Marc Marquez kept his flawless 2025 MotoGP season alive by storming to victory in the Americas Sprint at COTA, marking his fifth consecutive win as a factory Ducati rider.
The race exploded into action from the start, with Francesco Bagnaia launching a bold move from sixth on the grid to claim the holeshot. But it wasn’t long before Marc Marquez reclaimed the lead from his team-mate—despite a huge rear-end slide that nearly threw him off his bike.
In the chaos, Bagnaia and Alex Marquez briefly overtook Marc, but the #93 held on and fought back, reclaiming the lead by the end of the opening lap.
From there, it was another dominant performance by the Marquez brothers, who pulled away to secure another one-two finish.
Bagnaia settled into third, unchallenged, while Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Quartararo, and Fabio di Giannantonio battled hard for fourth. Di Giannantonio lost ground early in the race after a chaotic start from the front row.
Joan Mir was closing in on the trio before crashing midway through the race.
Pedro Acosta finished as the top KTM in seventh, followed by Luca Marini in eighth, who earned his best result yet on the Honda.
Ai Ogura and Marco Bezzecchi fought closely for ninth, with the rookie Ogura representing Trackhouse and Bezzecchi riding the factory Aprilia.
2024 race winner Maverick Vinales failed to finish after a technical problem forced him to retire his Tech3 KTM.
All riders chose the medium front and soft rear tyres for the Sprint, except Johann Zarco, who opted for a medium rear tyre—perhaps as preparation for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Marc Marquez now sets his sights on an eighth COTA Grand Prix victory in Sunday’s main race.
Injured reigning world champion Jorge Martin was seen in the paddock, possibly preparing for his Aprilia debut in Qatar. Lorenzo Savadori continues to fill in for Martin, while Augusto Fernandez is making his Yamaha debut, standing in for the injured Miguel Oliveira.
Last year, Maverick Vinales claimed a double victory at COTA for Aprilia—the last time Ducati lost a MotoGP race.
