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The third weekend of the MotoGP 2025 season offered us a great show and especially lots of plot twists. Until Saturday night, it seemed like we were watching a replay of Buriram and Argentina, with Marc Marquez in the role of the absolute ruler and his brother, Alex, closing in behind him again. But things went very differently on Sunday. Amidst the chaos of the first start, and Marc's mistake while leading the race, the COTA Grand Prix gave Pecco Bagnaia his first win of the season, but it also gave the top of the world championship to an Alex Marquez who has never been so concrete in the past. Fabio Di Giannantonio was also back on the podium, returning to celebrate after a difficult winter.
This is our Carletto Pernat's account of the Grand Prix, as always accompanied by an excellent glass of Prosecco DOC.
"When they said that Marquez's opponent was himself, maybe they weren't that wrong. On a circuit where he's almost always won, where it seemed impossible not to win, Marquez made a mistake. A very strange mistake, because he came in tight on a kerb and fell, just when he had a two-second lead on Bagnaia. So, he could've managed the race. But this is Marc Marquez. He's a prodigy. He always wants to overdo it. He probably never makes do with what he has, and that cost him a pretty burdensome zero.
We also saw Bagnaia, who somewhat recovered. Let's face it. Maybe, if the race had ended normally, he would've aimed for second place, but it would've at least been a step up from the other races. Now he knows he can beat one of the Marquez brothers. Marc's zero is bad for him, but it's good for the championship, which has clearly now reopened. There will be favorable tracks for Bagnaia, a little less for Marc Marquez.
Then there was the usual Ducati domination, with five Desmosedicis in front of everyone. Evidently, there's little they can do against the Borgo Panigale bikes. Today, they also got excited in the VR46, with a third and fourth place that are undoubtedly a positive result for Valentino Rossi's team. Bravo to Di Giannantonio who, after his shoulder surgery, is showing some very good things and can be considered a possible outsider for the world championship. Another positive thing for the championship is that all the constructors finished with at least one bike in the top ten. Bezzecchi and Ogura succeeded, although something more is always expected from Marco.
Yamaha also did well, with Miller battling against the Ducati riders, while Quartararo had a few more problems. Enea Bastianini made a good comeback with the KTM. He started 18th and finished 7th. Another positive aspect of this GP for the Italians is to see Luca Marini in the top ten. It means that they're working well in Honda. Closing the entire gap with Ducati is almost impossible, but at least there are signs. I would also watch Aprilia for the future because, if Martìn had done the tests in Malaysia and Thailand, maybe he could've fought for the podium. We hope to see him back on the bike in Qatar or Jerez at the latest. But he won't be the Martìn we want right away.
I didn't like Race Direction very much yesterday, although it's true that there is a regulation. Those who were left on the grid with slicks had played a wild card. I made the right choice. Management thought of delaying the start by ten minutes, so as not to create chaos. I understand the choice in the name of safety, however, in the end, they penalized the riders who had a good idea. I think we'll have fun in Qatar, because that's a track on which Bagnaia has always gone fast, while Marquez has often suffered. I feel bad for his zero in Austin, but the world championship has picked up steam."
