2025 Portuguese MotoGP: Alex Marquez fends off Pedro Acosta in sprint thriller

Gresini’s Alex Marquez beat KTM’s Pedro Acosta by just 0.120s in a thrilling 12-lap sprint at the 2025 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix.

The 2025 championship runner-up came into Saturday at the Portuguese Grand Prix as the favourite to fight for pole and victory in the sprint.

But a crash in qualifying left Alex Marquez with work to do from fifth, while Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and KTM’s Pedro Acosta looked poised to fight hard for victory in the sprint from the front of the pack.

Indeed, the battle for the win raged between this trio, with Alex Marquez narrowly coming away with his second sprint win of the season after fending off a last-lap surge from Acosta.

The top three were covered by just 0.517s, with Bezzecchi completing the rostrum from pole position.

The factory Aprilia rider grabbed the hosleshot off the line at the start, as Acosta couldn’t use the speed of the KTM to get into Turn 1 first due to a wheelie at his launch.

Marquez made a rapid start to get up to third from the second row of the grid, while Acosta moved into the lead at the start of the third lap.

Bezzecchi then fell behind Marquez on lap four of 12 at the first corner as he made use of a two-bike slipstream.

Marquez’s first raid on the lead came on lap six, when he outbraked Acosta into Turn 1. But the KTM retaliated immediately at Turn 3.

Acosta couldn’t make that move stick, but would get back into the lead at Turn 5 with a block pass on Marquez.

That unfolded again on lap eight, with Marquez easing past into Turn 1, before being overtaken at Turn 5.

Marquez made his decisive move at the start of lap nine into Turn 1 and moved over six tenths clear of the field across the penultimate lap.

But Acosta was able to knock this down to under 0.5s at the start of the final lap, with the KTM rider hounding Marquez across the last tour.

Marquez held firm, though, to claim his first sprint win since the British Grand Prix in May.

Acosta was just 0.120s adrift of a maiden sprint win in second, with Bezzecchi rounding out the top three.

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo held onto fourth after late pressure from VR46 Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio, while Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer completed the top six.

The final sprint points went to LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco, Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia and KTM’s Brad Binder.

Bagnaia’s disappointing sprint has seen him drop 10 points behind Bezzecchi now in the battle for third, with Acosta only 19 points behind in fifth.

Nicolo Bulega crashed on his sprint debut on the fourth lap at Turn 13. He joined Honda duo Joan Mir and Somkiat Chantra on the sidelines, as both suffered technical issues.

Full 2025 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix sprint results