#PortugueseGP – MOTOGP, SPRINT & RACE – P15 for Bulega
MOTOGP – SPRINT: 73 vs 37 – Alex Marquez vs Acosta lights up Portimao in Sprint blockbuster
Portimao in Sprint blockbuster
MotoGP at its pulsating best. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) vs Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). 73 vs 37. It was the sky blue of Marquez that won a barnstorming battle against the orange of Acosta in a Saturday head-to-head that will live long in the memory. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) had the perfect viewing spot for the fight while also having his say, with the polesitter just 0.5s away from the gold medal as the trio treat us to something a little bit special in the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Portugal Tissot Sprint.
Bezzecchi grabs holeshot, Marquez gets away well
Bezzecchi launched perfectly from pole to earn the holeshot, with Acosta holding onto P2 ahead of the fast-starting Alex Marquez. The latter gained two places off the line, which meant Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) dropped a place each into P4 and P5 respectively.
At the end of Lap 2 of 12, Bezzecchi had Acosta swarming all over the rear tailpipes of his RS-GP and sure enough, on the run into Turn 1, Acosta struck. The #37 perfected the move to lead the Sprint, and now, Marquez was tucked right behind Bezzecchi too. A gap of 1.5s had opened up behind the rapid trio to Quartararo, Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
Let battle commence: Bezzecchi vs Acosta vs Marquez
On Lap 3, Turn 1 saw Bezzecchi get picked off by Marquez. A copy and paste from the pass Acosta made, with the KTM, Ducati and Aprilia riders locked together. Further back, Lap 4 saw Nicolo Bulega (Ducati Lenovo Team) crash out of his first Sprint, Turn 13 catching the Italian out, and at a similar time, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) was forced to retire.
Another Turn 1 move, anyone? Go on then. Marquez attacked but Acosta didn’t hang around in P2 for long. The #37 went for the lead at Turn 3, but Marquez was able to keep hold of P1 on the cutback. Then, Turn 5 witnessed a brilliant move pay off for Acosta, but once again, a couple of laps later, Marquez was able to get a lovely run out of the final corner to set up another Sprint leading move into Turn 1.
However, four corners later, Acosta again lunged at Turn 5 and got the move done. Bezzecchi had a VIP seat in this and the Italian had a wonderful view of Marquez’s latest Turn 1 pass on Acosta.
This was scintillating. Alex Marquez vs Acosta, with Bezzecchi ready to react to any error from the Spaniards. But with three laps to go, Marquez looked like he had something extra in his pocket compared to Acosta and Bezzecchi, with the latter now climbing all over the rear wheel of the KTM.
Heading onto the last lap, Marquez’s lead was 0.4s. Did Acosta have anything left? The answer was yes. Enough to get within touching distance anyway. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough, but what a fight Acosta put up. Marquez fended off his compatriot by just 0.120s, with Bezzecchi third by just half a second in a very memorable Tissot Sprint at Portimao’s rollercoaster.
Your Saturday points scorers
Quartararo kept hold of P4 to cap off a good day for the Yamaha star, with Di Giannantonio eight tenths in arrears to round out the top five. Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) won a great battle for P6 that went down to the wire, with Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) also getting the better of Pecco out of the final corner as the Italian loses crucial points in the race for P3 overall. It was P8 in the end for the #63, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) picking up the final Saturday point in P9.
MOTOGP – RACE: Bezzecchi pulls clear to beat Marquez and Acosta in Portimao
It was perfection from start to finish from Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) who led every one of the 25 laps at Portimao for the Portuguese GP. A vital victory saw him move comfortably clear in the race for third overall in the Championship, although he’ll need just a few points to secure it next week in Valencia. Behind the Italian on the track, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) resisted a late surge in pace from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) with the podium being reshuffled from Saturday’s Sprint.
LIGHTS OUT! Bezzecchi holds off Acosta
Getting an excellent start, Acosta was dynamite off the line but couldn’t overcome Bezzecchi, who got the holeshot from pole. Alex Marquez replicated his Sprint start to move up to third but there was drama behind. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was caught up in a bundle at Turn 5 but was OK, ending a weekend which had been a struggle. Onto Lap 2 and Marquez made his move to get P2 from Acosta and set off in pursuit of Bezzecchi. Elsewhere, a disaster for Sepang’s P3 finisher Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) who retired with a technical issue at the end of Lap 2.
FIGHTS IN THE FIELD: Pecco in P4 until..
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) held fourth ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), as the 2021 World Champion was once again putting in a great performance. ‘El Diablo’ had his hands full with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who in-turn was under attack from Indonesian GP winner Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). The rookie made a bold move at Turn 5 on the South African with contact and taking some aero – as well as P5 – away from the #33. Aldeguer then passed Quartararo and then inherited fourth when Bagnaia crashed at Turn 10 on Lap 11. A fourth successive Sunday DNF for the #63, a huge dent into his third-place goals overall in the standings.
At the front, Bezzecchi was edging ever further away from Marquez behind and by Lap 15, had a 2.2s advantage over the #73. Acosta was a further 2.4s away but had a comfortable 6.4s margin over Aldeguer and Binder. The main battle heading into the closing stages was for sixth, as Quartararo continued his excellent defensive ride ahead of fellow countryman Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and an impressive Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team).
NEVER GIVING UP: Acosta rallies for late attack on Marquez
Whilst things had looked settled at the front, Acosta found second wind with just four laps to go, taking three quarters of a second out of Marquez up ahead of him as 2025’s runner-up struggled in the closing stages. With two to go, the gap was a second and whilst an uphill challenge, nothing is considered impossible for the #37 KTM. Further back in the pack and there was a late drop in pace for Zarco as Ogura got ahead of him for P7 whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) pinched eighth.
CHEQUERED FLAG! Bezzecchi brilliance
Onto the last lap and Marquez had responded, minimising the damage even if the gap continued to come down. An inspired ride from Acosta meant he came close but not close enough in a familiar story to yesterday but nobody could lay a glove on Bezzecchi. From lights to flag, the #72 made Portimao his own with a majestic victory, becoming the sixth different winner in as many Grands Prix. Marquez and Acosta rounded out the podium behind the Aprilia rider, who gave the Italian manufacturer a third victory in 2025, the first-time ever they’ve enjoyed three wins in a single season.
Aldeguer held on to clinch fourth place ahead of Binder, who took his third top six of the season ahead of Quartararo, who took his best Portuguese GP finish since 2022. Ogura’s P7 makes it his first back-to-back top ten finishes since Jerez and Le Mans earlier in the year. Di Giannantonio resisted Zarco’s fightback in the scrap for eighth whilst Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was the third KTM in the top ten.
Today was definitely a better day. Yesterday, in the Sprint, I made a rookie mistake in the category, completing only a few laps. So today’s goal was to finish the race and gain as much experience as possible, continuing to better understand the bike and the many aspects that make it so different from the Panigale. In the last six or seven laps, my pace wasn’t bad. I was able to go fast and catch up with the riders ahead of me. Unfortunately, I then made a mistake that cost me three or four seconds. I closed the gap again, but by then it was too late. The important thing was to finish the race and take this experience to Valencia, and all in all, it went well.
Nicolo Bulega – P15
The race was positive, and I spent most of the laps in the group fighting for points. We tried some interesting solutions that allowed us to improve. It was a great day for Aprilia, with Marco’s victory rewarding all the work we are doing on the development and growth of the bike. I am happy for everyone and for Aprilia.
Lorenzo Savadori – P16
Unfortunately, I had contact with Franco Morbidelli who was too optimistic at turn 5 in the opening lap, and that broke my front fairing, the steering somehow was locked into the fairing, I could not turn properly, so it was necessary to stop and change. We rejoined the track, and we did a really good race, with a pace that would have allowed me to fight for the top 5 today, so it is frustrating of course. When you start from the back, you are always going to face potential troubles in the midpack, so obviously, we must improve qualifying, as always.
Enea Bastianini – P18
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