will be a long one, and it’ll be hot. We’ll keep in mind that the feeling on the bike may change.”

Alex Marquez – P2

“Second again, but today it has a sweeter taste than usual. I started without too many expectations and without being fully prepared to this afternoon’s heat. Yesterday I basically didn’t lap at all, and I was a bit nervous heading into the race. Everyone else had improved compared to yesterday, while I was in a bit of a standstill because of my mistake in Practice. We’ll try to make up some ground ahead of tomorrow, in a race that is shaping up to be a complex one.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“I did my most classic Sprint Race of the season: I started third and crossed the line third, without overtakes. We’ll work on this matter during the Monday test. We’re still happy with how today went, we didn’t lose many points and tomorrow is a different day, we’ll try to give it some more. The goal is to bridge the gap, as at the moment Marc is showing to be the quicker one.”

Franco Morbidelli – P4

“I am happy that this morning in FP2 nothing serious happened: I had a big crash and I went against the air fences. I was a bit worried because I was feeling a lot of pain in my neck, but thanks to the physio of my team we could recover enough to secure the second row in qualifying and be fourth in the Sprint. Now I feel a lot of pain, I don’t know how I will feel tomorrow, but today we try to fix some more for tomorrow.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P5

“It was an excellent sprint race; I felt comfortable on the bike already from yesterday despite Jerez being a very different track to the first four of the season and despite that, we were quick and had a good pace. We still lack plenty of experience, but to continue fighting for the top 5 would be the dream. The real goal for tomorrow is the top ten, but we like to think big.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P6

“Today we had some vibration on the rear that we didn’t expect and the last five laps of the Sprint were very tough. I did a good start and I was faster than the rider ahead of me, but it was difficult to make a move on him. We have to work for tomorrow to try to recover some places. Today’s sixth place is a good result, but it’s not our goal because we have the potential to fight for the podium. We are not so far from that, I will try to be one of the guys at the top tomorrow.”

Maverick Viñales – P7

“The day has been really positive for us, especially this morning because I found a feeling on the bike that I like a lot, so it’s good to mark it out and try to replicate it in the future. The balance between front and rear was really good, and the rear was very good especially at the exit of the corners. In the sprint, things were a little bit more difficult, the grip was not great, I was struggling a bit more with the front of the machine, and I was sliding a little bit sideways going into the corners, so I was not able to be as competitive as I was this morning. However, we are happy, I was catching back Di Giannantonio towards the end, and maybe with more laps we could have done more. Anyway, positive day for us, let’s continue working all together!”

Marco Bezzecchi – P8

“We made a small step forward. Fortunately, I managed to go through to Q2 but I wasn’t able to get onto the first two rows, which is always my goal. In the end, I started with the pack, but I had a brilliant start and a great duel in the beginning. Now we need to work on the areas where we know we have room for improvement and we need to stay focused and never give up.”

Joan Mir – P9

“We had a good day today overall and I was able to ride well, inside the limit, with this group of Diggia, Bezzecchi, Viñales. From the start we were fighting hard and finally able to end inside the points. It wasn’t an easy race as there are still some areas we need to improve with the bike, but I was able to change my riding to cope with it. From the Sprint we were able to learn some good information for the long race on Sunday. Starting in ninth will be a benefit tomorrow because overtaking here in Jerez is not so simple.”

Pedro Acosta – P10

“It’s not easy when things don’t go how you expected or how you plan. The way is to keep pushing, keep continuing to work and this will pull us up. Yesterday was not bad and this morning was OK for pace but when the conditions change then a lot of unexpected things happen…and we need to understand how to find a way.”

Brad Binder – P11

“I expected more from the Sprint but the conditions were quite different compared to the morning; it was a lot greasier on track and a trickier. I tried my best to manage it. The pace wasn’t bad but I was still too slow. We have a bit too much chatter and we need more edge grip but my guys have some ideas and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

Ai Ogura – P12

“The Sprint was ok today. It was pretty much what I expected or even a bit better so, I can be fairly satisfied with today. I’m a bit happier today compared to yesterday as the front tire was ok for 12 laps but, I don’t know how it will be in the full race tomorrow. I was not really behind someone, just the last two laps I was quite close to Binder. For tomorrow, I think everybody will go with the medium rear tyre, so I don’t know how it’s going to be. I’m not so fast with this at the moment and I’m not sure if I can have the same style of race tomorrow.”

Luca Marini – P13

“I was able to be super aggressive at the start of the race to try and gain some positions early on. Our pace was a little below what I expected, but for us in the Sprint it’s a bit trickier and we have some things which we always improve into the long race on Sunday so I think that we can achieve more. I am confident that we are close to the top ten, I need to make sure my start is good and really pick the best spot in the opening lap.”

Enea Bastianini – P14

“We can not be satisfied with today’s outcome, because our expectations were much higher following the small improvements made in FP2 this morning. We qualified 18th on the grid, and then we did not take a great start in the sprint. We lost a lot of time trying to overtake some riders at the front, and you don’t have time to waste in the sprints, so I am disappointed. Anyway, I am confident that we can do a good job on Sunday, so let’s focus on that now!”

Alex Rins – P15

“It was a big crash this morning. That second one was nasty. I lost the front at a really high speed and then went into the air fence, hitting the wall. For a crash at that speed, I’m more or less OK. I went to the medical centre to have a check-up, because I was feeling a little bit of pain in my right little finger and also my knee, and they found that also my wrist had a little crack. But I did the Sprint race just to see what my condition is like and what we would be able to do. Right now, for sure, I’m tired and in pain, but the Sprint race was important for us. I’m not feeling 100% because of the crash, but we still have work to do. We are a bit far from Fabio, so we need to keep working.”

Raul Fernandez – P16

“Right now, I’m a little bit upset because it’s true that we don’t have the pace to be in the top 7 or, top 8, but yesterday and this morning we had the speed to be in the 37’s all the race, which would have been a fight for 11th place during the Sprint to be realistic. But for some reason I couldn’t do a 1:37 in all the Sprint race. I didn’t feel good, I couldn’t stop the bike well and I was wide in almost all the corners so, I’m waiting to see what my crew is analyzing to go through tonight and find out what we can do tomorrow.”

Augusto Fernandez – P17

“It was a tough day. It‘s true that I‘ve gotten much closer to the other riders, but there‘s still something missing. The team is competitive, and I still need to find a bit more rhythm, while at the same time, we‘re also trying out some things to help develop the bike. The important thing is that we have a clear and precise direction, as you can also see from Fabio‘s results — he‘s doing an incredible job. I spent the whole race alongside Rins, and I noticed we were struggling more or less in the same areas, which will also help in our development work. Now we‘ll see what kind of race I can put together. Session by session, I feel more comfortable on the bike, and the goal is to close the gap a bit more to the riders ahead.”

Aleix Espargaro – P18

“It was good to be back racing! I was hoping to be a bit more competitive, there were some complications in Qualifying and it was my first time really pushing to the limit with a soft tyre on this bike. It’s tough to overtake here and I spent most of the race trying to get ahead of the Yamaha’s – but the bike is good and there is potential there. I was able to see clearly where we need to improve so now myself and the Test Team know even more where to focus on.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P19

“We are moving forward with new upgrades on the bike, so we need to get some miles in to allow the engineers to understand what works best and what needs improvement. We have identified a few areas where we need to keep working and analysing the data. In any case, some interesting things have come up. We won’t stop – development continues and we are also trying to make a further step forward because pursuing our work during a race weekend is extremely important, given the fact that the conditions are ideal.”

Somkiat Chantra – P20

“Today the Sprint was quite demanding. We followed our plan, and I was happy with the bike setup. However, I lost some time at the start, then tried to manage the tyre. We chose the soft rear today, and it was a bit on the limit, so tomorrow we’ll switch to the medium.”

Jack Miller – DNF

“This wasn‘t the result we were aiming for, starting this morning in Q1 when I took a gamble that didn‘t pay off — that‘s on me. I went for the soft front tire, a bit of an ’old Jack Miller classic‘ move to try and nail a qualifying lap. But honestly, the new soft front isn‘t what it used to be. I had the medium on for FP3, but there were quite a few crashes on the left-hand side early on, and I also had some front-end locks, so I thought pushing for one flying lap on the soft would be the safer bet. Already at Turn 2 on my first time attack, though, I realized it was the wrong decision — the tire kept getting softer and softer. In the race, I made a small mistake at the final corner of the first lap, basically doing almost a long lap and losing three positions. Then I got a tear-off stuck on the back straight, and after that, the bike felt a bit heavy and sluggish, making every move harder. Later, I was behind Marini, and on lap 5 he ran deep at Turn 6. I tried to keep it tight to get ahead of him on the exit, but as soon as I leaned in a couple more degrees, the bike went down. We‘ll regroup now, try to make some changes to get more feeling with the front, and see what tomorrow brings.”

Johann Zarco – DNF

“I’m disappointed. Yesterday I felt good, but I believe I didn’t provide the best feedback, as today I didn’t find the feeling. During the Sprint, I expected to struggle, and that’s what happened, it was difficult to manage the tyre because of it. This evening, we’ll work on solutions and carefully analyse how to improve. It’s a pity because we wanted to keep the momentum, but tomorrow we’ll have another chance to try and see how it pans out.”

Fabio Quartararo – DNF

“I started the qualifying with a 1’36.0s but I didn’t expect to have 0.4s up my sleeve on just one run, just by braking super hard and later. I’m super happy with the two hot laps I did. Also, mentally it’s good to be back in pole position. Our pace this weekend is very fast, and today I think we could have fought for the podium. Today, the main goal was to have fun, and I wanted to try to lead for as much of the Sprint as possible. I overtook Marc in the first corner, and it’s been a while since I saw nobody ahead of me. Unfortunately, that was just for 1.5 laps. Marc was very close to me on the straight, and my bike started to shake. I went a little bit wide and lost the front. All in all, I still feel like it was a really positive day. Since FP2, I’ve been able to make a really good pace, in qualifying I got pole position, and I led the Sprint. Of course, I wanted to finish on the podium, but it’s still been the most positive day of the season so far. Let’s see tomorrow what the feeling is like. For sure, I will give it my all to fight with the front guys.”

MotoGP Team Managers

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Aprilia Racing

“It was a slightly complicated Saturday, especially conditioned by our position in qualifying. We know that in this MotoGP the qualifying is a truly important element, because we are all extremely close, and starting from the rear often conditions how you’re able to manage the race a bit. The final placement in the sprint race could undoubtedly have been better, but this is an aspect we need to keep working on and where we are already making gradual progress. We’ll obviously need time, but we are optimistic.”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“I would say the weekend so far has been quite positive because we are understanding more about our set-up and improving some areas but, as we see in the Sprint results, there is still a lot more to do. The grip held us back because in the afternoon it was lower than in the morning and this was critical for us and our four riders. In any case, we gained more time and laps for learning. Tomorrow the rear tire will be different and we feel the situation could be different among the manufacturers. We are trying to find the right answers to be more competitive tomorrow.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“It definitely wasn‘t the Saturday we were hoping for, especially after seeing a promising race pace from Jack on Friday, which unfortunately he wasn‘t able to capitalize on when it came time to set a fast lap. However, Quartararo‘s pole position shows that Yamaha is making progress, even if there‘s still a lot of work to do. For us, one of the key areas we need to improve is qualifying, because once you start from the front rows, everything changes — from the pace you can set in the race to how you manage it. On a track that‘s quite narrow and with such high temperatures, starting from the back like Jack and Augusto did today makes everything much more difficult.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“It was a difficult Sprint for both Ai and Raul. Ai struggled a bit on the front and Raul didn’t get the same feeling he had yesterday afternoon and this morning so, of course, we have to work tonight to see what we can learn from today and bring this into tomorrow. At the end, the starting position doesn’t help – the pace for Ai was not that bad and he could have been further in front with the second group, but starting 15th doesn’t make it easy to recover. Anyway, we have to take the information into tomorrow and improve what we have done today.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“It was another strong performance from Maverick Viñales in Jerez’ sprint as he managed to take a strong P7, after qualifying in 6th all the way from Q1, which is always a difficult exercise. He continued to show his ability to adapt quickly to a completely new bike, which we already knew before, but the start of his season with the KTM package has confirmed his talent. We are confident that he will do everything he can to achieve a top 5 in Sunday’s race. Enea Bastianini is sadly still struggling with the one lap-exercise, and the story is always different from P18 on the grid. He did an OK sprint today with P14, but everyone wants more, including himself, and I am sure that he will look for a strong performance on the long distance.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“We had great highs and lows today. Starting with a positive: Fabio did a more than amazing job in qualifying. He was riding faultlessly and not only got pole but also set a new All-Time Lap Record. This shows the progress we are making. Of course, it’s a shame that we didn’t manage to capitalise on it in today’s Sprint – nobody will be more disappointed than Fabio himself – but that doesn’t take away from the level of riding that he has been showing all weekend. Tomorrow he will start from pole again and have a second chance. Another positive aspect is how Álex managed a very difficult Saturday. He had two crashes in FP2, and the last one was especially heavy. After a medical check, he was declared fit to ride, but he could only do one lap in qualifying, so he was at the back of the grid. Mentally and physically, that’s a tough situation for a rider to be in, but Álex did well in the Sprint. He gradually gained confidence again, and he got in some good overtakes which also helps to get the confidence back for tomorrow. After this eventful day, we will prepare for a long Race of 25 laps tomorrow. We will give it our all to get the best results possible.”

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

Five Saturday victories in a row are something that only reigning World Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) has been able to achieve before – until now. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), after polesitter Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) crashed out on Lap 2, delighted a magnificent Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain crowd by clinching a gold medal in Jerez as the World Championship leader beat Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) by just over a second in Jerez. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took the chequered flag in P3 to pocket a decent haul of Tissot Sprint points, the Italian was just over three seconds adrift of Sprint King Marquez.

From a historic pole, Quartararo was beaten off the line by Marc Marquez but late on the brakes into Turn 1, the Yamaha star grabbed P1 back expertly to lead the pack around the opening lap. Alex Marquez was up to P3 from P4 on the grid, with Bagnaia holding off Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) – the Italians sat fourth and fifth.

Then, drama unfolded on Lap 2. Marc Marquez managed to get alongside Quartararo going into the Dani Pedrosa corner at Turn 6. The latter, hanging it around the outside on the dirtier part of the circuit and braking ultra hard, saw his Sprint cruelly end as the front end washed out from underneath him. A real shame after a stunning Saturday in Jerez for Quartararo.

So, where did that leave us? Marc Marquez led Alex Marquez by half a second, with Bagnaia 0.8s behind the Gresini Ducati in third. Morbidelli was 0.4s away from Bagnaia in P4, rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) was fifth after an early scare on Lap 1, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) a close sixth.

With eight laps to go, Marquez’s lead over his brother was up to a second, but that closed to 0.9s a lap later. However, Marc’s lead rose to 1.4s with five laps remaining and with three laps left, it was still hovering around that number. Bagnaia wasn’t attacking Alex Marquez, and Morbidelli was now a second off his compatriot, so it looked like no late challenges for the podium positions were coming unless a mistake was going to be made.

And those potential mistakes didn’t arise. To the tune of 100,000 Spanish supporters filling the famous Jerez hillsides, Marc Marquez held off Alex Marquez to clinch his fifth consecutive Tissot Sprint victory, as Alex Marquez collects another Saturday silver medal. Bagnaia secured important points in P3, but the Italian will be searching for more in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Morbidelli was P4 with Aldeguer impressing again to collect a Sprint P5 in front of his home crowd, as Di Giannantonio managed to hold off Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) to earn P6. Viñales crossed the line in seventh, 2.3s ahead of eighth place Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), as 2020 World Champion Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) picked up the final Saturday point in P9 ahead of tenth place Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

MotoGP Jerez Sprint Race Results

Jerez MotoGP Qualifying Times

Moto2

Home is where the heart is and whilst some crack under the pressure, others rise to the occasion and that’s exactly the case for Manuel Gonzalez (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team) and Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2), who head a Spanish 1-2 in Moto2 at Jerez. Both put in superb late laps to bag the first two grid slots and with both split by just 0.032s, it’s a mouthwatering prospect in the offing for Sunday’s Grand Prix. In third it’s a first front row for Australian Senna Agius (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), who is likewise close on the chase.

Q1 was always going to be a close-fought contest to scrape through. The likes of Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), Zonta Van Den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP), Collin Veijer (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR-FRINSA-MSI) all booked their slot, although not without a potential late scare. Darryn Binder (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) was looking on course to move into the all-important top four but fell at the final corner, ending his hopes of moving up further.

In Q2 itself, there were surprises in store right the way through; Agius was the long-time session leader ahead of Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) but it was a set of late laps by Gonzalez and Arenas that propelled them up the order into pole and P2 respectively. Agius remains third, making it a double front row for the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt squad.

Senna Agius – P3

“It was a good day. We were really fast this morning and did a good run with a view to the race, which is also positive. Also, the atmosphere in the team is really positive and I feel good with the bike. I did my best in qualifying, but honestly, I was on the limit. On our second run with the new tyre, I made a mistake on the first lap. So, I did my time on the lap after that, which wasn’t perfect either because I made another small mistake. Nevertheless, we are very close to pole position, and I am very happy to be on the front row for the first time. A big thank you to the guys around me, to my team, because to be rewarded with this is really nice. I also think that tomorrow can be a really nice day for our team, but we have to stay calm and keep our pace in the race. All in all, though, I’m super proud of everyone. So, the podium is the goal, but honestly, we know what can happen in a race. So, I’m just going to do my job as best I can. Jerez is an incredible weekend, personally I’m very happy up to this point. To finish on the podium couldn’t be better for us.”

Baltus heads up the second row ahead of Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), so whilst it’s a Spain 1-2 on home turf, there’s an international flavour to the opposition behind.

There were costly crashes for Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) and David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), with the #44 crashing at Turn 6 on his final flying lap and the reigning Moto3 World Champion at the final corner halfway through the session. Both came home in P7 and P8 respectively and Alonso improved on his last lap. Elf Marc VDS Racing Team duo Jake Dixon and Filip Salac complete the top ten. Two shocks outside the top ten in P13 and P14 were the Beta Tools SpeedRS Team duo of Celestino Vietti and Alonso Lopez, with work to do and a busy Sunday ahead.

Jerez Moto2 Qualifying Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

Home hero Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has been mighty all weekend at the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain, and he bagged a first pole of 2025 as he aims to retake the Championship lead he relinquished in Qatar through no fault of his own with that late technical issue. Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) takes a third front row of the season in second, with David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) forced to settle for third. Championship leader Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) only just missed out, set to start fourth on home turf.

Having to fight through Q1, riders such as David Almansa (Leopard Racing), Riccardo Rossi (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) were some of the big names in the hunt to move into Q2. Despite being provisionally inside the top four, late lap time cancellations meant Almansa, Ogden and Tatchakorn Buasri (Honda Team Asia) all missed out and instead, it was Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), Cormac Buchanan (DENSSI Racing – BOE) and Vicente Perez (LEVELUP-MTA) who moved into Q2.

The fight for pole position in the opening stages of Q2 was tight too, with just 0.047s separating home heroes Rueda and Muñoz at the halfway point. Going into the second half, it was all to play for but Rueda, like he had been all weekend, was in a class of his own and secured pole by just under three tenths of a second.

A late charge welcomed Kelso to a third front row of the season in second, pipping Muñoz, and Piqueras in P4 is primed for a good home GP as he looks to protect his lead.

Joel Kelso – P2

“I’m really happy to be back among the front runners. The goal was to start at the front, and we achieved it; second place is a great result. Tomorrow will be a fast race, and I’ll need to stay close to the leader and play my cards right. The focus this weekend was improving my riding style on a track that doesn’t perfectly suit my characteristics, and the results are showing. The goal remains the podium; we’ll give it everything.”

Top rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) could be one to watch at a venue where he’s got a wealth of experience, and he’s just ahead of Lusail pole-sitter Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI).

There was drama late on for Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), who was held up on a fast lap by a touring Buchanan, before crashing on his final flying lap. He held onto P7 though ahead of Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Argentine star Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) who complete the top ten.

Jacob Roulstone – P8

“It was a good qualifying, but I am slightly disappointed to be honest because I feel like I had a bit more in there. I lost a bit of time in sector 1 of my flying lap, and then caught back the lost time, so I guess we had margin to be faster. Anyway, we are feeling ourselves again, the feeling is back, and I am enjoying myself a lot. I’m excited for the race tomorrow, thank you to my team and everyone who supports me.”

Stand-out performances further down included super-sub Perez in P11 and South African rookie Ruche Moodley (DENSSI Racing – BOE) with a personal best of P15.

Jerez Moto3 Qualifying Times

Moto3 Championship Standings

2025 MotoGP Calendar