2025 MotoGP pre-season wrap-up

There is so much intrigue coming into the 2025 MotoGP season and this year’s preseason has whet the appetite for what’s shaping up to be an absorbing championship. With arguably the world’s best rider switching to the best bike on the grid, some might say 2025 is set to be a season of mere formality. But at the three-day Sepang test in Malaysia at the start of March, and the two-day test at Thailand’s Buriram the following week, the results, times, and unfolding plotlines spoke for themselves. The 2025 season is shaping up to be a cracker.

Despite its ability to move the game forward year after year, even Ducati has been forced to concede that constant development will only get you so far. At the end of the five days of official testing in Malaysia and Thailand, the factory Ducati squad decided to shelve its 2025-spec engine, meaning Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Franco Morbidelli, Alex Marquez and rookie Fermin Aldeguer will all be competing with the same engine performance of the GP24. 

“The 2024 bike is very difficult to improve,” said Lenovo Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi, saying the chance of all six riders also starting the season with the same chassis and aero package is “a real possibility. We tried hard [to improve], but now we’re taking the safest decision as possible for the riders.”

Asked if he felt it lowered the chance of factory riders Marquez or Bagnaia to claim the title, he replied: “We must compete against other brands and not ourselves.”

So, what material do the factory pairing have over the two satellite teams? According to Tardozzi, it’s updated electronics and 2025-spec suspension components. For now, at least.  

Despite Alex Marquez finishing on top of the timesheets on all but the last day of the test, his hugely rejuvenated older brother Marc fired a warning shot to the field with an impressively quick race simulation on the final day in Thailand, as well as being the only rider capable of breaking into the 1m28s lap times. His average lap time during his 23-lap race simulation was 1m30.361s and over the same distance as the last dry race at the Chang Circuit – which was won by Jorge Martin and in 2023 – the eight-time world champ sliced 26 seconds of Martin’s race-winning time.

“I was thinking to test my physical condition, to understand the 2024 bike in race simulation,” said Marc when asked about his impressive race sim. “I was calm, the tyres were dropping but I was able to manage – I’m looking forward to the start of the season.”

Jorge Martin was just 14 laps into his preseason when a violent highside ruled him out of the rest of his preparations for his 2025 title defence with a new factory, on a new machine and with a new team. It went from bad to worse for the Noale factory, with the only rider with any previous experience on the RS-GP also sidelined when Raul Fernandez crashed on the opening day at Sepang, resulting in fractures to his left hand and foot, leaving Aprilia recruit Marco Bezzecchi to do much of the heavy lifting in terms of development work.

A downbeat Aprilia’s fortunes turned around at Buriram when Bezzecchi stepped up and impressed his new team with his ability to provide clear and constructive feedback. He ended the Thai test third quickest, just 0.205s behind Marc Marquez and produced a quick Sprint race simulation with an average lap time of 1m30.098s. 

“We were able to try two time attacks, I can’t complain,” said Bezzecchi of his speed, but admitted there are areas he needs to improve his riding style in order to get the most out of the RS-GP. “I need to adapt better to the braking; I have to be more precise.”

Aprilia Racing team manager Paolo Bonora said: “For sure, Marco did a fantastic job … we are waiting for Jorge, because it is necessary for his confirmation as well.”

Jorge Martin is expected to participate in the upcoming Thai Grand Prix, with recent reports indicating his recovery from fractures to his right hand and left foot is going to plan.   

In the five years between 2019 and 2023 at the Sepang preseason test, Yamaha recorded an improvement of 0.6sec, however between the 2024 and 2025 events, the Iwata factory has found a significant 0.801s.

“We have made a small step forward compared to last year,” said a smiling Fabio Quartararo at the conclusion of the Buriram test. “Expectations are better than last year, but we [still] have to keep them low.”

The former world champ ended the preseason as the fastest Yamaha rider, eighth on the timesheets and 0.731s slower than Marc Marquez. He did admit the Yamaha was now lacking what was one of its biggest strengths; front-end feel, which he said had never happened before in his previous four seasons riding the YZR-M1.

“We managed to get a good pace [in the race simulation],” he said. “For us, good lap times, but let’s see if during the race we can really find what we are missing.”

Australian Jack Miller adapted quickly to the Yamaha, finishing the Buriram test in 10th place, just 0.031s sec slower than Quartararo and 0.762s down on Marc’s best time. 

On lap times alone, KTM looks to be in good shape with its star signing Pedro Acosta fourth fastest, less than three tenths slower than the most winningest rider on the best bike. His factory teammate Brad Binder finished 12th, almost 0.9sec off the pace, while new signings Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini struggled to adapt to the idiosyncrasies of the GP16. 

New team boss Aki Ajo didn’t give a lot away during his on-screen interviews, merely commenting that it’s “normal” that the adaptation process “takes some time.” And while Vinales sounded upbeat, saying he needs to “continue to the understand and adapt” to the KTM, Bastianini sounded defeatist, stating he simply doesn’t think his riding style is suited to the GP16.  

As an onlooker, it appears that KTM’s weaknesses of previous years might still be the same weaknesses heading into the 2025 season, with the factory still searching for solutions to the poor drive grip and rear chatter that has plagued KTM riders in recent years. 

While he doesn’t expect to be fighting for race wins any time soon, a smiling Joan Mir ended the Buriram test inside the top six, indicating steady progress for the Japanese giant. While it’s true that test riders Aleix Espargaro and Taka Nakagami conducted a private test at the Chang Circuit just ahead of the Sepang test, Mir believes the hard work going on behind the scenes is finally transferring to steady improvements to the RC213V. 

Rear grip on corner exit is still lacking, says Mir, and while top-six at some circuits has been mooted as the Honda’s 2025 potential – which is a stark improvement compared to 2024 – HRC team boss Alberto Puig summed it up when he said “in racing you can never be satisfied if you’re not winning.”    

Combined times at the conclusion of Day 2 in Thailand:

1 M Marquez Ducati Lenovo Team 1m28.855s
2 A Marquez Gresini Racing MotoGP 1m29.034s
3 M Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing 1m29.060s
4 P Acosta Red Bull KTM Factory R 1m29.133s
5 F Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team 1m29.378s
6 J Mir Honda HRC Castrol 1m29.399s
7 F Morbidelli Pertamina Enduro VR46 1m29.454s
8 F Quartararo Monster Energy Yamaha 1m29.586s
9 M Viñales Red Bull KTM Tech3 1m29.606s
10 J Miller Prima Pramac Yamaha 1m29.617s
11 A Ogura Trackhouse MotoGP Team 1m29.636s
12 B Binder Red Bull KTM Factory R 1m29.732s
13 R Fernandez Trackhouse MotoGP Team 1m29.732s
14 L Marini Honda HRC Castrol 1m29.783s
15 E Bastianini Red Bull KTM Tech3 1m29.837s
16 J Zarco Castrol Honda LCR 1m29.882s
17 A Rins Monster Energy Yamaha 1m30.062s
18 F Aldeguer Gresini Racing MotoGP 1m30.085s
19 M Oliveira Prima Pramac Yamaha 1m30.089s
20 S Chantra IDEMITSU Honda LCR 1m30.465s
21 L Savadori Aprilia Racing 1m31.207s