KTM lacks traction but is strong on the brakes – Alex Marquez shines with his drive out of the last corner – Both talk about their close duel in the Portimao sprint

Pedro Acosta missed out on his first sprint victory in Portimao and the first for KTM since Jerez 2023 by just one tenth of a second. In an exciting Spanish duel, runner-up world champion Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) ultimately prevailed and celebrated his second sprint victory in the 2025 MotoGP season. Both describe their individual strengths and weaknesses on this track.

“The problem is,” says Acosta, “that our weak point is traction, and that’s his strong point. In fact, I lost hardly anything in sectors 1, 2, and 3. I was even able to catch up in sector 1. I was very strong in sector 3 and turn 5.“

”The plan was first and foremost to be at the front. Because when you’re at the front, you control the pace of the race and decide what you want to do. I tried as long as I could. We’re just trying to get the most out of the package.”

Alex Marquez also recognized that Acosta, in the lead, was trying to control the pace at the front and secure his position at the back: “When Marco was in front, the pace was quite high. But after Pedro overtook him, the pace was significantly lower.”

“That made it easier for the riders behind. At that moment, I said to myself, ‘Okay, I’ll wait a bit.’ I knew exactly where my point of attack was—it was the last corner. From there to the first corner is my best section on this track.“

”So I was pretty relaxed at that moment,” Alex Marquez describes the duel from his point of view. “I had some trouble stopping the bike in many places, which meant I couldn’t defend myself as well as I would have liked.”

Acosta was better at the hard braking points and exploited the KTM’s advantage there. Alex Marquez came out of the fast final corner best and took the highest speed onto the 970-meter-long home straight.

“I definitely took more risks than he did,” says Acosta, “because I had to ride a lot on the front brake in turns 3, 5, and 1. And he just used a lot of the rear tire in the last corner and was fast enough to overtake me.”

“Right from the start of the race, we had less grip than the others,” says the KTM rider, comparing his bike with the Ducati and Aprilia. “We just try to fight with the means we have: with the braking points, so that we can somehow block the others.”

“I tried as long as I could, but yes, the race was just too long. By then I was already too far behind to attempt an attack. It’s also true that Marco was putting pressure on me from behind, and I tried to attack him again on the last lap.”

Why it got exciting again on the last lap

Because on the last lap, it suddenly got exciting again. Alex Marquez started the last lap with a four-tenths of a second lead, but suddenly Acosta and Bezzecchi were back on the light blue Ducati.

“That was my mistake, completely my mistake,” said the runner-up world champion, annoyed. “I made a mistake in turns 3 and 4, and my bike wobbled badly, pumped badly, and that allowed him to catch up with me again.”

“At that moment, I heard his bike right behind me and thought, ‘Okay, I have to push until the end now.’ So it was clearly my mistake.”
Apart from his crash in qualifying, Alex Marquez has been the fastest rider so far this weekend at Portimao. Did he set up his bike specifically for the last two corners and accept a compromise on the rest of the track? “That may be the case. But since my first year here – 2020 with Honda – I’ve always been super fast in that corner.”

“I remember in 2021 with the LCR team, I was battling Miller there and was able to overtake a Ducati even though it was about 10 km/h faster on the straights. That corner just suits my riding style perfectly.”

“I feel very comfortable there when accelerating out and driving. Not always, but in general I can make a small difference in this section,” says Alex Marquez, who is also considered the favorite for the Grand Prix.

What will happen in the Grand Prix?

Tire management will play a role on Sunday over the full distance of 25 laps. On Sunday, all riders will probably switch from soft to medium rear tires. That could change the balance of power at the front. Acosta believes that tire wear will be a question mark for everyone. Alex Marquez says: “On Friday, we worked really well with the medium rear tire and were able to set a very good pace.”

“What we have to do now is manage the rear tire well, stay patient, and ride really consistently without making any mistakes. We’ll do our best, and I think we have a great chance.”

Bezzecchi also sees opportunities from pole position. In the sprint, he was able to keep up with the pace of the two Spaniards, but couldn’t make his mark. “When Pedro and especially Alex overtook me, I saw that Alex was the strongest, but Pedro was also really fast.”

“At one point, when I was with Pedro, I wanted to try to catch up with him, but then I got a vibration in the first braking zone and Alex passed me. From that moment on, it was a little more difficult for me. Nevertheless, I’m super happy with the result.“

”The last sector, especially the last two corners, is extremely demanding, and Alex has been super, super strong there since yesterday,” Bezzecchi confirms, confirming the impressions that proved to be an advantage for the Gresini rider, especially in the race.

“Let’s say that for one lap or maybe two with a new tire, many of us can set a fast time in the last sector, but Alex is the one who manages to stay consistent over many laps,” said Bezzecchi.

“So yes, we’ll analyze everything and see what we can do to make a step forward there. But otherwise, I have to say that I can’t complain. The Aprilia worked really well.”