- Pedro Acosta pockets five points for P5 in the Sprint. He had earlier pipped his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate, Brad Binder, to the top five of Q2 by a hundredth of a second and his highest position since round three
- A notable improvement of speed and confidence for Binder who ends quali in P6 and just 0.6 of a second from Pole.
- Maverick Viñales finished 7th in the Sprint after hovering in the leading group all through Friday and Saturday and setting off from the middle of the third row
- Enea Bastianini rode to 17th place after setting the 17th best lap through the Q1+Q2 sessions. The Italian was close to the top ten before running wide during the Sprint
- Red Bull KTM Ajo displayed their potential with a Moto3™ Pole Position and new lap record for Jose Antonio Rueda, and Deniz Öncü achieves the front row in Moto2™
MotorLand Aragon hosted MotoGP’s second visit to the Iberian Peninsula this season and brought the series to the sweeping circuit close to the town of Alcañiz. The facility first entertained a Grand Prix in 2010 but the latest round of the current campaign represented the sixteenth time MotoGP has been staged at the 5km, 17-corner layout. Red Bull KTM advanced to the venue with memories of Pedro Acosta’s 2024 Sprint and GP podium finish but in full knowledge that the slick nature of the asphalt can provide a technical test for set-up and the search for optimum traction.
The Sprint on Saturday afternoon meant 11 full-gas laps. Acosta had an entertaining scrap with two riders as he rallied for podium contention, eventually taking 5th and just a tenth of a second from P4. Viñales was motoring with a strong rhythm. The Spaniard was part of the same group as Acosta and rode across the line in 7th: a second from his countryman. Binder missed grip for the getaway and spent the race fighting back to reach 9th. Bastianini recovered well from P17 and was close to Saturday points until he ran adrift and lost time back to 17th place.
MotoGP will lap the MotorLand curves 23 times on Sunday with the eighth Grand Prix of the season getting underway at 14.00 CET.
Pedro Acosta, 5th in qualification, 5th in the Sprint: “Top five was our target: we have to be realistic and get as close to the podium fight as we can. I made a mistake trying to overtake [Franco] Morbidelli and maybe this cost us a lot because then I was having issues with the front tire. But, anyway, a good start, a good first lap and I was able to catch up again at the end. So, good and bad today and we have to be happy because the weekend has been positive so far.”
Maverick Viñales, 8th in qualification, 7th in the Sprint: “I found two tires in qualifying that didn’t work so great. We could see it in the data. The right side was good; I had grip and it was constant but the left was something else. We lost three tenths there. My objective was P4. So, we need to understand that issue to try and avoid it for tomorrow. Today should have been a good opportunity and the Sprint race was decent, my rhythm was strong when I was alone. The bike is working well. It’s just details, and I feel we have a lot of potential for tomorrow.”
Brad Binder, 6th in qualification, 9th in the Sprint: “Finally a good qualifying but it meant lining up on the dirty side of the track for the grid. We tried everything to try and avoid spin…but it did anyway! I did a long rolling burnout and went all the way back to 16th or 17th. It made the race really tricky. Being in traffic effected the front tire pressure and I had a lock-up at Turn 12 and went off. A tough race today. I expected a lot more. The feeling with the bike is not too bad and I think we can have a decent race. If we can launch and get away then it will be a completely different story. I want to be as close to the top five-six as possible.”
Enea Bastianini, 17th in qualification, 17th in the Sprint: “Not easy to give 100% at the moment. I’ve changed many things on the bike and my pace is not bad but when I push to try something more then I make mistakes. I did three today and lost the chance to try for the top ten. I think the bike can be competitive for the top five-six and I just need to make my style to match it.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “The lap-times and the riders’ feelings have been positive from Friday so far, and this also concerns general performance and base settings. We feel that we have taken a step forward but, like I say many times, I see this as a long-term project and we are in the right direction. Steps cannot be huge every race. We’re happy about today, and tomorrow we feel we are quite prepared when we have to fit the harder tire. It’s been a solid weekend so far and I’m quite convinced we can have a solid Grand Prix.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Aragon
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 1:45.704
2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.260
3. Franco Morbidelli (ITA) Ducati +0.280
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.617
6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.629
8. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.730
17. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:47.453 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Aragon
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 19:43.026
2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +2.080
3. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) Ducati +4.630
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +6.095
7. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +7.213
9. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +9.982
KTM GP Academy
Red Bull KTM Ajo returned to Aragon with championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda in an optimistic mood. The young Spaniard has been setting the pace for speed and results so far in 2025 and has won the last three rounds but MotorLand is also a happy hunting ground as Rueda celebrated his maiden Grand Prix win at the track in the summer of 2024. Rueda struck early on Friday and powered his KTM RC4 to P1 in Practice. Rookie teammate Alvaro Carpe tucked into the slipstream to be just 0.3 of a second slower.
Jose Antonio Rueda: “Very happy to have the pole in Aragon here. It’s a special track for me. I enjoyed every lap! Let’s see tomorrow for the race because I think it will be difficult to manage the tire, but we’ll prepare for that. We’ll study and get ready.”
Jacob Roulstone was the quicker rider for Red Bull KTM Tech3. The Australian ranked P7 in Practice on Friday and was only a few tenths of a second ahead of Valentin Perrone. Both made it through to Q2 on Saturday and in the dash for the best grid spots it was Roulstone who inched ahead with the sixth best effort in the critical chrono. Jacob was 0.6 from Pole and the second-row berth is his most advanced of the campaign (and his young career!). Valentin was 15th.
Moto2 was the domain of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Öncü on Friday and Saturday. The Turk has celebrated podium finishes in both Moto3 and Moto2 (Aragon was the scene of his first top three appearance in the category in his debut season last year) and he clearly has an affinity with the Spanish tarmac. Deniz topped the time screens in both Free Practice and Practice during the first day. He then qualified P3 after the run through Q2 on Saturday. Collin Veijer’s saddle was occupied by European Championship Moto2 prospect Dani Muñoz as the Dutchman recovers from right arm surgery. The Spaniard was 17th fastest.
Races five and six of 14 in the 2025 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup took place at Aragon. The fifth dispute of the season was held on Saturday and with championship front-runner Hakim Danish looking for more valuable points and the likes of Brian Uriarte hoping to reassert his potential after success in Jerez but DNF disappointment in France. Saturday’s 13 laps squashed 10 riders together on KTM kitted race equipment and it was Uriarte who triumphed by a narrow 0.004 of a second from Danish.
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Aragon
1. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo 1:56.361
2. Luca Lunetta (ITA), Honda +0.026
3. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.144
4. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.402
6. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.632
15. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.535
19. Dennis Foggia (ITA) CFMOTO Aspar Team 1:57.906 (Q1)
Results Qualifying Moto2 Grand Prix of Aragon
1. Diogo Moreira (BRA) 1:49.940
2. Barry Baltus (BEL) +0.222
3. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.226
5. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.467
6. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.531
17. Dani Muñoz (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.043
