Marc Márquez roared back to Termas de Río Hondo with a vengeance on Friday, shattering the lap record to top Practice at the 2025 Gran Premio YPF Energía de Argentina. The Ducati Lenovo star’s 1:37.438 edged out Fabio Di Giannantonio and Alex Márquez, setting a fierce pace for Saturday’s Tissot Sprint. Meanwhile, reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia flirted with disaster, crashing late but clinging to a Q2 spot by the narrowest of margins.
Márquez, absent from this track since 2019, found instant rhythm on his GP25, saying: “I immediately felt comfortable. We obviously put more work on the bike compared to Thailand, as it was a long time since I last rode at this track, and it was also my first time here on a Ducati. We made some changes to the electronics and from the second run I felt really good. It’s true that there are some rivals who are very close, so we’ll see if we can improve some more. There’s still margin as the grip is increasing, so we’ll be able to use the torque a lot more. The goal for tomorrow morning is to qualify on the front row.” His late lap eclipsed Marco Bezzecchi’s fleeting 1:37.510—itself a nod past Márquez’s 2014 record—signalling a Ducati dominance British fans will relish watching unfold.
Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46) snatched second, just 0.1 seconds shy, with a last-ditch surge, while Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini MotoGP) held third, underlining the Italian marque’s grip. Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the top five, a rare Friday where all five manufacturers—Ducati, Yamaha, Honda, KTM, and Aprilia—cracked Q2. Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Castrol), Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and a shaken Bagnaia rounded out the automatic qualifiers.
Bagnaia’s day was a rollercoaster. Comfortably P6 with minutes to spare, the double world champion slid into Turn 2 gravel, ending his session prematurely. Binder’s late push, Zarco’s recovery from an earlier spill, and Rins’ final flyer shoved him to P9—teetering on the Q1 brink. Ai Ogura’s brief Q2 cameo for Trackhouse MotoGP was undone by Rins, leaving Bagnaia to exhale, safe but bruised after Thailand’s shaky start.
Friday’s script had twists aplenty. Márquez led early, flanked by Zarco and Bezzecchi, until Zarco’s Turn 2 tumble dropped him to P8. Acosta, the sophomore sensation, slotted into P2 with a soft-tyre gamble, 0.088s off Márquez, before Bezzecchi briefly stole the record. Márquez’s riposte—a 1:37.438—reasserted control, with Rins shadowing to P4. Quartararo, battling early gremlins, muscled his Yamaha to P5, a lifeline after a lean opener. Bagnaia, stuck on medium rubber, hovered in P10—seven-tenths adrift—until that fateful crash left him vulnerable.
Saturday’s stakes are sky-high. Qualifying fires up at 13:50 GMT (10:50 local time), with the Tissot Sprint at 18:00 GMT (15:00 local). Márquez, eyeing a front-row lock, faces a tight pack—Di Giannantonio and Alex Márquez loom, while Bagnaia’s redemption bid adds grit. Acosta’s pace and Rins’ resurgence hint at chaos, and Q1 promises a scrap with Ogura leading the charge. For British fans, it’s a Termas thriller brewing—Márquez’s mastery meets Bagnaia’s fightback, with every manufacturer in the hunt. Can anyone halt the #93’s charge?
