Bezzecchi Leads Fernandez in Aprilia 1-2 at Valencia GP

Marco BezzecchiRaul Fernandez took victory at the MotoGP Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday, securing an Aprilia 1-2 finish.

The professional racer held back the Trackhouse driver for his second victory in a row and his third of the year, withFabio Di Giannantoniosecuring third position for VR46 Ducati

After Fernandez secured victory at last month’s Australian Grand Prix, this marked Aprilia’s third triumph in four Sundays, prompting the championship-winning manufacturer Ducati to reflect deeply as winter approaches.

There was tension even before the competition started, asFranco Morbidelliunintentionally collided with the Honda reserve riderAleix EspargaroAs the grid was set up. Although Espargaro managed to start the race despite some parts missing from his bike following the incident, Morbidelli’s VR46 Ducati was swiftly taken off the grid. He briefly participated in the race using a spare bike, but due to an injury to his hand from the crash, he had to withdraw.

Polesitter Bezzecchi surged to the front as the lights went out, leading ahead of the sprint victorAlex MarquezOn the Gresini Ducati, Bezzecchi took the lead from the start, but faced varying challenges as different riders showed superior speed at different points in a race that proved difficult in terms of tire management.

Marquez showed the ability to apply pressure on the leader during the initial 10 laps of the race. However, he then encountered difficulties, allowing Fernandez to take the initiative in his bid. Having moved up positions early by securing fifth place on the first lap, he overtook Marquez for second place on lap 11 and assumed the position of the primary challenger to Bezzecchi.

Although there were fitness issues regarding Fernandez, who hadn’t been fit enough to compete in Portugal just seven days prior after crashing during practice for the event, the Spaniard kept Bezzecchi on his toes for the remainder of the 27 laps. He was within a second of Bezzecchi entering the final lap, but Bezzecchi ultimately managed to stay ahead.

Di Giannantonio and KTM’s Pedro AcostaSwitched positions a few times throughout the race, with both also managing to get past the weakening Marquez. Nevertheless, Di Giannantonio had the upper hand in the end, securing his place on the podium.

Fermin Aldegueralso exonerated Marquez at the conclusion, resulting in Gresini having a disappointing season finale with fifth and sixth place finishes.

Honda owed much to Luca MariniAfter the Italian secured exactly the seventh position required to advance from Group D. The Italian rode consistently to finish ahead ofBrad Binder (KTM), Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) and Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM).

Francesco BagnaiaHis year ended in a suitably bleak manner whenJohann Zarcokicked him out on the first lap, while his injured 2024 championship rivalJorge Martin(Aprilia) withdrew during the middle distance to preserve his physical condition for the group test on Tuesday.

MotoGP – Valencia Grand Prix outcomes

Cla	Rider	#	Bike	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h	Retirement
1	M. Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing Team	72		Aprilia	27	40’52.458	25
2	R. Fernández Trackhouse Racing Team	25		Aprilia	27	+0.686 40’53.144	0.686	20
3	F. Di Giannantonio Team VR46	49		Ducati	27	+3.765 40’56.223	3.079	16
4	P. Acosta Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	37		KTM	27	+4.749 40’57.207	0.984	13
5	F. Aldeguer Gresini Racing	54		Ducati	27	+8.048 41’00.506	3.299	11
6	A. Marquez Gresini Racing	73		Ducati	27	+8.166 41’00.624	0.118	10
7	L. Marini Honda HRC	10		Honda	27	+12.644 41’05.102	4.478	9
8	B. Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33		KTM	27	+14.582 41’07.040	1.938	8
9	J. Miller Pramac Racing	43		Yamaha	27	+15.497 41’07.955	0.915	7
10	E. Bastianini Tech 3	23		KTM	27	+17.460 41’09.918	1.963	6
11	M. Oliveira Pramac Racing	88		Yamaha	27	+19.304 41’11.762	1.844	5
12	J. Zarco Team LCR	5		Honda	27	+21.286 41’13.744	1.982	4
13	J. Mir Honda HRC	36		Honda	27	+22.079 41’14.537	0.793	3
14	A. Rins Yamaha Factory Racing	42		Yamaha	27	+23.255 41’15.713	1.176	2
15	N. Bulega Ducati Team	11		Ducati	27	+26.144 41’18.602	2.889	1
16	A. Fernandez Yamaha Factory Racing	7		Yamaha	27	+36.854 41’29.312	10.710
17	S. Chantra Team LCR	35		Honda	27	+39.136 41’31.594	2.282
dnf	A. Espargaro Honda HRC Test Team	41	Honda	25	+2 Laps 38’42.576	2 Laps	Retirement
dnf	F. Quartararo Yamaha Factory Racing	20		Yamaha	23	+4 Laps 35’37.245	2 Laps	Retirement
dnf	M. Viñales Tech 3	12		KTM	23	+4 Laps 35’29.081	Retirement
dnf	J. Martin Aprilia Racing Team	1		Aprilia	15	+12 Laps 23’21.562	8 Laps	Retirement
dnf	A. Ogura Trackhouse Racing Team	79		Aprilia	6	+21 Laps 9’14.913	9 Laps	Retirement
dnf	F. Morbidelli Team VR46	21		Ducati	1	+26 Laps 2’32.932	5 Laps	Retirement
dnf	F. Bagnaia Ducati Team	63		Ducati	0	+27 Laps 26.223	1 Lap	Retirement