A remarkable British GP brought a fifth different winner in as many Grands Prix, with three winning manufacturers in a row adding yet more variety. MotorLand Aragon is our next stop on the calendar, a legacy home for Championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) and a circuit he has a sparkling record at. Despite this, MotoGP in 2025 has no guarantee of the form guide being followed…
Last time out, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) took honours despite qualifying 11th. With Aprilia taking a first win of the season, they aim for back-to-back wins for the first time ever.
Marco Bezzecchi
“We are coming fresh from a positive moment and we need to exploit it, continuing to work with this enthusiasm as we have up to now. Aragón is a fantastic track that I really like, so I can’t wait to be on it. After Silverstone, we are pumped up and confident. It will definitely be interesting to see how we’re able to do, but my commitment and everyone else’s is always super high.”
Bezzecchi capitalised on Fabio Quartararo’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) heart-breaking technical issue at Silverstone, which ended his British GP. The Frenchman is the form rider in qualifying, with three poles in a row. Silverstone was his best chance yet of victory before it was cruelly snatched away out of his hands. At a circuit where he’s been on the front row three times before but never stood on the rostrum, ‘El Diablo’ seeks revenge at Aragon.
Fabio Quartararo
“The British GP didn’t end how we wanted, and at the time it was super tough to take, not just for me, but also for the team, the engineers, and the fans. But there were also positives to take away from that Race. I was super fast, and we were leading the race by a big margin – that felt great! So, now it’s our aim to keep working like we have been doing and create another opportunity like that to fight at the front again. This weekend will be a challenge, though. Aragon is usually not an easy circuit for me, but I will give it my 100% anyway.”
Fellow countryman Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) is the highest points-scorer from the last two Sundays after victory at Le Mans and second in the UK – Aragon is a new challenge but surging to fifth in the standings, he’s a point behind fourth and 27 down on third.
First and second in the standings, Aragon is Marquez brother territory. Marc has a 24-point lead over his brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), something Alex has stated means “he’s still alive”, being within the crucial 25-point win tally.
2024’s Aragon round was the return of Marc to the top step for the first time since 2021 but he now looks for his first win since Lusail, nearly two months ago after a winless May. Dominant in the Sprints but since ruffled in the Grands Prix – including by team-mate Francesco Bagnaia and brother Alex at Jerez – Marc fans will flock to Aragon this week to see him return to his Sunday best.
For Pecco, he’ll look to repeat his astonishing battle with Marc from 2021, where he beat him in a straight-up last lap showdown and for his first win. He won’t be wanting to repeat his 2024 battle with Alex though…
In 2024, Marc Marquez took Gresini to victory at Aragon and whilst this really is a Marc circuit, don’t underestimate surprises from behind.
Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) lies fourth in the standings but is being pressured by Zarco. A combative performance from P13 last time out to P4 and narrowly missing out on a podium to Marc, whilst team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio had a double top ten at Silverstone: Franky won the Teruel Grand Prix at Aragon in 2020 whereas P8 was the best ‘Diggia’ last year.
Franco Morbidelli
“We come to a circuit with a unique surroundings and characteristics, where the asphalt is a bit tricky, there is no grip, so it will be difficult. We’re confident we can do well at MotorLand Aragon, where I’ve been able to get great results and win in the past. There are things we need to understand from the Silverstone weekend to be able to be faster at Aragon. Our goal is to continue to fight for top positions, with the team we are doing a great job and we are ready to confirm.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio
“MotorLand Aragon is a circuit I like, it’s a very technical track. Last year we struggled a bit, but this year, with more data and the basic setup we have found in the last few races, we can tackle it in a better way and with even more potential. I want to bring to Aragon the attitude of Silverstone, which was what allowed us to work focused to make important steps forward and have a great weekend. Hopefully the weather will be more stable than the last two races.”
Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) is set for a debut at Aragon on MotoGP machinery off his third top ten in four rounds, just two points behind fellow Murcian Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who is on for three top six finishes on Sunday in a row, although he retired at Aragon in 2024.
Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) was mighty throughout Sunday’s Silverstone thriller before falling back in the closing stages; citing the importance of track position in terms of fighting off the opposition, he’ll hope for another strong qualifying this weekend, aiming for three top tens in a row.
Jack Miller
“I’m looking forward to heading back to Aragon. They resurfaced it last year, and while it was still settling in at the time, I‘m expecting better grip conditions now. The bike has been performing well lately, and although Aragon is quite different, with a very long straight, it also has some nice flowing corners where we can hopefully make the Yamaha work to its strengths. We had a good weekend in Silverstone, and I hope we can carry that momentum into this round.”
Despite chatter issues in the UK, it was a first finish on Sunday since Argentina for Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), and whereas team-mate Luca Marini was aiming for an eighth points-scoring finish in a row for the first time, he’s now sidelined through injury after a testing crash.
Joan Mir
“First of all, I want to wish Luca all the best in his recovery. In Silverstone we saw that there are still a few areas to work on to be able to consistently show our performance, it was good to get more race kilometres and some points, but we need to do more in Aragon. It’s a track I have gone well at in the past and we can see that the bike is at a much better level this year, so I am hopeful of taking another step. The test on Monday will also be helpful for us to double check some things that the Test Team has been working on.”
A challenging Silverstone is in the past for all KTM riders and with Acosta leading the charge, team-mate Brad Binder was strong at Aragon last year, whilst for 2022 Aragon GP winner Enea Bastianini and podium-finishing teammate in 2025 Maverick Viñales, their aim will be a vast improvement from Silverstone’s struggles.
Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager
“We have left the UK to head South this week for the GoPro Grand Prix of Aragon. Silverstone was a tricky weekend for our Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, but we believe that Aragon’s layout should suit our bike much better, especially looking at last season, since our team was on the podium in both sprint and race. This anticlockwise circuit based in Spain is a mix of long straights and hard-brakings, tight corners and acceleration on lean angles. Maverick Viñales has clearly under-performed in the UK, mostly because we missed every key moment of the weekend following several issues. We believe that it was an isolated bad weekend, and that he will carry on his progress in Aragon, where we will focus on making it to Q2 for a whole easier weekend. Enea Bastianini is finding himself in a different situation, because he simply can not feel the bike right now. Silverstone was the worst weekend of the season for him. We had a long talk with him after the race, and we will try to approach Aragon differently, with new ideas. We know he is fast on that layout, having won in 2022, and we will do everything to see the real DNA of Enea back with us. Let’s be positive, and work hard!”
The second Grand Prix weekend in Spain is another opportunity to put on a solid display at home for Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – 2020’s winner – and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) –2021’s Moto2 Grand Prix winner. Both have been in the points consistently of late.
Miguel Oliveira’s (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) third weekend back since injury is in the offing but he continues to chase a first point since returning, whilst Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) hopes Aragon will yield his first MotoGP points – a circuit where he’s been in the top ten in the last two Moto2 GPs.
Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) continues deputising for reigning World Champion Jorge Martin, whereas Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) has recently undergone surgery on his leg injury sustained at Silverstone, with his presence to be confirmed.
Ai Ogura
“After the crash in Silverstone, I had surgery last Tuesday which seems to have gone well and after that, I have been working on my recovery. It was frustrating to have to miss most of the Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone but I am hoping to be fit enough to get through my next medical assessment on Thursday and then be able to ride again on Friday.”
Located in the heart of the vast Motorland Aragón complex, the Alcañiz circuit was inaugurated in 2009 and hosted its first MotoGP Grand Prix in 2010. In 2023, the 5.077 km layout — run counterclockwise, with 10 left-hand corners, 7 right-hand corners, and two straights, the longest of which stretches 968 metres — underwent major renovation work. The entire track was resurfaced, and MotoGP bikes rode on it for the first time at the end of August 2024.
A new winner in Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), a debut Moto2 podium finisher in David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) and two of the top four in the Championship scoring zero points. Silverstone delivered the drama and a brilliant race last time out, so what has Aragon got in store?
It was a tale of two opposing races in the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP box. Agius’ emotional first Grand Prix victory was his third podium of the season, while Manuel Gonzalez’s race ended after a failed attempt to pass Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) saw both score DNFs. And with none of the top four in the Championship finishing on the British GP podium, the points table has tightened ahead of Round 8.
Agius’ classy final chicane move was enabled by Aron Canet’s (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) attempts to steal 25 points away from Alonso. It ended with Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) following the Australian through to make it an Aussie-Brazilian 1-2 at Silverstone, with Colombia picking up P3. Canet, understandably, wasn’t happy with a P4 after leading the race for so long, so the #44 will be keen to respond on home turf.
Three points split Gonzalez and Canet at the Moto2 summit, with Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), last year’s Aragon GP race winner, in P3 after the Briton finished 11th (after a penalty) in front of his home crowd. Dixon is 27 points behind Gonzalez, and after going four races without a podium, the #96 will be searching for a momentum shift.
Baltus’ podium run came to an end through no fault of his own, so the Belgian rider lands in Aragon wanting to forget about his Silverstone non-finish. And speaking of podiums, can two of last year’s Aragon GP top three, Tony Arbolino (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), challenge at the front again? They’ll be hoping that’s the case.
Sunday couldn’t have gone much better for Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Rueda’s victory from the back of the grid was nothing short of flawless, and it was a fifth win of the season that saw the Spaniard sail into a 54-point lead after his two chief title rivals notched up scoreless Sundays in the UK.
The duo we’re talking about are, of course, Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA). A last lap crash for the former was Piqueras’ second DNF in a row after his Le Mans crash, while Kelso’s race ended while leading in the opening exchanges. Both remain P2 and P3 in the standings, but the title chase tide needs to turn in their favour fast after Rueda’s third straight win. And next is a circuit where Rueda collected 25 points last year: MotorLand Aragon.
Elsewhere, Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) earned a debut Grand Prix podium after the rookie once again rolled out a stellar weekend. After missing the Spanish GP through injury, Quiles will be chomping at the bit to get going again on home soil in Aragon. And it’s a track he knows well too.
Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was a podium finisher at the 2024 Aragon GP, so arriving at MotorLand after collecting a P3 at Silverstone will give the Italian a timely injection of confidence. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), the lead rookie in 2025, now has back-to-back P4s and will be gunning for a rostrum return on home soil, with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) keen to respond after a post-race penalty saw the Japanese star – who sits P5 in the standings – finish P12.
Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) will be back in action too as the Moto3 field looks to try and put a halt to Rueda’s phenomenal run of early-season form.
