It felt like two weeks ago. At Termas de Río Hondo, Marc Márquez (Ducati) repeated his performance from Thailand, winning ahead of his brother Alex Márquez (Gresini). A copy-paste, or almost. With this second consecutive victory, the eight-time world champion has made a perfect start to the season and written a little more of his name in MotoGP history.
Argentine Grand Prix: a new Márquez demonstration
Alex Márquez led 17 of the 25 laps for a long time, before seeing his elder brother overtake him at the end of the race. An intense battle, in which the younger Márquez gave his all. "I did a 1'38.3, and he replied with a 1'38.2. I was on the limit, almost crashing at every turn. I knew I had to accept second place," confided Alex after the finish.
But it was Marc who was spotted wobbling on lap 15, his rear tire having momentarily stalled. In the end, the Ducati rider was able to manage his effort and take victory shortly before 8pm French time, his 90th win in the premier class. He thus equals Angel Nieto as the third most victorious rider in history, behind Valentino Rossi (115) and Giacomo Agostini (122). With five laps to go, to the roar of the crowd (a record crowd in Argentina), MM93 delivered the coupade, putting an end to the suspense, just as he did in Thailand 15 days ago.
We're free to believe it or not, but "MM93" claims to have had to work twice as hard: "This Sunday, I really pushed against Alex. I thought I'd have to settle for second place, but I felt I was getting better and better on the bike, and it was all over on the second attempt." Alex Márquez will have to wait a little longer before triumphing in MotoGP, but he did claim his 7th podium in the category.
Morbidelli's renaissance, Bagnaia the weekend's big loser
Well behind the Márquez brothers, Franco Morbidelli (VR46) sprang a surprise by claiming his first podium in 1,414 days! The Italian, who has been in search of redemption for several seasons, took advantage of his soft tire to get into the early stages of the race and control his pace against Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati). The 2022 and 2023 champion confirmed that he was in trouble. Never really in a position to attack for the podium, Bagnaia finished a frustrating fourth. "I need to get back to where I was last year. Fourth isn't my place," he said, head down, after the finish. Nevertheless, the Italian manufacturer limited itself to a few adjustments to the GP24 engine, a tried-and-tested solution that it is supposed to have mastered.
Johann Zarco/Honda: a Ducati pace!
On the French side, Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) shone in qualifying, securing a front row finish not seen by Honda since Mugello 2023! He also rode a fine sprint race (4th) and kept up an encouraging pace in the main event. Finally, he finished sixth in the GP, edged out by Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46) in the money-time.
It was with a smile from ear to ear that he spoke after this "dream weekend", accepting the disappointment of not having been on the podium, where he had won twice in Moto2 in the past. Even so, he was the first Honda behind five Ducatis, a sign of the Japanese manufacturer's clear progress.
It's time to vote for the best overtake from the #ArgentinaGP pic.twitter.com/2k5nkfPEmV
MotoGP (@MotoGP) March 17, 2025
He knows: "The wheel's turning, it's going to turn" (wink to Franck Ribéry). To this end, the Cannois has identified two major areas of improvement for Honda: the Holeshot device and the clutch. All the more reason to have high hopes for the rest of the season. In addition, it was recently confirmed that he is still on the 2025 roster of HRC, which will attempt to retain its Suzuka 8 Hour title this August.
Fabio Quartararo finds solace in his misfortune
After a strong start in the sprint race the day before, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) had a frustrating Grand Prix. Caught up in a tangle with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) at the start, he lost any chance of playing up front. Long out of the points, he finally snatched 14th place and saved two points. A small consolation for "El Diablo", who started from 7th on the grid.
Ogura disqualified, Bezzecchi warned
In fact, Quartararo 14th as the final ranking of the Argentine GP was modified two and a half hours after the finish. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Racing) was disqualified for using non-approved software. The Japanese, outgoing Moto2 class champion, had nevertheless put in a fine race, finishing eighth.
Reaction from Trackhouse Aprilia team boss Davide Brivio following Ai Ogura's disqualification:
The post-race sanction against Ai is very disappointing. We have to accept the stewards' decision, but we're really sorry for Ai, as it didn't give him any advantage, and it's really frustrating to take points away from him after such a great race and outstanding on-track performance.
As for Marco Bezzecchi, who was returning to a track where he had triumphed in 2023, he received a warning after what was deemed to be dangerous contact with the French driver. A lenient decision, as the Italian had never committed a similar offence before.
MotoGP 2025 riders' standings after the GP of Argentina (16/03/2025)
Marc Márquez took pole position and set a new circuit record of 1'36''917, giving him a good cushion at the top of the overall standings. Two wins in a row, something that hadn't happened since 2014... the year he won the first 10 races of the season!
What had to happen, happened?
"It's going to be the scenario all season: Marc protects Alex from the third... And at the end of the race, once the double is secured, he passes and wins!" This fear, shared by many followers, is beginning to take shape after these first two races. This Moto Grand Prix of Argentina leaves us hungry for more.
MotoGP 2025 race calendar
With Texas in our sights, the question remains: which rider will be able to stop Marc Márquez? Certainly not Jorge Martin, still recovering from his Supermoto injury. Present in Milan to promote the Aprilia Tuono 457, he remains doubtful for Austin at the end of the month. His boss, Massimo Rivola, insists on an unhurried recovery, prioritizing the rider's health and Aprilia Racing's long-term vision.
Finally, this Grand Prix was affected by the absence once again of Miguel Oliveira, who suffered a collarbone injury after a collision with Fermín Aldeguer during the sprint race.
1. Thailand Grand Prix (Chang International Circuit), March 2. Winner: Marc Marquez (Ducati)
2. Argentine Grand Prix (Termas de Río Hondo), March 16. Winner: Marc Marquez (Ducati)
3. Grand Prix of the Americas (Circuit of the Americas), March 31
4. Qatar Grand Prix (Losail Circuit), April 13
5. Spanish Grand Prix (Circuit de Jerez), April 27
6. French Grand Prix (Circuit Bugatti - Le Mans), May 11
7. British Grand Prix (Silverstone Circuit), May 25
8. Grand Prix of Aragón (Motorland Aragón), June 8
9. Italian Grand Prix (Mugello), June 22
10. Dutch Grand Prix (TT Circuit Assen), June 29
11. German Grand Prix (Sachsenring), July 13
12. Czech Grand Prix (Automotodrom Brno), July 20
13. Austrian Grand Prix (Red Bull Ring), August 17
14. Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungaroring), August 24
15. Catalan Grand Prix (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya), September 7
16. San Marino Grand Prix (Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli), September 14
17. Japanese Grand Prix (Twin Ring Motegi), September 28
18. Indonesian Grand Prix (Circuit Mandalika), October 5
19. Australian Grand Prix (Phillip Island), October 19
20. Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang International Circuit), October 26
21. Portuguese Grand Prix (Algarve Circuit), November 9
22. Valencia Grand Prix (Circuit Ricardo Tormo), November 16.
Moto3: who will succeed David Alonso, now in Moto2?
The Moto2 rookie has had a complicated start to the season in the category where Ai Ogura excelled. Here are the provisional Moto2 and Moto3 standings:
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