Alex Marquez capped off his strongest MotoGP season with a commanding start-to-finish victory in the final sprint race of 2025 at the Valencia Grand Prix, beating Pedro Acosta by 1.149 seconds.
Starting second on the grid, the Gresini Ducati rider grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1 and immediately took control of the 13-lap sprint. Acosta launched a brilliant start from fifth to second within the first two corners, but he was unable to close the gap once Marquez settled into his rhythm.
Marco Bezzecchi, the polesitter, struggled early after opting for a soft front tyre and slipped back to fifth. Despite the difficult sprint, he secured third in the championship — the first time an Aprilia rider has finished inside the top three in MotoGP.
Raul Fernandez briefly ran third for Trackhouse Aprilia, but Fabio Di Giannantonio fought through to take the final podium position after a lap-11 move at Turn 6. Fernandez finished fourth.
Franco Morbidelli overtook Fabio Quartararo late for sixth, while Brad Binder and Ai Ogura claimed the remaining points.
Jack Miller received a three-place grid drop for colliding with Fermin Aldeguer and was then handed a long-lap penalty after failing to comply with instructions, ultimately finishing 12th.
Pecco Bagnaia endured a tough day, ending 14th from 16th on the grid and dropping to fifth in the standings.
Jorge Martin reached as high as 11th on his Aprilia return before running off at Turn 8 and finishing last.
Honda’s Joan Mir and Luca Marini were early retirements after Mir crashed into his teammate under braking at Turn 2.
