On April 13, 2025, Marc Márquez won the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix on his Ducati after a clash with his brother Álex Márquez. He broke clear to claim his third victory in the opening four Grands Prix of the season, delivering a dramatic win at Lusail.
After most riders encountered problems with soft rear tyres in Saturday’s 11-lap Sprint, everyone chose medium tyres front and rear for Sunday’s 22-lap Grand Prix. Michelin said before the race that tyre wear was not expected to be a major issue, although riders including Marc Márquez and Álex Rins still anticipated a need to protect the front tyre.
Marc Márquez made another strong start as the race got under way. Álex followed so closely out of Turn 1 that Marc could not move to the inside to claim the line into Turn 2. The brothers made contact for the first time this year, allowing Franco Morbidelli to seize an unexpected lead. Marc and Álex emerged from the confusion second and third as an intense contest developed. Morbidelli opened a small gap while Marc sought his rhythm on a damaged bike, and Fabio Di Giannantonio passed Álex on lap three.
Álex tried to fight back but collided with Di Giannantonio. Both ran wide, losing time and positions, and Álex received a long-lap penalty. Early leader Morbidelli remained in front until lap ten, when former Lusail winner Maverick Viñales of Red Bull KTM Tech3 swept past him on the main straight. Marc followed through and also passed Morbidelli.
Viñales made a mistake at Turn 6 on lap 16, allowing Marc to pass and establish a lead. Marc then pulled clear and crossed the line first, with an on-track advantage of around 1.8 seconds. Francesco Bagnaia had crashed in qualifying and started eleventh, but his race pace was stronger than in Saturday’s Sprint. The clash between Álex and Di Giannantonio helped him join the leading group. He lost time fighting Morbidelli and fell away from the leading pair. Once clear of Morbidelli, he crossed the line third and was promoted to second after Viñales’ penalty.
Johann Zarco performed far better in the Grand Prix than in Saturday’s Sprint. He crossed the line fifth and was classified fourth, ahead of Gresini Ducati’s Fermín Aldeguer. Álex recovered from the contact and penalty to finish seventh on the road and sixth in the final classification. It was the first time this season that he had not finished second in either a Sprint or a Grand Prix. Fabio Quartararo, Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi emerged from a fierce multi-rider midfield battle to finish in the top ten.
Reigning world champion Jorge Martín, returning from injury, crashed out after completing 13 laps. Marc Márquez’s performance further strengthened his lead in the riders’ standings, while the teams and riders would take the lessons from Qatar into their preparations for the coming races.
2025 MotoGP Round 4 Qatar Grand Prix race results
| Position | No. | Rider | Team | Laps completed | Total time | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Ducati Team | 22 | 41’29.186 | — | 25 |
| 2 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Team | 22 | 41’33.721 | +4.535 | 20 |
| 3 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 Racing Team | 22 | 41’35.681 | +6.495 | 16 |
| 4 | 5 | Johann Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | 22 | 41’35.854 | +6.668 | 13 |
| 5 | 54 | Fermín Aldeguer | Gresini Racing | 22 | 41’36.670 | +7.484 | 11 |
| 6 | 73 | Álex Márquez | Gresini Racing | 22 | 41’38.950 | +9.764 | 10 |
| 7 | 20 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha Team | 22 | 41’42.081 | +12.895 | 9 |
| 8 | 37 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 22 | 41’43.405 | +14.219 | 8 |
| 9 | 72 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | 22 | 41’43.554 | +14.368 | 7 |
| 10 | 10 | Luca Marini | Honda Team | 22 | 41’44.323 | +15.137 | 6 |
| 11 | 23 | Enea Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 22 | 41’46.645 | +17.459 | 5 |
| 12 | 42 | Álex Rins | Yamaha Team | 22 | 41’46.749 | +17.563 | 4 |
| 13 | 33 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 22 | 41’46.818 | +17.632 | 3 |
| 14 | 12 | Maverick Viñales | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 22 | 41’46.986 | +17.800 | 2 |
| 15 | 79 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse Racing | 22 | 41’47.944 | +18.758 | 1 |
| 16 | 49 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 Racing Team | 22 | 41’55.526 | +26.340 | 0 |
| 17 | 25 | Raúl Fernández | Trackhouse Racing | 22 | 41’56.111 | +26.925 | 0 |
| 18 | 35 | Somkiat Chantra | Idemitsu Honda LCR | 22 | 42’07.372 | +38.186 | 0 |
| Did not finish | 1 | Jorge Martín | Aprilia Racing | 13 | 24’46.391 | 9 laps | 0 |
| Did not finish | 7 | Augusto Fernández | Pramac Racing | 13 | 24’48.271 | 9 laps | 0 |
| Did not finish | 36 | Joan Mir | Honda Team | 12 | 23’08.743 | 10 laps | 0 |
| Did not finish | 43 | Jack Miller | Pramac Racing | 9 | 18’02.960 | 13 laps | 0 |
Results verified against Official MotoGP race classification (© DORNA, 2025). The table includes riders recorded in the official results as non-finishers, without a time or with a cancelled result. A revised classification is used when one has been issued.
In the revised results, Viñales received a 16-second penalty for a technical regulations infringement and was classified fourteenth. Bagnaia and Morbidelli were promoted to second and third. The table uses the official revised classification.
