It’s funny, but I was just thinking before the Qatar Main race how there hasn’t been much impact of the tyre-pressure rule in MotoGP in 2025, at least amongst the leaders. How devastating, therefore, that it should happen to the most deserving podium-sitter in recent memory.
In a season where KTM can’t buy a decent race performance, Maverick Viñales’ second place on the satellite RC16, after leading convincingly for a good few laps and then holding off Pecco Bagnaia to take second place at the flag, was nothing short of miraculous. It had many onlookers wondering just exactly what Acosta and Binder had been up to.
To have that second place taken away, thanks to one of the most contentious recent rules in the sport, must be galling, even though quiet contemplation will emphasise the positives of the performance and not the disappointment of the final result.
This result makes a mockery of the tyre pressure rule; how is a rider expected to spring a surprise during a race if there is the danger of having that result nullified post-race?
Viñales went to the grid expecting to run in traffic, which would heat up his front tyre, so he could afford to start with a too-low tyre pressure. As it transpired, the opposite happened, and his laps at the front meant that his front tyre ran under pressure for more than 60% of race time, hence the penalty.
Let’s not forget that the tyre-pressure rule was brought in after no one, not any rider or any team, had raised concerns that running tyres too soft was a safety issue, as no safety issue had ever been encountered. There was a minimum pressure “rule”, but it was largely self-policed by the teams, and the general thought seemed to be, “if they can run that low and get away with it, then so be it.”
Now, it is heavily policed and is making a mockery of the action we are seeing on track. Viñales completely deserved that podium (as did we, the viewer, watching a bike other than a Ducati running at the front) and let’s face it, how much advantage did running his front tyre a couple of tenths of a bar of pressure under the legal limit really help him? The best rider on the day deserves to be rewarded as such, and even though KTM can take encouragement from the performance, that will do little to ease the disappointment. Of course, rules are rules and breaking one by a fraction has to be seen as the same as breaking it by a mile; otherwise, where do you draw the line? Doesn’t mean the rule is right to be there in the first place, however.
Quite aside from that incident, it was a spectacular race. Marquez got the hole shot, only to be bashed into by brother Alex Marquez at the first corner (not the only contact Marquez the Younger would make with another rider during the race). This let fast-starting Franco Morbidelli through into first place, and he then proceeded to streak off into the distance, leading by more than a second at one point.
Bagnaia converted his lowly 11th place on the grid to third by lap four and second by lap five, although Marc Marquez took that place back a couple of laps later. Then came the hurricane that was Maverick Viñales.
He took third from Bagnaia on lap seven, second from Marc Marquez on lap 10 and first from Morbidelli on lap 11, all while Acosta and Binder were faffing around further down the order, making no impression at all on the leaders, albeit engrossed in their own personal and close battles.
It was hard to escape the conviction that Marquez was merely biding his time in second place, conserving his tyres for the end of the race (he had said before the race that the race would be a tyre-conservation exercise). Viñales looked comfortable in the lead, but he wasn’t breaking away from Marquez, and neither was Bagnaia being dropped.
But Marquez is nothing but menacing, and all it took was one mistake from Viñales, and Marquez was through and away, eventually crossing the line 1.8 seconds clear. However, Viñales’ pace was clearly no short-lived fluke, as Bagnaia failed to get past the KTM, eventually crossing the line 2.6 seconds behind the KTM rider. Morbidelli took a fine fourth and Zarco a remarkable fifth; again, where were the factory Hondas? It’s an all-too-familiar story this year as Zarco on the satellite Honda makes Mir and Marini look ham-fisted.
Alex Marquez clattered into the back of Fabio DiGiannantonio, who was running a strong third at the time, sending the VR46 rider to the back of the field and completely ruining his race, which had been shaping up nicely at the front, while Marquez was given a long-lap penalty, re-joining 12th and finishing seventh, thus ending his P2 streak in 2025.
All across the weekend, there were encouraging signs; Zarco’s fifth place (fourth after Viñales’ penalty), pushing Morbidelli hard all the way, albeit after a disastrous Sprint race where his Honda was so bad on the soft rear tyre that he retired rather than risk injury through crashing; Quartararo’s third place on the grid after an epic qualifying effort, finally finishing eighth in the Main race; the pace of the VR46 Ducatis, only one of which is a GP25 don’t forget, and that wasn’t the one that lead the race for ten laps. If Morbidelli’s tyres were spent far too early and he had nothing left to fight against Viñales, Marquez and Bagnaia by halfway through the race, then at least he contained the damage to bring it home fourth, which, of course, became third after the race.
There was an epic battle for seventh, with seventh to 15th all contesting at close quarters, including the factory KTMs, both Gresini Ducatis, a couple of Aprilias and both factory Yamahas.
On the flip side, there were also some worrying events, not least of which was Jorge Martin’s nasty crash in the Main race, in which he continued his painful start to the season by fracturing six ribs as he slid over the kerbs. Has there ever been a worse start to a defence of a title? Even without Marc Marquez’ dominance at the front, Martin’s 2025 title defence is basically a write-off; he would be well-advised to simply stop until fully and properly fit, even if that takes six months, and use the remainder of the year to get used to the Aprilia and help develop it for 2026.
At the end of the day, however, the Qatar race was another step in Marc Marquez’s seemingly inexorable charge towards the title; seven wins out of eight races so far (Sprint and Main) and four pole positions. A lead of 17 points over brother Alex is nothing to get excited about – as the race in America showed, such a small deficit can be overturned in an instant of miscalculation – but it is the psychological effect that cannot be understated, especially regarding Pecco Bagnaia. Simply put, can he only win when Marquez makes a mistake? If so, that is not how championships are won, and Bagnaia knows that.
He continues to struggle in the Sprint races, apparently ill-at-ease with the smaller fuel tank used for the shorter distances, and he has no answer for Marquez’s pace in the Main races. To suggest that Bagnaia won’t win a Main race on merit in 2025 would be disrespectful to his talents, but even the Marquez haters must have to admit that, on current form, he is going to be very hard to beat if he keeps it rubber side down.
For our part, as long as the races remain as entertaining as Qatar, then does it matter if Marquez wins every race? I’ve long said that I really don’t mind who wins, as long as the result is in doubt right to the flag or very nearly at the flag. More races like Qatar, and my wish will have come true.
Ruche Moodley: South Africa’s Next Big Hope
I rarely talk about Moto3, not because it isn’t great racing – it always is! But simply because trying to do justice to what are always incredible races is really difficult in mere words. Watching them is far more exciting than reading about them.
However, special mention must be given to a newcomer to the Moto3 class, South African Ruche Moodley. The competition in Moto3 is intense, with dozens of fiery young riders looking to make their mark while competing in the junior of the three MotoGP classes.
Out of the four races so far this year, Moodley has scored points in three, including a fine 13th place in Qatar. His post-race comments showed a keen intelligence and proved that he is a rider to watch in the coming months.
“I had a big wheelie off the line, so I had to get off the gas to bring the front wheel back to the ground. We opted to race on the slightly harder compound tyre. This meant the bike wouldn’t have the initial grip, but it would get better and be more consistent over the full race distance.
“I knew that I could learn a bit from racing with guys who are in their second and third year of Moto3. I had managed my tyre wear to keep a little in reserve for the end of the race. The race pace today was really quick. The heat, for the tyres and riders, was tough to deal with. It was the first time I had ridden in these conditions, and now I know how tough it is. I am glad that I kept my cool, as gaining experience is very important. To leave here with points is great.”
We’ll keep you posted as to his progress through the year.
