Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) extended his perfect start to the 2025 MotoGP season with a hard-fought victory in the Tissot Sprint at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Despite a dramatic moment on the opening lap that nearly ended his race prematurely, the six-time MotoGP Champion held off a late charge from his brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) to secure his third consecutive Sprint win.
The opening lap of the Sprint was a thrilling affair, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) launching from sixth on the grid to snatch the holeshot into Turn 1. However, Marc Marquez immediately fought back at Turn 2 to retake the lead, only for Bagnaia to strike again at Turn 3. The battle continued, with Marquez making another move at Turn 7 to regain the top spot.
Drama unfolded at Turn 17 when Marc Marquez experienced a massive rear-end slide, throwing him out of the saddle and costing him the lead. Bagnaia and Alex Marquez capitalized on the moment, but the elder Marquez wasn’t done yet. In a stunning display of skill and determination, he passed both riders at the final corner to reclaim the lead, with Alex Marquez slotting into second.
Reflecting on the incident, Marc Marquez said, “I was pushing a bit too much during lap one and came very close to a disaster. The track conditions were very different, and I had noticed it immediately on the long right-hander during lap one. The pace was slower compared to Practice, which made the situation more difficult; then I understood how to tackle these conditions and, without taking excessive risks, I pulled a gap and managed the situation.”
As the race progressed, Marc Marquez began to build a gap over Alex Marquez, while Bagnaia lost touch with the top two. Behind them, a fierce battle erupted between Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and the VR46 Ducati duo of Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio for fourth place.
In the closing stages, Alex Marquez managed to close the gap to his brother, setting up a tense final lap. However, Marc Marquez held his nerve to cross the line 0.7 seconds ahead, securing his third Tissot Sprint victory of the season. Alex Marquez maintained his streak of second-place finishes, while Bagnaia claimed the final spot on the podium, just under two seconds adrift of his teammate.
Di Giannantonio emerged victorious from the mid-race scrap to take fourth, followed by Morbidelli and Quartararo in fifth and sixth, respectively. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the top KTM rider in seventh, while Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) scored his first Sprint points with Honda in eighth, showcasing the manufacturer’s progress despite teammate Joan Mir’s early crash.
Rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) impressed by securing the final Sprint point in ninth after a thrilling battle with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, Marc Marquez acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, “We’ll see about tomorrow, as we have to improve a couple of things: it’s going to be a long race and the warmup will be very useful to understand how to approach it, but I’m happy with today’s sprint race win.”
With the stage set for an exhilarating Americas Grand Prix, fans can expect another captivating showdown as Marc Marquez aims to continue his winning streak and further stamp his dominance on the 2025 MotoGP season.
