Talking points from MotoGP’s first 2025 test
22 November 2024With the curtain having fallen on a thrilling 2024 MotoGP season, 24 riders took their first opportunity to see what 2025 has in store during a seven-hour test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Here, we’ve distilled the main storylines from the test.
Into the unknown
Many of the teams and riders were in unfamiliar territory, with a whopping 12 riders on bikes they hadn’t ridden before including Marc Márquez (Factory Ducati), Enea Bastianini (KTM Tech 3), Jorge Martín (Factory Aprilia), Pedro Acosta (Factory KTM), Marco Bezzechi (Factory Aprilia), Somikat Chantra (Honda LCR), Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati), Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia), Miguel Oliveira (Pramac Yamaha), Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) and Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati).
Márquez sets the pace
With all those unknowns, it was Alex Márquez on his familiar Gresini Ducati who sat atop the table for most of the day, setting a quick lap early on and regaining the fastest time in the fourth hour with a 1:38.803. Late in the day, he crashed at Turn 7 damaging his GP24 bike, even so, no one was able to get near his time.
Martín puts the Aprilia through its paces
The recently crowned 2024 MotoGP champion Jorge Martín took his tentative first steps on an Aprilia during the test. In the morning, he hopped aboard a 2024-spec RS-GP to ease in with a known race winner, then made the switch to next year’s prototype for the afternoon stint.
A slow-speed crash at Turn 5 was the only blot in his copybook as he racked up the mileage, completing 77 laps. He ended the session 11th fastest – just over a second off the ultimate pace of Alex Márquez – and as the second-fastest Aprilia four tenths behind Raúl Fernández on the Trackhouse Racing machine.
Márquez in red
Although there were plenty of newsworthy topics, all eyes were still trained on Marc Márquez and his foray into life at the factory Ducati squad. 49 laps later it looked as if Marc had always been there, with the six-time champion setting the fourth-fastest time in the dying moments of the session.
His 2025 Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was just half a tenth up the road in third, giving the earliest hints of a thrilling head-to-head between the two champions next year.
A glimmer of hope for Yamaha?
Fabio Quartararo had a brief stint at the top of the times and ended the day second-fastest, four-tenths behind A Márquez. With an updated chassis, aerodynamics and engine, the revamped Yamaha M1 showed positive signs after a dismal 2024 campaign.
Acosta steps up
2024’s rookie sensation Pedro Acosta finished ninth in his first session aboard the factory KTM bike, just half a tenth shy of team-mate Brad Binder. After a first season that exceeded all expectations other than his own, Pedro is definitely one to watch in 2025.
New kids on the block
Ai Ogura, Fermin Aldeguer and Somkiat Chantra will be looking to make a splash just as Acosta did last season, and a steady start for all three riders highlighted the composure they’ll need to draw on next year.
Aldeguer was the quickest of the trio in 20th, 1.7 seconds off the top time after 58 laps while Ogura completed 86 laps aboard his Trackhouse Aprilia to go 21st. Chantra finished the session 23rd with LCR Honda after 61 laps.
