Bagnaia Triumphs at Japanese GP – Acosta Crashes Again
Francesco Bagnaia secures his first win at the Japanese Grand Prix as Martin & Marquez complete the podium after another Acosta crash.
All eyes were on José Antonio Rueda this Sunday, and the Spaniard – one of the top contenders for the 2025 Moto3 title – didn’t disappoint.
The Sevillian rider fought his way up from third place, took the race lead, and set a blistering pace that allowed him to fend off every attack before pulling away, especially after David Muñoz crashed.
In the end, Rueda clinched victory with a seven-second margin over an impressive Álvaro Carpe, who finished second in just his second Grand Prix appearance after edging out Adrián Fernández in a thrilling late-race duel to complete an all-Spanish podium in Buriram.
The first major talking point on Sunday was the intense heat, with the smallest category already facing the highest temperatures of the weekend – approaching 40°C – which posed a serious challenge for the riders in the season’s first points-scoring race.
At the start, Matteo Bertelle couldn’t hold onto pole position, as Spain’s José Antonio Rueda surged into the lead from third on the grid.
However, the Italian fought back on the run to Turn 3, while Álvaro Carpe slotted into third, followed by Stefano Nepa in fourth. Ultimately, Rueda was the first to cross the line at the end of the opening lap.
Further back, the first crashes of the race occurred when Buchanan lost control of his bike and took O’Shea down with him.
Buchanan and O'Shea involved in an early tangle 💥 Glad to see they're both on their feet 👍#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/MJwe3ukKIL
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 2, 2025
Rueda and Bertelle swapped positions at the front early on, before David Muñoz charged up to third. Also present in the lead group were Luca Lunetta, Ryusei Yamanaka, and Joel Kelso.
By the end of the first quarter of the race (five laps into the scheduled 19), it was Rueda and Muñoz who took control. The two Andalusians were followed by Bertelle, Yamanaka, and Lunetta.
As the laps ticked by, the leading pack grew to 13 riders, while further back, more incidents unfolded – including a crash at Turn 3 involving Tatchakorn Buasri and Valentín Perrone, leaving both on the ground.
At the front, Rueda fought to stay ahead despite the increasing pressure, with Muñoz clocking a 1:41.0 lap to take second place with ten laps to go.
One of the first to drop out of the group was Luca Lunetta, who ran off track after making contact with Muñoz. Soon after, Yamanaka crashed while running third, clearing the way for Muñoz and Adrián Fernández, who had made steady progress through the field.
With nine laps to go, Rueda and Muñoz – having built a small gap over the rest – started battling for the lead, as Muñoz sensed his moment to attack. But the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider held firm, refusing to surrender his position.
Just as this fight was heating up, a dramatic twist occurred: race direction handed Muñoz a Long Lap Penalty for his earlier incident with Lunetta.
From that moment on, Muñoz had to shift his focus from fighting for the lead to serving his penalty. But his misfortune wasn’t over – just a lap after the decision, he crashed out, likely distracted by the looming penalty.
Since he never had the chance to serve it, he will carry the sanction into the Argentine GP in two weeks.
With six laps remaining, Rueda found himself comfortably out front with a two-second lead, cruising towards his first victory of the year – one that firmly established him as the rider to beat in the 2025 Moto3 season.
Attention then turned to the battle for the remaining podium spots, with a seven-rider scrap involving Adrián Fernández, Álvaro Carpe, Ángel Piqueras, Stefano Nepa, Dennis Foggia, Joel Kelso, and Scott Ogden.
But with four laps to go, Piqueras and Kelso went down at Turn 12 after the latter misjudged his braking and collided with the Spaniard.
That incident split the group, leaving Nepa, Fernández, Carpe, and Ogden to fight for second and third. On the penultimate lap, Nepa ran wide, allowing the two Spaniards through, with Raúl Fernández’s younger brother moving into second.
But Carpe wasn’t done yet—the reigning JuniorGP and Red Bull Rookies Cup champion attacked in the final corners to snatch second place.
Behind Adrián Fernández, the rest of the top ten was rounded out by Stefano Nepa, Matteo Bertelle, Dennis Foggia, David Almansa, Ricardo Rossi, Joel Esteban, and Luca Lunetta.
