Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega says he and the team “have lots of work to do” following WorldSBK testing at Portimao.

Bulega finished the test second fastest behind BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu, but the Italian was over half a second down on the reigning world champion’s best lap time. 

The teams faced limited test time due to inclement weather in Portugal, which meant they could only run for half days on each of the two days of testing. 

The championship leader was further restricted following a crash at Turn 11, from which the he was fortunate to walk away uninjured. 

Bulega admitted it was a “difficult” test for the team after earning a treble of race victories in Phillip Island, but emphasised the end of the session showed promise for the upcoming weekend. 

“It was a bit of a difficult test for us because we worked hard to find a good feeling, but it didn’t arrive,” Bulega said to WorldSBK.com.

“This morning [Day 2] I had a big crash on a very fast corner here in Portimao.

“Fortunately, I am good, but it was more difficult to work because we lost some time as a result, then later the rain made it a difficult and strange test.

“At the end of the session, the last 15 minutes, we were a bit better; we still have lots of work to do but in the end, we were a lot better.”

Alvaro Bautista: Ducati made ‘small changes’ in Portimao WorldSBK test

Bulega’s Ducati teammate Alvaro Bautista finished the Portimao test in eighth, over a second behind Razgatlioglu’s best time. 

The Spanish rider elected not to test on Friday and instead opted for half a day’s running on Saturday.

Despite his limited track time, Bautista suggested he “felt good” on the bike but stressed would have to wait to see how it fairs in race condition.

“We were able to do some laps, especially in the morning, we started the day with the same setup that we finished the last round with, in Australia.” said Bautista.

“The feeling was good, I felt good on the bike. We made some small changes but nothing big. In the afternoon with the rain, the feeling was a bit worse because I couldn’t feel the tires as easily.

“In general, in the morning I felt good, the pace wasn’t too bad, but we will have to see what the conditions will be like on the race weekend. We prepared the base setup and we will adapt the package from there.”

READ MORE: Five things we learned from WorldSBK Phillip Island season opener

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Marco Bezzecchi admits he made “a bad mistake” on the first lap of the Argentina MotoGP race which took him out of points contention.

Bezzecchi and Aprilia were expecting to be strong around a circuit where the Italian won two years ago, but the potential never materialised throughout the weekend.

The Rimini native struggled in qualifying and as a result was attempting to make progress down into the first corner in Sunday’s race, but an overly ambitious move saw him make contact with the rear tyre of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.

While the Frenchman was able to continue running, albeit finishing down in 14th, Bezzecchi’s race ended in the gravel after the incident, which he has since taken full responsibility for.

“It was my mistake – I braked too late,” Bezzecchi said to Crash.net. “I managed to miss Franco Morbidelli, but unfortunately, I hit Fabio Quartararo’s rear tyre.

“So a bad mistake by me. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to Fabio. I’ve already apologised to his team.”

“We had the pace to battle for the good positions,” Bezzecchi continued.

“We still need to improve in qualifying, and that will be my goal for the next GP.

“I also felt good on the bike in the warm-up session, and I expected to be able to ride a good race, but the mistake on the first corner changed my plans.”

Fabio Quartararo: ‘not much to say’ about Marco Bezzecchi crash

Quartararo admitted the incident was “unfortunate” but that his Yamaha machinery did not have the pace to keep up with the front runners regardless of the incident.

“There’s not much to say,” commented Quartararo. “The touch between Bezzecchi and me in the first corner was unfortunate. I went wide, I was in last place, and also our pace was not super good all weekend.”

“I could have maybe been a few positions higher, because starting the race like this, you pretty much keep your position. But it was a really tough weekend overall. Let’s see if we can do a bit better at the next GP.”

Bezzecchi was not penalised for the incident by the stewards after the race.

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Alex Marquez has hit back at claims he has “too much respect” for elder brother Marc Marquez following Sunday’s MotoGP race in Argentina.

The Gresini rider led most of Sunday’s grand prix but was overtaken with four laps to go, eventually finishing 1.362s behind the factory Ducati rider.

After the race, the younger Marquez was asked if he needs to “break the respect” he has for his brother to beat him, which the Spaniard found “disrespectful.” 

“I’ve had this question many times; ‘when will you lose the respect for Marc [Marquez]’ or ‘you respect too much Marc’,” said Marquez via GPOne.

“For me, this question is disrespectful to me. I’m a rider. I give my 100% always, I try to push for my team, for my sponsors. 

“I know that it’s my brother and I will have an extra respect when I overtake him.

“I’m the first one that wants to beat him and I want to win, but I’m more realistic than everybody because I know how Marc is. 

“I know his strong points and I don’t have any problem saying about them. Maybe you will not say directly what your rival is doing really good, but it’s my brother.

“I don’t have any problem saying it, and I don’t have any problem with accepting if he’s better than me in some points.

“So I will try to learn. I will try to give like always my 100%, but stop thinking I have too much respect for Marc.  We saw it today. We fight each other. He was faster than me and I gave my 100%.

“So I’m happy with second. I know that he is better than me in some areas and I will try to improve for the future.”

Marquez: ‘we need to improve in order to win’

Marquez came close to winning his first Grand Prix race but had to settle for a fourth-consecutive second place in races. 

The Cervera native admitted the elder Marquez can push more in the later stages of the race, and suggested this is an area he is seeking to improve. 

“I tried to push from the beginning, I did a good start, Pecco [Bagnaia] attacked me in turn 3 but I was able to come back to second,” Marquez said.

“I was feeling really good, I had a lot of doubts before the race about the tyre choice, but in the end I decided to be like Marc and Pecco with the medium rear.

“Later, when Marc did a small mistake at turn one I said, ‘OK, I go for it’. I tried to put a nice pace and was able to make a gap to the second group.”

“When he attacked me at Turn 5 I said, ‘OK, time to try’,” he added. 

“So I gave my 100%. I did a ‘38.3 but he was able to make ‘38.2. I was really on the limit. Nearly crashing all the corners.

“I tried to fight with him and to be there. But he’s able to be more on the limit in the last part of the race. So we need to improve there.

“But I’m super happy about all the weekend.”

Marquez: ‘I’m at my strongest in MotoGP right now’ 

The younger Marquez brother has never finished higher than eighth in a MotoGP World Championship season but currently sits second in the standings after a strong start to 2025. 

The Gresini rider confirmed he feels he is riding the best he ever has in the premier class. 

“It’s the moment where I feel at my strongest in MotoGP,” Marquez said.

“This bike suits me in a really good way with the riding style. So I’m just enjoying being on the bike. 

“I’m playing with the bike and it’s something really great. Just we need to keep going like that.

“The team are doing a super job, also the support from Ducati. We need to understand a few things from Marc, but here we were closer and it’s super nice to fight with your brother for a MotoGP victory.”

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Marc Marquez continued his MotoGP winning streak as he earned a third-consecutive victory in 2025 at the Argentina Sprint race. 

The Spanish rider came under significant pressure from Gresini’s Alex Marquez, but was able to maintain his composure to seal a third win in 2025. 

Marquez got a fantastic start from pole position and was able to maintain the lead down into the first corner. 

Francesco Bagnaia also got a good start on the second factory Ducati and was able to overtake Johann Zarco for third into Turn 1. 

Gresini’s Marquez preserved his second place but quickly came under pressure from Bagnaia, but the Italian was unable to get through after coming under fire from the fast-starting Fabio Quartararo.

The younger Marquez was the fastest rider on track in the early stages of the race and was able to break clear of Bagnaia to chase after his brother out front. 

Pedro Acosta made it past the duelling Zarco and Quartararo as he looked to continue a strong weekend, but was quickly passed by both riders.

The Frenchman was the fastest rider on track in the closing stages of the Sprint and he looked to cut the deficit to Bagnaia in third. 

At the front, it was Marc Marquez who took the chequered flag to continue his perfect record in races in 2025.

Alex Marquez earned another second place for the Gresini team, 0.903s behind the factory Ducati rider.

Despite a late challenge from Zarco, Bagnaia rounded out an all-Ducati podium in third.

Zarco took a welcome fourth for Honda as VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio ensured it was four Ducatis inside the top five.

Marco Bezzecchi was sixth for Aprilia after overcoming a challenge from Franco Morbidelli, while Joan Mir was eighth following a late battle with ninth-placed Acosta. 

Quartararo finished outside the points despite a fantastic start to the race in tenth, with Jack Miller and Alex Rins in 11th and 12th respectively. 

Luca Marini improved to 13th in the Sprint and Tech3 KTM’s Enea Bastianini showcased his late race pace to earn 14th. 

Ai Ogura led the Trackhouse riders over the line in 15th, with Raul Fernandez narrowly behind in 16th. 

Somkiat Chantra finished the race in 17th ahead of the struggling Maverick Vinales in 18th.

Fermin Aldeguer crashed on lap six but rejoined to complete the finishers in 19th.

Lorenzo Savadori retired from the race with a technical problem, joining Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder as the retirements from the Sprint.  

The post Marc Marquez continues MotoGP dominance with Argentina Sprint victory appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta says it is negotiating a new five-year deal which would see KTM stay in MotoGP until at least 2031.

There have been great concerns over KTM’s future in the championship following its financial crisis which has unfolded over the last few months.

Last month it won vote with creditors which saw its restructuring plan approved, with the Austrian manufacturer set to pay off only 30% of its €2.2 billion debts.

In December, a creditors hearing concluded with KTM’s exit from MotoGP “planned” under cost-saving measures, but Motorsports Director Pit Beirer said during the brand’s 2025 MotoGP launch that it was already planning its 2027 engine. 

However, the manufacturer is in negotiations with Dorna to extend its stay in the MotoGP championship beyond its current contract, which ends in 2026.

“I’m worried, because I don’t like a team to be in this situation,” Ezpeleta told motosprint.it.

“At the same time, I’m not worried about the racing sector and the brand’s participation in the world championship, this absolutely not.

“On the contrary, we are negotiating right now with the KTM Group for the renewal of the agreement that will run from 2027 to 2031.”

Other manufacturers have also expressed support for KTM amidst its financial problems, with Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola saying MotoGP has to learn from the Austrian marque’s situation and bring the costs of the championship under control.

‘The Japanese manufacturers will be closer’: Ezpeleta on MotoGP concessions

Ezpeleta also referenced the current concession system aimed at boosting the struggling Honda and Yamaha back to the front of the grid.

Both manufacturers had a promising start to the season at the Thai Grand Prix, and while Ezpeleta doesn’t believe the Japanese brands be ahead of Ducati by the end of this season, he suggests they “will be closer”.

“Yes, even if there is still a while to go,” Ezpeleta said.

“More to Honda than to Yamaha. But I’m sure that at the end of this year they won’t be in front, because Ducati and Aprilia are very strong and KTM is also at a high level.

“But the Japanese manufacturers will be closer.”

READ MORE – KTM compares Pedro Acosta’s MotoGP approach to seven-time Formula 1 champion

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Marc Marquez demolished his own lap record to take a stunning pole position in Argentina MotoGP qualifying for Ducati.

Marquez set a new lap record on his first flying run in qualifying by a tenth, which he then surpassed one lap later to post a benchmark time of 1:37.023.

Nobody was able to beat the original time posted by the Spanish rider, but on his penultimate run he bested his previous records with a 1:36.917 to confirm his pole position. 

Alex Marquez took second place, 0.246s off his brother’s best time of the session.  

Johann Zarco completed the front row with a shock third place for the LCR Honda team. 

Francesco Bagnaia ended the session in fourth place ahead of KTM’s Pedro Acosta, who benefitted from Bagnaia’s slipstream, in fifth. 

Fabio Di Giannantonio achieved sixth in qualifying, while Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo narrowly missed out on the second-row seventh.

Franco Morbidelli was eighth after advancing from Q1 as Marco Bezzecchi took ninth for Aprilia. 

Joan Mir completed the top ten for Honda, a tenth clear of Brad Binder in 11th and Alex Rins in 12th.

Jack Miller narrowly missed out on a Q2 appearance and ended qualifying in 13th. 

Fermin Aldeguer was the top rookie in qualifying after finishing 14th, while Ai Ogura crashed on his last lap and could only take 15th. 

Luca Marini was 16th for the factory Honda team ahead of Pramac’s Miguel Oliveira in 17th.

Raul Fernandez took 18th for the Trackhouse team as three Aprilia riders were eliminated from Q1. 

Somkiat Chantra also crashed on his final run and ended the session in 19th for the LCR Honda team.

Tech3 KTM continued their struggles in qualifying and finished 20th and 21st, with Maverick Vinales leading Enea Bastianini.  

Raul Fernandez was 21st for Trackhouse as Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori completed the standings in 22nd.

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Alex Marquez set the pace to top the final practice MotoGP session at the Argentine Grand Prix ahead of brother Marc Marquez on the factory Ducati.

The Gresini rider ended the session with a time of 1:37.795, half a second shy of the lap record set by his brother on the factory Ducati yesterday afternoon. 

The elder Marquez was 0.085s behind the Gresini rider in second as he continued his momentum around the Termas circuit. 

Johann Zarco remained the fastest Honda rider and finished practice in third place, just a tenth behind the Marquez brothers. 

Fabio Di Giannantonio was fourth for VR46 while KTM’s Pedro Acosta ensured three different manufacturers were inside the top five. 

Rookie Fermin Aldeguer benefitted from a slipstream from Ducati’s Marquez to take sixth place in practice, with Francesco Bagnaia down in seventh. 

Marco Bezzecchi was eighth for Aprilia, setting an identical lap time to Pramac’s Jack Miller in ninth. 

Fabio Quartararo rounded out the top ten in the final practice session before qualifying for the factory Yamaha outlet.

Joan Mir confirmed Honda’s improvements in 11th ahead of Franco Morbidelli who took 12th despite a crash early in the session.

Alex Rins was 13th, just over six tenths off Marquez’s leading lap time, while Luca Marini earned 14th for Honda.

Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura was 15th, 0.819s away from the best time as Miguel Oliveira was 16th. 

Brad Binder was a lowly 17th for KTM, just under a tenth clear of the second Trackhouse of Raul Fernandez. 

The Tech3 KTM duo finished 19th and 20th, with Maverick Vinales leading Enea Bastianini over the line. 

LCR Honda’s Somkiat Chantra was 21st as Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori completed the standings in 22nd.

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The organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix are confident the MotoGP race at Jerez will go ahead despite flood damage to the circuit.

Torrential rain in the Andalusia region of Spain saw the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto saw the circuit flooded, which caused significant damage to the track surface.

More than 120 liters of rain per square meter were recorded in less than half an hour on Monday of last week according to reports from Todo Circuito. 

Due to the damage, the circuit has been forced to postpone its hosting of the opening round of the Spanish Superbike Championship, which was initially scheduled for the 22-23 March.

It has been given a new date of 5-6 April to allow extra time to recover from the weather it was struck by.

However, it is expected that the MotoGP round scheduled for the 25-27 April will be unaffected.

“We know that in certain corners there has been damage to the asphalt, but not to the track,” said Jerez mayor María José García-Pelayo.

“What we have been able to verify are defects in the outer area of the curves, as well as inside some buildings.

“Action is being taken as quickly as possible in the circuit and in the different rural neighbourhoods and in Nuevas Jarilla.

“A major cleaning has to be done because, once the water has been removed, a lot of mud has remained.

Regarding MotoGP, Garcia-Pelayo said: “For the peace of mind of the fans, the Jerez Circuit guarantees that these works that are being undertaken guarantee that the Spanish Grand Prix will be held as scheduled.

“The Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto has already put all the human and material resources at its disposal to resume the activity as soon as possible.”

The post Jerez provides new MotoGP update amid postponements after flood damage appeared first on Motorsport Week.

A spokesperson for Ducati has revealed three of its riders raced at the Thai MotoGP round with the manufacturer’s updated 2025 engine.

Both factory Ducati riders, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, as well as Fabio Di Giannantonio all competed with the 2025 specifications in Thailand.

This comes after the Bologna-based factory initially announced all six of its bikes would be using last year’s engine after encountering problems with this year’s prototype throughout winter testing. 

The Italian marque has now gone back on its announcement, with two different types of engines being used by the reigning manufacturers’ champion.

This means that the three riders used a different type to second-placed finisher Alex Marquez, his Gresini teammate Fermin Aldeguer and VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli – all of whom currently ride on GP24s of the specification used at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix.  

“Indeed, they are two different specifications,” a Ducati spokesperson confirmed according to reports from Motorsport.com. 

“The one for Marc, Pecco and Diggia includes some small changes compared to the one for Alex, Franco and Fermin.”

“In the more modern specification, we have taken into account Marc and Pecco’s comments,” added the spokesperson, who emphasised that the differences between the two models “are small”.

Ducati continued its dominance from 2024 into this season’s opener at the Thailand Grand Prix.

Marc Marquez dominated on his factory Ducati debut winning both the sprint race and grand prix, while younger brother Alex finished second in both races. Bagnaia joined the Marquez brothers on the podium in both contests.

Morbidelli made it an all-Ducati top four in the main race, while Di Giannantonio was down in 10th after recovering from a broken collarbone, with Aldeguer in 13th on his MotoGP debut.

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TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson says Marc Marquez can “manipulate” MotoGP teams to suit his needs in a “similar manner” to Valentino Rossi.

Marquez won both races on his debut with the factory Ducati squad at the season-opening Thai Grand Prix, finishing over two seconds clear of teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

It has long been anticipated the 2025 title battle would be between the two teammates, but the championship could be decided by who gets the most support from the team.

Hodgson believes this is where Marquez can “manipulate” the team to fight in his corner, and drew comparisons to the Spaniard’s long-time rival Rossi. 

“People at home will think about Marc [Marquez]: arrogance, because of his behaviour on track,” Hodgson assessed.

“But he’s a people person, he’s a real team player. He’s really good – this sounds harsh – at manipulating the team around him.

“I underline that by saying it’s part of the job. You want all the guys in the team to fight for you. Marc is the master of that.

“Do you know who was better than him, or as good as him? Valentino [Rossi].

“Valentino could manipulate a team around him very well.”

‘Ducati love winners’: how Marc Marquez could upset Francesco Bagnaia in 2025

Marquez joined Ducati after its most dominant campaign in recent memory, with Bagnaia taking 11 victories aboard the GP24 last season.

While Hodgson admitted “Ducati love winners” he suggested Marquez could get the garage in his favour over the two-time champion.

“It’s not his first rodeo! He knows how to play the press, and a garage,” Hodgson continued.

“He’s very good at turning the garage he works in all onto his side. They loved him at Gresini and at Honda.

“Now he’s got the ultimate challenge of turning Bagnaia’s garage into a Marc Marquez garage.

“Pecco [Bagnaia] won their first MotoGP title since Casey Stoner in 2007. An Italian on their bike winning the championship was huge. They love Pecco at Ducati.

“But one thing I know is that Ducati love winners.”

Hodgson’s TNT Sports colleague Michael Laverty added Marquez is “confident” now he is working with the “best engineers” in the paddock.

“He did sometimes at Gresini. At Aragon he probably arrived confidently, but he was always on the back foot on the older machine,” Laverty said.

“Now, he’s got the best tools on the planet at his disposal, and the best engineers.

“The swagger in how he walks around the paddock? He is confident.”

READ MORE – Francesco Bagnaia ‘not in MotoGP to finish third’ after Thai GP struggles

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