In a duel with Marc Marquez for the lead, Fabio Quartararo crashes in lap 2 – Ducati takes the top six places in the Jerez sprint – Maverick Vinales seventh
Marc Marquez continued his winning streak in the sprint at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. The championship leader also won the short Saturday race on the fifth race weekend. Pole setter Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) crashed out in the second lap in a duel with Marc Marquez.
Everyone opted for Michelin’s soft rear tire for the short 12-lap race. Marc Marquez accelerated off the line ahead of Quartararo’s Yamaha. However, the Frenchman braked on the inside of Turn 1 and took the lead.
Behind them, Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) had snatched third place from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati). Marc Marquez immediately put pressure on Quartararo. On lap 2, he pulled alongside him on the back straight and braked past him on the inside before turn 6.
At the same time, Quartararo braked too late and crashed off the ideal line. This left all six Ducati riders at the front of the field: Marc Marquez ahead of his brother Alex, Bagnaia, Franco Morbidelli (VR46), Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini), and Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46).
In lap five, Jack Miller (Pramac-Yamaha) also retired after crashing in turn 6. The Australian was not in the top 10 at the time. At the start of the sixth lap, Johann Zarco (LCR-Honda) crashed out in turn 1.
The sprint turned into a procession. There were no overtaking maneuvers. Marc Marquez controlled the race and rode to victory unchallenged. This means that the World Championship leader is now unbeaten in Saturday’s races this year for the fifth weekend in a row.
LIGHTS OUT in the TissotSprint @marcmarquez93 gets a better start but Quartararo overtakes him back! SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/HdxVuGaC80
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 26, 2025
“It’s just incredible,” cheered 93. “Like I always say on Saturdays: I hate sprint races because I’m very happy, but I want to control my emotions because tomorrow is the most important day.”
Alex Marquez once again finished second. “I just had a really good start, that was the key to the race,” said the Gresini rider. “In the end, I didn’t feel particularly good. We’re lagging a bit behind [due to the crashes on Friday].”
“Today we went into the sprint race pretty much blind. I just tried to stay very focused. I hope we can take a step forward tomorrow, like the others did today, and that we can fight a little more.”
QUARTARARO HAS GONE DOWN! SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/KzLhiATqDF
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 26, 2025
Bagnaia, who has won the Grand Prix for the past three years, was once again unable to get the better of the Marquez brothers: “Both are currently doing a better job in the sprint races. But step by step we are getting closer, and we will continue to work hard.”
Nevertheless, Bagnaia is “very satisfied” with the sprint podium. With this result, Marc Marquez leads the World Championship by 20 points ahead of his brother Alex. Bagnaia is already 31 points behind (in the World Championship standings).
Behind the six Ducati riders, Maverick Vinales (Tech3-KTM) was the first pursuer in seventh place. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) finished directly behind him. Honda rider Joan Mir collected the last World Championship point for ninth place (to the results).
The KTM duo Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder took tenth and eleventh place. Due to the retirements of Quartararo and Miller, Alex Rins was the best-placed Ducati rider in 15th. Wildcard starter Aleix Espargaro (Honda) finished 18th.