Alex Marquez delivered a faultless ride to win the MotoGP Sprint at Portimao by just 0.120 seconds over Pedro Acosta, sealing Gresini Racing’s second sprint victory of the season after a tense twelve-lap battle.
Pedro Acosta launched strongly from the front row and immediately slotted behind polesitter Marco Bezzecchi, who led the field onto the first lap of the race.
Shadowing the Aprilia rider through the opening laps, the Spaniard immediately piled the pressure onto the race leader and eventually forced his way past on lap three into Turn 1.
Behind them, Marquez – starting fifth after a Q2 crash, but slotting into third after a brilliant launch off the line – cut through the pack, picking off Marco Bezzecchi on lap four, having gotten a two-bike slipstream down the main straight.
The Spaniard immediately closed the slight gap to Acosta in front to launch an attack for the race lead. Marquez and Acosta traded the lead multiple times between laps six and eight.
How many overtakes so far? 🤯@37_pedroacosta is all fired up to attack and defend for that Sprint win 🦈#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/GwDXlrR1yx
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 8, 2025
Having the best seat in the house for the great battle right in front of him, Bezzecchi briefly stayed within striking distance but started to drop off by lap seven, the front duo starting to break clear.
By lap ten, Marquez had edged out a half-second gap and looked set to comfortably bring home his second sprint win of the season, when the fierce battle for the lead with Acosta paid its toll on the Gresini rider’s rear tyre.
Visibly losing grip in the closing stages of the sprint, Marquez’s half-a-second lead quickly shrank back down, giving Acosta hope for a final late race attack for the win.
Taking everything out of his Gresini Ducati on the exit of the last corner, however, Marquez just held on. The margin at the flag: +0.120 seconds.
Bezzecchi completed the podium, 0.637s adrift, ahead of Fabio Quartararo, who finished best of the Japanese bikes in fourth.
Fabio di Giannantonio recovered from mid-distance battles to secure fifth, while Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer and LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco edged out a fading Francesco Bagnaia, who dropped to eighth after losing two places on the final run to the line.
⚔️ @PeccoBagnaia's busy defending his P6 from no less than four riders!#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/7qo9qa8Jez
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 8, 2025
Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro completed the top ten. Joan Mir’s race collapsed early after a poor start left him mired in traffic, before the Spaniard retired to the pits, joining fellow Honda colleague Somkiat Chantra in retiring to the pits.
Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega crashed out on lap five at Turn 14.
The result extends Bezzecchi’s advantage over Bagnaia to 10 points in the battle for third overall.
