Latest news with #GresiniDucati
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
MotoGP British GP: Fabio Quartararo's third straight pole breaks Silverstone lap record
Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo took his third straight pole position in MotoGP on Saturday, breaking the Silverstone lap record in the process. The Frenchman once again saved his best effort for the very end of the British GP qualifying session, just as he had at the previous two races at Jerez and Le Mans. Advertisement While championship leader Marc Marquez was the man Quartararo had to defeat in Spain and France, the six-time MotoGP champion could not even manage the front row in the United Kingdom. Marquez led the way by some margin at the mid-session lull, as has become customary. But he was unable to improve on his final run and ended up only fourth-fastest. That means the Spaniard misses the front row for the first time in 2025. Joining Quartararo up front instead will be Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and Marc Marquez's factory Ducati team-mate, Francesco Bagnaia. While Alex Marquez could celebrate a positive outcome in the light of a heavy high-side in the preceding Practice session, Bagnaia was able to revel in beating Marc Marquez in qualifying for the first time this season. Marc Marquez, Ducati Team Marc Marquez, Ducati Team Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images Advertisement Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) and Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) complete the second row alongside Marc Marquez. Next up on the grid will be the VR46 Ducati of Fabio di Giannantonio, the factory Honda of Luca Marini and the LCR Honda of French GP winner Johann Zarco. The latter crashed out of a promising lap at the end of the session. Franco Morbidelli was 10th-fastest in Q2, but will only start from there in this afternoon's sprint. The three-place grand prix grid penalty the VR46 rider picked up on Friday will apply on Sunday. The fourth row for the British Grand Prix on Sunday will thus consist of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), Alex Rins (Yamaha) and Joan Mir (Honda). Advertisement Earlier, Marini and Morbidelli were the two riders to progress from a busy Q1 session that was particularly disappointing for KTM. Mir threatened to pass both of them by setting the quickest times in the first and second sectors on his final lap of the session, which came after his rivals had finished. But the second factory Honda's challenge faded in the final two sectors and he remained third-fastest in the session. Read Also: Ai Ogura withdraws from MotoGP British GP due to injury Franco Morbidelli suffers second grid penalty of MotoGP 2025 at British GP KTM's hopes of bouncing back from a disappointing Friday were shattered in Q1, with its leading riders Maverick Vinales (Tech3) suffering a technical failure and Pedro Acosta running off the road at Stowe aboard the factory bike. Advertisement Acosta will start 14th behind Morbidelli on Sunday, with Vinales four spots further back. Enea Bastianini (Tech 3) and Brad Binder on the second factory bike will start 17th and 19th respectively to underline a horror afternoon for the quartet. To read more articles visit our website.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Marc Marquez wins season-opening Thai MotoGP after duel with brother Alex
Six-time world champion Marc Marquez won the season-opening Thai MotoGP on Sunday to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new factory Ducati team, having also romped to Saturday's sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732sec for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first chequered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from pole in stifling heat at Buriram and opened a comfortable 1.5 second lead over his younger brother by lap seven, when he suddenly slowed on turn three to lose the lead. Whatever the problem was, it was short-lived, as Marc tucked into second spot and put relentless pressure on Alex as the brothers tussled for the lead, with Bagnaia lurking less than a second adrift in third. "Yesterday I was happy, today I am super happy," said Marc Marquez. "I mean it's a dream." Alex Marquez was made to work hard to hold the lead on his Gresini Ducati, and with four laps to go, Marc made his move, diving underneath at turn 12 and then disappearing off into the distance. Franco Morbidelli was fourth and Japanese rookie Ai Ogura fifth on his MotoGP debut. Marquez senior had been fast all week, going quickest in opening practice on Friday before being pipped by brother Alex in the afternoon session. "For one moment I thought I might hold on to win," said Alex Marquez. "But he was able to not use a lot of rear tyre and I was using up everything." Marc Marquez enjoyed a strong pre-season with the factory Ducati, having joined from Honda, and is strongly fancied to win a first world crown since 2019. Marquez and Bagnaia have been hailed as a factory Ducati dream team but some observers have cautioned that the high-octane mix of two fast high-profile racers could prove too combustible. "I gave my all," said Bagnaia. "But Marc, he was playing with us all day. So maximum ambition was to finish in P2 but it we finished in P3." The start of the new MotoGP season has been overshadowed by the absence of world champion Jorge Martin. The Spaniard suffered fractures to his right hand and left foot in a horror crash during pre-season testing in Malaysia. Then his Aprilia team said this week that Martin suffered another mishap in training and had to have more surgery. Aprilia said Martin will also miss the next race, in Argentina in mid-March, with no time frame put on his return. bur-dh/pbt
