Marc Márquez kept his 2025 victory streak alive, fending off a fierce challenge from brother Alex to clinch the Tissot Sprint at the Gran Premio YPF Energía de Argentina on Saturday. The Ducati Lenovo star’s second consecutive Saturday triumph came under pressure, with Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) pushing him to the wire, while Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) settled for bronze, 3.8 seconds adrift but banking vital points.
Márquez, reflecting on the duel, said: “I was expecting this type of race today. I knew Alex (Márquez) was very competitive and he pushed me to the limit until the end. In the final laps, with the grip fading, I pushed a bit more because I saw the conditions were good, but tomorrow’s race will be a long one and I expect a very competitive Alex, and Pecco always makes a step forward on Sunday. I feel fast with the medium tyre, but we still need to decide which tyre to use; we’ll check the data to understand the actual drop of the soft tyre and then we’ll choose. A good start will be crucial, and we’ll need to manage the tyre wear, especially in the left-hand corners where there are more bumps.” His words hint at a Sunday showdown looming larger than this 12-lap dash.
The sprint ignited with Márquez nailing the holeshot from pole, Alex slotting in behind, and Bagnaia seizing third off the line. Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Castrol), despite a front-row start, stumbled to sixth, while chaos struck on Lap 1—Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) tangled with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), tumbling into the gravel. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) pounced, climbing to fourth ahead of a charging Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Up front, the Márquez brothers set a scorching pace, pulling clear.
By Lap 4, Alex trailed Marc by just 0.2 seconds, both clocking 1:37.7s, while Bagnaia, 1.3 seconds back, dipped into the 1:38s, unable to match their rhythm. Acosta held off Zarco’s resurgence, but the real fight was ahead. Halfway through, Alex kept Marc honest, the gap hovering at 0.371 seconds with four laps left. Marc’s response was clinical—stretching it to 0.475 seconds, then 0.721 seconds by the penultimate lap. Alex stayed within striking distance, but Marc’s flawless final loop sealed victory by 0.903 seconds, his third win of 2025 and a maximum sprint haul.
Bagnaia, isolated in third, crossed 3.8 seconds behind—points in the bag, but a gap to bridge for Sunday. Zarco, clawing back from his sluggish start, nabbed fourth, 1.1 seconds off Bagnaia, a standout for Honda. Di Giannantonio rounded out the top five, edging Aprilia’s Bezzecchi, who took sixth over Morbidelli’s seventh. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) snatched eighth late from a fading Acosta, who settled for ninth after a bright start.
Sunday’s Grand Prix, at 18:00 GMT (15:00 local time), looms as a cracker. Marc’s sprint mastery is clear, but Alex’s tenacity—his second podium this year—promises a fightback. Bagnaia, ever a Sunday threat, will hunt pace, while Zarco’s Honda resurgence adds intrigue. Tyre choice, as Márquez noted, could tip the scales—medium or soft, with Termas’ bumpy left-handers testing wear. For British fans, it’s a sibling rivalry and title chase rolled into one—don’t miss it.
Sprint Points Scorers
- 1st: Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team)
- 2nd: Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP)
- 3rd: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
- 4th: Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Castrol)
- 5th: Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
- 6th: Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing)
- 7th: Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team)
- 8th: Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol)
- 9th: Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
