Marc Márquez kept his 2025 MotoGP victory streak intact, outdueling younger brother Alex Márquez in a tense finale at the Gran Premio YPF Energía de Argentina to claim his fourth win in as many races. The Ducati Lenovo star’s mastery at Termas de Río Hondo extended his undefeated run—two Sprints, two Grands Prix—while Franco Morbidelli’s resolute ride secured third, his first Sunday podium since 2021, fending off a late charge from Francesco Bagnaia, who settled for fourth.
The Márquez brothers shared the podium spotlight, a family affair capped by Marc’s late-race surge. “The race pace was incredible and I had a few moments in the final laps,” Marc said post-race. “Alex pushed me to the limit: we were both able to lap in the low 1’38s, and we really made the difference. It wasn’t easy to overtake him, as the only spot was at Turn 5. 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.”
A Fraternal Fight Ignites
The 25-lap contest erupted with Marc fending off Alex into Turn 1, clinching the holeshot as chaos flared behind. Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi tangled with Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, the pair’s braking duel ending in Bezzecchi’s crash at the opener—a bitter blow after his Sprint podium. Up front, Johann Zarco’s LCR Honda shadowed Bagnaia’s Ducati, the Frenchman probing at Turn 8, a hotspot for passes. Their tussle gifted the Márquez duo a 0.7-second cushion by Lap 3, Alex glued to Marc’s tail.
Lap 4 flipped the script. Alex pounced on a Marc wobble at Turn 1, his blue Gresini machine nosing ahead of the red factory Ducati. On Lap 4, there was a change for the lead, as Alex capitalised on Marc’s slight error. Meanwhile, Morbidelli muscled past Zarco and Bagnaia, climbing to third, his Pertamina Enduro VR46 bike a quiet threat in the early shuffle.
The race settled into a rhythm by Lap 6. Alex led Marc by 0.3 seconds, Morbidelli trailed by 0.7, and Bagnaia lagged 0.8 further back, with Zarco 0.3 off the reigning champion. After a busy opening handful of laps, the Grand Prix settled down a tad as the riders settled into their early race rhythms, but the front four held firm, Bagnaia unable to close the gap as Zarco swarmed his rear.
Mid-Race Warnings
By Lap 11, the order stood—Alex over Marc, Morbidelli over Bagnaia—but the double world champion began to fade, Zarco still a thorn in his side. Two laps on, Morbidelli drifted from the Márquez battle, yet kept a second-plus buffer over Bagnaia and Zarco. Then, on Lap 15, Marc faltered through the fast Turn 11, a moment that cost him a couple of tenths. With 10 to go, Marc Márquez had a bit of a moment coming through the fast Turn 11, but he clawed it back by Lap 16, latching onto Alex’s rear wheel.
The closing stages turned electric. On Lap 18 of 25—an attempted pass, as Marc lunged at Turn 5, only to run wide, handing Alex a 0.4-second reprieve. What a showdown this was, the brothers trading fastest laps on Lap 19, Marc edging closer with a sharper 1:38-low effort. Lap 20 brought the decisive blow—another Turn 5 move, this time sticking. Again it was Turn 5 and this time, it was a pass that stuck, Marc’s precision wresting the lead with five laps left.
The Final Push
Alex had no reply. By Lap 21, Marc stretched his edge to 0.7 seconds; by Lap 22, it breached a second. With four laps to go, Marc Márquez stretched his advantage to 0.7s, and the gap yawned to 1.5 by the last lap. Behind, Bagnaia mounted a late bid to snatch third from Morbidelli, closing to 0.5 seconds. At the beginning of Lap 22 of 25, the gap was then just over a second, as Marc Márquez’s teammate Bagnaia was trying to put a late attack together to steal P3 from Morbidelli, but the Italian held firm.
Last lap! Marc Márquez held a 1.5s lead over Alex Márquez, and Bagnaia couldn’t crack Morbidelli’s resolve. Marc crossed the line victorious, Alex a valiant second, and Morbidelli savoured third—his first Grand Prix rostrum since Jerez 2021. Bagnaia, breathing down Morbidelli’s neck, walked away with a subdued fourth, a dent in his title hopes.
Points and Postscripts
The points chase saw late drama. Fabio Di Giannantonio nipped past Zarco on the final lap for fifth, the Frenchman settling for sixth after a standout ride. Brad Binder recovered from Saturday’s Sprint crash to take seventh, while Ai Ogura’s stellar climb from 15th to eighth was voided post-race—disqualified for non-homologated software. Reigning Moto2 World Champion Ai Ogura produced a stellar ride to finish P8 from 15th on the grid, but was then disqualified after the race, bumping Pedro Acosta to eighth and elevating three Hondas into the top 10: Joan Mir to ninth, Luca Marini to tenth—Marini’s best Sunday result with Honda HRC Castrol.
Alex Rins, Maverick Viñales, Jack Miller, Quartararo, and Raúl Fernández rounded out the points, a reshuffled order after Ogura’s exit. That’s the Italian’s best Sunday result in Honda colours, Marini’s tenth a quiet milestone amid Marc’s dominance.
Márquez’s Mastery Rolls On
Four races, four wins—Marc Márquez’s 2025 start is flawless. Two Sprints, two Grands Prix, four wins for Marc Márquez, a magical opening salvo on the factory Ducati. Alex, second again, and Morbidelli, back in parc fermé, underscored Termas’ tales, while Bagnaia’s fourth left him chasing. Another brilliant effort from Alex Márquez saw the #73 finish second again, as Morbidelli clung on to pocket his first MotoGP podium since the 2021 Spanish GP.
Next stop: Circuit of The Americas, a Márquez stronghold. “I can’t wait for the next race weekend at Austin, especially given the moment we’re living right now,” Marc said, his confidence soaring. Alex and Bagnaia, licking their wounds, will aim to halt his charge, but Termas crowned the elder Márquez El Maestro once more—a streak that’s rewriting the early 2025 script.
