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.
Marco Bezzecchi delivered a flawless lights-to-flag win at the Portuguese Grand Prix, his second full-length race victory of the season and a decisive result in his battle for third in the championship.
Alex Marquez secured second for Gresini Ducati, 2.5 seconds adrift, with Pedro Acosta completing the podium after late pressure on his fellow Spaniard ultimately fell short of an attack on P2.
Bezzecchi was untouchable from the start. Having kept the lead off the line, he steadily built a two-second gap by lap 15.
Marquez attempted to close in early on, but his front tyre began to degrade mid-race, forcing him to defend from Acosta instead of attacking for the win.
Acosta, as fast as in the closing laps of the sprint, cut the gap to under a second with two laps to go, but couldn’t find a way to make the last step towards the rear of Marquez, let alone launch an attack on the Spaniard’s second place.
🔥 @Aldeguer54 has found his way past Quartararo #PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/sNv1WYMMuQ
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 9, 2025
Behind the podium trio, Fermin Aldeguer took a strong fourth place for Gresini, having charged through the field from 11th.
Brad Binder recovered from an early tussle with Fabio Quartararo to finish fifth, while Quartararo himself managed sixth after fading in the closing stages.
Ai Ogura climbed to seventh after finally passing Johann Zarco in the final phase, with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Zarco rounding out the top nine. Pol Espargaro completed the top ten after a clean run on the Tech3 KTM.
Bagnaia’s race ended on lap 11 with a costly crash at Turn 13 while running inside the top four.
Another Sunday crash from @PeccoBagnaia 💥😱
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 9, 2025
This may put a massive dent on his chances to finish 3rd in the Championship ⚠️ #PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/jdZ021RtjD
The Ducati rider’s fall effectively ends his bid for third in the championship, as Bezzecchi now holds a near-insurmountable advantage heading into Valencia.
Further back, Luca Marini beat Jack Miller for 11th, while debutant Nicolo Bulega collected a single point for 15th behind Alex Rins and Miguel Oliveira.
Having already gone out with a clutch issue in the sprint, Joan Mir suffered yet another mechanical issue for Honda, the Spaniard not completing a single race lap this weekend.
