2025 Catalan MotoGP: Marc Marquez inherits sprint win after Alex Marquez crash

Marc Marquez inherited an eighth successive sprint victory after Alex Marquez crashed out of the lead of the Saturday race at the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix.

All weekend at Barcelona Alex Marquez has looked to have the measure of Marc Marquez aboard his Gresini-run Ducati.

Starting from pole, Alex Marquez hit the front from the off and was over a second clear when he crashed on lap nine of 12 at Turn 10.

This released Marc Marquez into a comfortable lead that he would maintain to the chequered flag for his 14th sprint success of the season.

The factory Ducati rider did have a small scare at Turn 7 on lap 10 while leading, but got to the chequered flag 1.299s ahead of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.

The result has put Marc Marquez on course for a potential championship shot at Misano next weekend, as he now holds a lead of 187 points over Alex Marquez.

If that gap remains at 185 or above at the end of Sunday’s grand prix, then that opportunity will be a reality.

Off the line, Alex Marquez got the best launch and maintained the lead into Turn 1, as Quartararo, Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta battled hard for second.

Quartararo came out on top in that battle and fended off Marc Marquez hard at Turns 10 and 11 later in the lap, with the pair twice making contact.

The Yamaha was swamped down the main straight at the start of lap two, but managed to get back into third ahead of Acosta on the brakes at into the first two corners.

In the lead, Alex Marquez was already 0.5s clear of of Marc Marquez and that gap didn’t get much smaller.

At the start of lap seven, the Gresini rider started to up his pace and was over a second ahead as he crossed the line to end lap eight.

Alex Marquez was in full control of the sprint when he fell at Turn 10 on the ninth tour, handing the lead over to elder brother Marc Marquez.

By now, the podium battle had settled, with Marc Marquez 1.299s clear of Quartararo and the Yamaha 2.354s ahead of VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Fourth went to Acosta, who won out in a thrilling battle with his KTM stablemates Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder.

The trio were covered by just 0.075s at the chequered flag.

Johann Zarco was the leading Honda in seventh for LCR ahead of factory counterpart Luca Marini.

Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura snatched the final point from Pramac’s Miguel Oliveira by 0.090s.

Marc Marquez’s sprint win, as well as a disaster for Aprilia, means Ducati is the 2025 constructors’ world champion.

Marco Bezzecchi was taken down in a collision instigated by Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer at Turn 5 on lap eight, while Jorge Martin was wiped out by VR46’s Franco Morbidelli at Turn 10 on lap seven.

Both incidents are under investigation.

Pecco Bagnaia struggled to make inroads from 21st on the grid on his factory Ducati and was 14th at the chequered flag largely as a result of the retirements ahead of him.

Full 2025 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix sprint results