2025 Qatar GP: Viñales puts on a show, Marc Márquez wins, Martín out!

It feels like it’s been a very long time since the MotoGP World Championship kicked off at the Losail Circuit in Qatar. The calendar confirms this impression. Even before the first MotoGP event of the 2025 season in Europe – and thus 18 months ago – the action got underway in the desert. For several years, the season opener was held in Qatar, before Thailand took over as the first host of the year.

Following the two American rounds, the action moved to Doha in early April for the fourth round of the campaign. Ducati-Lenovo newcomer Marc Marquez had won five of the six races, but, of all places, in Austin just before the Qatar GP, ‘MM93’ crashed out whilst leading. The championship leader was set to prove in Doha that the scrapes he’d picked up in Texas hadn’t thrown him off his stride in the slightest.

Ducati was a force to be reckoned with at Losail right from the start

On Friday in qualifying, Marc Marquez had to settle for third place behind his team-mates Morbidelli and Bagnaia. With two further riders from Bologna in fourth and fifth places, the Desmosedici’s dominance was impossible to overlook. But just behind them were the names that had also set the pace in the races: Johann Zarco, Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Viñales.

By contrast, there was no sign of the Aprilia works team. Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin finished 19th and 20th respectively, with Jorge Martin making his first Grand Prix appearance of 2025 following his first major injury.

Losail 2025: Fabio Quartararo (Nr. 20) fuhr aus Reihe 1 los

Foto: Gold and Goose

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The Ducati offensive continued in qualifying. Right at the front: Marc Márquez. Alongside his brother Alex, Fabio Quartararo had made a statement as the third rider in the line-up. Behind them, Morbidelli, Di Giannantonio and the surprise package Maverick Viñales had secured their positions for the two desert races. Pedro Acosta, however, who was struggling to find the right set-up at that stage, was only on 12th on the grid.

The desert sprint is a quick story. Marc and Alex Marquez were in a league of their own, and Franco Morbidelli – who had swiftly displaced Fabio Quartararo from P3 – rounded off the dream result for Ducati. Behind Fermin Aldeguer, Quartararo still managed to finish in 5th place. The Frenchman, on the underperforming M1, was more convincing than the KTM hopefuls Vinales and Acosta, who failed to score any points in the sprint. The sprint ended in disaster for Johann Zarco – a crash for the confident LCR rider.

Johann Zarco: Starker Auftritt des Honda-LCR-Piloten

Foto: Gold and Goose

The Grand Prix then took a drastically different turn. Whilst Alex Márquez was involved in a collision early on and fell back, Pecco Bagnaia was now able to keep up with Marc Márquez’s pace. Starting from 11th on the grid, Bagnaia was already in third place by lap 4. At the very front was Franco Morbidelli, who initially set the pace to prevent Marc Marquez from breaking away.

KTM Tech3 rider Viñales stunned everyone with his race pace

However, the fastest rider came from the KTM camp and was none other than Maverick Viñales. It was one of those days when everything seemed to click. With blind faith in the front end of the RC16, ‘Top Gun’ Viñales gained position after position. Once the number 12 rider had overtaken the leading Ducati trio, Vinales was leading a Grand Prix for the first time since his move to KTM. The Tech3 team held the lead for six laps, but then a small mistake was enough for Marc Marquez to sweep past again. As a result, Vinales crossed the finish line in second place after 22 thrilling laps.

After the podium ceremony came the shocking news for Viñales and KTM-Tech3. Due to the front tyre pressure being significantly below the minimum, Viñales was handed a 16-second penalty, leaving him in a dismal 14th place. Once again, the regulation had caused head-shaking and, for Tech3 boss Poncharal, a fit of rage.

Showeinlage: Maverick Vinales (KTM) führte den GP vor Marc Marquez an

Foto: Gold and Goose

With Viñales swept from the lead, Ducati shone once again. Marc Márquez secured his seventh win of the season ahead of team-mate Bagnaia and Franky Morbidelli. There was also jubilation in the LCR pit – Johann Zarco finished just six seconds behind the winner and picked up points for fourth place. Following the Vinales debacle, Pedro Acosta was the best-placed Austrian rider in eighth place behind Fabio Quartararo. Marco Bezzecchi, who 18 months ago had not yet fully settled into the Aprilia, was classified only in ninth place.

World Champion Jorge Martin wrote his own story. After finishing 15th in the Sprint, the Aprilia rider with start number 1 was celebrated for his valiant perseverance. On Sunday, Jorge Martin crashed again. With shattered ribs and further fractures, Martin was once again admitted to hospital. The already fragile relationship suffered another painful blow in Qatar.

Kurzer Auftritt: Jorge Martin stürzte beim Katar-GP schwer

Foto: Gold and Goose