The Italian Grand Prix delivered excitement from the very start. When the lights went out, Marc Marquez got a perfect launch off the line, far better than in the sprint race. He was immediately alongside Francesco Bagnaia heading into the first corner, setting up a tense battle in front of the passionate Mugello crowd. But Bagnaia, determined to defend his home turf, wasn’t about to back down. He launched a strong counter-attack into Turn 2, showing his intent early on.

The opening few laps were packed with action as Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez fought hard for the lead. They exchanged positions several times, especially through the tricky combination of Turns 1, 2 and 3. Bagnaia was especially aggressive, pushing hard to stay ahead, but that approach led to contact at Turn 5 when his front tyre clipped the side of Marc’s identical Ducati. Fortunately, both riders stayed upright, but it was clear the tension between them was high.

After that incident, Bagnaia began to show signs of trouble. He has been struggling with the front end of his bike for most of the season, and those problems returned at exactly the wrong time. Alex Marquez took full advantage, using his better corner speed to overtake Bagnaia and move into the fight with his older brother. Alex even passed Marc briefly, leading the race and showing impressive pace.

However, Marc stayed calm and struck back on lap nine to retake the lead. From that moment, he started to pull away steadily. His pace was consistent and clean, and he built up a safe gap while the riders behind him scrapped for second. It was a strong performance from the eight-time world champion, who went on to secure his fifth grand prix victory of the season.

Alex Marquez then shifted focus to defending second place. Bagnaia stayed close behind, looking for a chance to strike, but Alex controlled the situation well. Much like at Aragon earlier this year, he refused to let the Ducati rider through and held onto second. Bagnaia, on the other hand, began to lose grip and pace in the closing stages.

With just two laps to go, Fabio Di Giannantonio managed to close the gap and slip past Bagnaia to steal the final spot on the podium. The Italian fans were left disappointed as Bagnaia fell back to fourth, unable to fight back in the final moments.

Elsewhere in the race, Maverick Vinales had a lively run in the opening half. Riding for Tech3 KTM, he overtook Franco Morbidelli for fourth place on lap nine, but their battle ended badly at Turn 4 when the two riders made contact. Vinales crashed out, and Morbidelli was given a long lap penalty for causing the collision. However, Morbidelli made a mistake during the penalty and crossed the white lines, forcing him to take the long lap again. Despite this, he recovered well and finished sixth.

Marco Bezzecchi had another solid outing for Aprilia. His strong race pace allowed him to move up the order and secure fifth place, continuing his run of consistent performances. Raul Fernandez also had a good race, bringing home seventh place for the Trackhouse Aprilia squad.

The KTM factory team had a tougher day. Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder both went with the hard front tyre, hoping it would give them better stability under braking. Unfortunately, the strategy didn’t work out as planned. The pair finished eighth and ninth after a close battle in the final laps, but it was a disappointing end to the weekend, especially after both riders failed to finish the sprint.

Ai Ogura rounded out the top ten. It was a strong result for the Japanese rider, especially considering this was his first race back after suffering an injury during practice at Silverstone. He rode a clean and steady race to score valuable points.

There were several non-finishers in the race. Enea Bastianini and Johann Zarco both crashed out early, and Jack Miller was forced to retire his Yamaha due to clutch problems. It was another difficult weekend for the Australian rider, who has struggled with mechanical issues throughout the season.

2025 MotoGP Mugello Grand Prix