Last weekend, Álex Márquez denied his brother the chance to hit match point at this week’s race. Marc Márquez can’t win the title this week but there’s no doubt about it – we’re in for a thrilling weekend. MotoGP heads to Misano for the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera. Here’s the low-down on what happened last year, and what to expect.
Piqueras Took a Debut Win in 2024
In the 2024 Moto3 San Marino race, Ángel Piqueras made his mark and took his first win. Due to a collision on the Saturday, Piqueras had a double long lap penalty to take. This penalty saw him fall to 17th by lap 4. He remained calm throughout the race, making his way through the grid with ease. Piqueras took the lead on the last lap and secured the win with a miniscule margin – finishing 0.035 seconds ahead of Daniel Holgado.
Starting on pole, championship leader David Alonso was hoping to extend his lead, but late contact and a track limits penalty saw him finish 7th. With Holgado finishing 2nd, this changed the top three and trimmed Alonso’s lead to 70 points. Home hero Luca Lunetta was denied the chance of home glory when he jumped the start. He received a double long lap penalty, ultimately finishing 9th despite qualifying 2nd.
Ogura Led the Moto2 Championship
Ai Ogura was able to take the Moto2 championship lead last year as well as the race win. Polesitter Tony Arbolino maintained the lead for the opening stint, but on lap 10, Aron Canet and Ogura both overtook him. The trio made up the podium. Canet was hoping for a 2nd race win after his overtake on Arbolino, but Ogura snatched the lead in the closing laps, taking his 3rd win of the season.
In contrast, it was a weekend to forget for championship rival Sergio Garcia. A slow performance on Friday saw him face Q1. Being unable to advance to Q2, Garcia started the race from P24. After a slow start to the race, he made his way into the points by the time the chequered flag fell. Finishing 12th and taking only 4 points, he conceded the championship lead to winner Ogura.
Back-to-Back Wins for Márquez
Francesco Bagnaia took pole for the races in San Marino last year. However, in the sprint, Jorge Martín took the lead straight away along with his 5th sprint race win. Martín rode away from the field, leaving Bagnaia to battle with the grid. They were joined on the podium by Franco Morbidelli – who managed to fend off Ducati rider Enea Bastianini for his first podium since 2021.
Following his qualifying crash seeing him start 9th on the grid, not many picked Marc Márquez to be victorious on race day. Rain started to fall shortly after the start, leading many riders to pit and swap to their rain bikes. Márquez however, stayed out and overtook Bagnaia for the lead. Full rain never came and Márquez had made the right choice. He was able to take the win with an incredible 3.102 second gap ahead of Bagnaia in 2nd. Bastianini took 3rd.
Compared to his podium-worthy performance in the sprint, Morbidelli struggled in the main race. He ended up falling due to the rain and ultimately retired. With Martín being one of the riders to swap bikes, he finished 15th – allowing Bagnaia to close the championship gap to 7 points.
The races last year were filled with battles and overtaking. For the lower series, it marked crucial changes in the standings. And in MotoGP, it was proof that Márquez was on a comeback to his former glory.
San Marino in 2025
We come to the San Marino GP following the conclusion of Marc Márquez‘s dominant streak. Last week in Catalonia, the Spaniard was looking to make it 8 main wins in a row (matching his 2014 record). He was denied this feat, by his own brother! Álex Márquez didn’t just take home victory, he took the chance for his brother to win the championship this weekend too. With a gap of 182 points, the Márquez championship fight continues another week.
Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia is looking for a strong home race. Only 40 points separate him and Marco Bezzecchi so we could be on for a battle for P3 in the championship. Another rider to look out for this weekend is Enea Bastianini – who has been on the podium here every year he’s competed. Alongside fellow KTM riders Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder, the Austrian outfit are getting stronger each week.
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Despite being the San Marino Grand Prix, we are actually in Misano, Italy. It was named as such due to the closeness to the microstate country – only 26.9 km away – and so it would not be confused with the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello.
The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is located in Misano Adriatico, in the Province of Rimini. Designed in 1969 and inaugurated in 1972, the circuit held some races in the 80’s and 90’s when MotoGP was the 500cc championship. After safety modifications in 2006, it joined the MotoGP calendar in 2007 and has been a staple ever since.
With 10 right hand corners and 6 left hand corners, the 4.23 km track is characterised by its high-speed straights and technical corners. It runs clockwise and has a smooth, asphalt surface. Due to its proximity to the Adriatic Sea, wind can be a challenge to contend with. Marc Márquez has the most wins here – 4 in MotoGP and 7 overall. But 12 riders on the grid have won at this track in their career.
Schedule
The schedule for the weekend is as follows. Please note, the timings are in CEST.
With 6 Italians on the grid, can one of them deny the Márquez brothers and take home glory? Whilst Á. Márquez kept the title fight alive last week, M. Márquez only needs a P7 or better in the sprint to make it match point in Japan. The San Marino Grand Prix never disappoints so expect a thrilling race weekend.