{"id":119838,"date":"2025-09-05T03:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T03:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/119838\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T03:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T03:25:08","slug":"grand-prix-of-catalunya-preview-insiders-guide-jack-miller-marc-marquez-francesco-bagnaia-jorge-martin-marco-bezzecchi-senna-agius-pedro-acosta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/119838\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Prix of Catalunya, preview, insider\u2019s guide, Jack Miller, Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Senna Agius, Pedro Acosta"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rewind 10 months, and Jorge Martin left Barcelona after the most intense moment of his career<\/a>, one that surely couldn\u2019t be replicated, let alone surpassed. <\/p>\n

How wrong he \u2013 and we \u2013 were.<\/p>\n

Every MotoGP qualifying, practice and race LIVE and ad-break free from lights out to the chequered flag. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today ><\/a><\/p>\n

As MotoGP\u2019s reigning world champion returns to the Circuit de Catalunya for this weekend\u2019s 15th round of the 2025 season, Martin has, since last November when he secured the title in the final round of the year<\/a>, switched teams and manufacturers, suffered three major injuries, missed three-quarters of the season, unsuccessfully tried to wriggle out of a contract with his new employers<\/a>, seen his title defence never get off the ground and \u2013 finally \u2013 provide a headline that was positive last time out in Hungary a fortnight ago. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the 2025 he envisaged when he left the site of last year\u2019s hastily-reorganised season finale, but it\u2019s one that Martin can \u2013 now \u2013 smile about. While, as always with the 27-year-old Spaniard, with his eyes fixed firmly on what\u2019s next. <\/p>\n

Calling the Spaniard impulsive and constantly riding an emotional rollercoaster doesn\u2019t begin to describe him appropriately. If you\u2019re searching for metronomic stability to go with speed, then look elsewhere. But there\u2019s an authenticity to Martin\u2019s optimism and approach that might just make him the biggest impediment to Marc Marquez steamrolling the rest of 2025 as he has for the past seven rounds.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n

EXPLAINER <\/a>The five reasons why Aussie\u2019s MotoGP career hasn\u2019t reached the finish line \u2026 yet<\/p>\n

ONE MORE YEAR<\/a> Miller inks deal with Yamaha as contracted teammate let go<\/p>\n

Coming from a race in Hungary where he went from 16th on the grid to fourth on an Aprilia he\u2019s not yet familiar or comfortable with<\/a> shows what Martin might achieve between now and the season\u2019s final round in Valencia, which had to relinquish the title decider last year after heavy flooding in the region in the weeks leading into the race weekend. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor sure it was a nice moment last year here in Barcelona when I won the championship, but memories are memories,\u201d Martin said on Thursday. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow I want to focus on the present. I have a new project, I have a lot of work to do. I need to keep building my confidence \u2026 for sure I\u2019m doing great steps but I don\u2019t want to have a lot of expectations, think about results. I want to go step by step and see where we can arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aprilia\u2019s recent record at the Catalan Grand Prix \u2013 it won the sprint and main race with Aleix Espargaro in 2023, then won the sprint again with Espargaro last year \u2013 means that if there\u2019s any combination of bike and track that could upend the Marquez juggernaut, it could be this weekend, with Martin and in-form teammate Marco Bezzecchi sure to feature.<\/p>\n

The sweet-handling RS-GP has regularly excelled in Barcelona and is more of an all-round package on most tracks this year than it has been in the past, while the track surface of the 14-turn circuit is one of the oldest on the MotoGP calendar, a slippery sliver of asphalt where finding grip and preserving tyre life in the September sun can be a handful, and often produces slow-burn races with a late twist in the tale. <\/p>\n

Martin will be spectacular \u2013 it\u2019s a given that social media will be all over his gravity-defying cornering style at the left-handed Turn 5<\/p>\n

over the course of the weekend \u2013 while Bezzecchi has scored more points than any rider besides Marquez in the past seven rounds. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a potent mix that could see Aprilia \u2013 who won the round before Marquez\u2019s recent blitz at Silverstone in May<\/a> \u2013 steal the world champion-elect\u2019s thunder, temporarily at least. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s your Insider\u2019s Guide to round 15 of the MotoGP season, with the 24-lap Catalan Grand Prix set for 10pm AEST on Sunday after the 12-lap sprint race at 11pm Saturday AEST.<\/p>\n

Martin sealed his 2024 world title on his most recent race weekend in Barcelona last November. (Photo by Manaure Quintero \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n

MILLER RELIEVED TO END UNCERTAINTY OVER FUTURE<\/p>\n

Jack Miller was the centre of attention on Thursday\u2019s media day, after news emerged late morning Spanish time that he\u2019d be staying with Pramac Yamaha for 2026<\/a> to partner incoming World Superbikes star Toprak Razgatlioglu in place of Miguel Oliveira, Miller\u2019s 2025 teammate who was let go by Yamaha despite having a year remaining on his contract. <\/p>\n

Miller, who was the 22nd and final rider signed for this year\u2019s grid after Pramac ended a two-decade relationship to switch to Yamaha, was the second-last rider confirmed for next year\u2019s line-up<\/a> after Honda (Johann Zarco and Luca Marini) and Ducati (Franco Morbidelli) inked 2026 deals with their incumbent riders earlier this week. <\/p>\n

Only Zarco\u2019s 2026 teammate at LCR Honda \u2013 almost certain to be Brazilian Moto2 front-runner Diogo Moreira \u2013 is now unknown, and Miller admitted to relief that a months-long wait over his future was finally settled.<\/p>\n

PIT TALK PODCAST: Marquez looks to extend his best run in 11 years at Montmelo, but can Aprilia play spoiler at one of their strongest tracks? Listen to Pit Talk below.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t even explain how happy I am to stay a part of this project,\u201d Miller, who sits 17th in the world championship standings, said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a weight off my shoulders because I want to remain here and I want to be competitive here, and I haven\u2019t been able to be as competitive as I would like this year on a consistent basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have speed on random occasions, whether it be certain tracks or whatever, but we knew all along with this package that we\u2019re going to have race tracks where we\u2019re closer to the front than others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old \u2013 who was linked to vacancies with Honda and Ducati in the World Superbikes championship had he not been able to extend his premier-class career into a 12th season next year \u2013 said he could have earned more money in the production-bike series, but did everything he could to stay on the MotoGP grid. <\/p>\n

\u201c[I had offers for] very competitive machinery in other championships, but I enjoy riding a MotoGP bike, enjoy riding the best bikes against the best guys,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love Superbikes, I thoroughly enjoy watching Superbikes, but it\u2019s not a MotoGP bike. It doesn\u2019t go as fast, stop as good, you can\u2019t even begin to list the things a MotoGP bike does because you\u2019ll be here all day. But there\u2019s something about riding these monsters against these lunatics that I enjoy.\u201d <\/p>\n

Oliveira, who signed with Pramac before Miller last year, paid the price for a contract clause that Yamaha could annul the second year of his deal if he was the lowest-scoring of the Japanese brand\u2019s quartet of riders by a certain, unspecified, part of the calendar. <\/p>\n

The 30-year-old missed three rounds after injuring his left shoulder when he was taken out by Ducati rookie Fermin Aldeguer in the sprint race in Argentina in round two, and never got back on track when he returned, Miller out-qualifying (10-1) and out-scoring (52-10) the Portuguese rider in their brief time as teammates. <\/p>\n

Oliveira, who has been linked with a test rider role with Aprilia, his most recent former team, wasn\u2019t surprised to be on the outer, but didn\u2019t feel he was given the chance to stake a claim to retain his ride. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am sure it was conditioned by two key moments, the first moment was the injury where I came back too late into the season [and] where the decision on the second rider was already made for Pramac [with Razgatlioglu],\u201d Oliveira said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like the weakest link because I was coming from an injury and every race was kind of a \u2018prove yourself, show us what you\u2019re worth\u2019. It\u2019s OK to have pressure but that kind of pressure is a bit \u2026 I don\u2019t want to say \u2018unfair\u2019, it\u2019s not up to me to judge that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision actually taking so long was creating more anxiety maybe \u2026 coming into the weekends having to deal with that, plus with your stomach really twisting sometimes because you don\u2019t know anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller has a front-row start and podium on his Catalunya CV, both coming in 2021 for Ducati. (Yamaha Motor Racing Srl)Source: Supplied<\/p>\n

MARQUEZ MATHS FOR MATCH POINT<\/p>\n

Marc Marquez\u2019s best run of form for over a decade<\/a> \u2013 combined with a slump for nearest title rival and younger brother Alex Marquez \u2013 could see the world championship leader set up a match point for the title next weekend at Misano should their results trend in that same direction in Barcelona. <\/p>\n

Marc Marquez, winner of both the sprint and Grand Prix at the past seven rounds from Aragon to Hungary, has a 175-point lead in the standings after 14 rounds; to seal his seventh MotoGP title in Misano next weekend, the 32-year-old would need a 222-point advantage to take an insurmountable lead before the series leaves Europe for the \u2018flyaways\u2019 part of its season through Asia and Australia. <\/p>\n

Alex Marquez has just one Grand Prix podium (second in Germany) and two sprint podiums (second in the Netherlands and Austria) in the past five rounds and has dropped 37 points (Czech Republic), 22 points (Austria) and 33 points (Hungary) to his older sibling in the past three rounds; if he cedes 47 points combined over the next two weekends, the 2025 title race is run.<\/p>\n

MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n

HONDA SIGNS TWO<\/a> French veteran, Italian extended as trio await fate<\/p>\n

THE \u2018DUCATI CUP\u2019?<\/a> Superstar\u2019s dominance masks MotoGP\u2019s changing picture<\/p>\n

On Thursday in Barcelona, Marc Marquez \u2013 who is aiming for eight Grands Prix wins in succession for the first time since 2014 and can set up his first match point if he outscores his brother by 10 points this weekend \u2013 said he\u2019d prefer not set up a chance to win the title next weekend, if only because what that would mean for his sibling\u2019s performance at their home GP. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wish to have the \u2018title ball\u2019 as soon as possible, but I wish to have it in Japan or Indonesia because if I have it in Misano, it means my brother had a disaster weekend here in Catalunya,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I keep focused, it\u2019s a matter of time \u2026. but I prefer a good weekend for my brother than the \u2018match ball\u2019 in Misano.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marquez\u2019s winning record in Catalunya, a circuit with more right-handed corners (eight) than lefts (six) that tests his surgically-repaired right shoulder more than most, has been relatively modest by Marquez standards; he\u2019s won there just twice in MotoGP, in 2014 when he won the first 10 races of the season, and in 2019, where he finished either first or second in all but one of that year\u2019s 19 Grands Prix. <\/p>\n

\u201cOf course as every year here in Montmelo, I know that I will need to work a bit more than on other circuits to try to reach the top level \u2013 that will be the target,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe arrive in a good shape [but] it\u2019s true it\u2019s one of my worst circuits in the calendar.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s time to stop these victories in a row, [but] we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Thursday\u2019s pre-event press conference, KTM rider and fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta said Marquez\u2019s likely seventh title, six years and four arm surgeries after his most recent for Honda in 2019, would be comparable to the comeback of another sporting legend. <\/p>\n

\u201cI said already a few weeks ago that it\u2019s clear that Marc will win the championship \u2026 it will be the biggest comeback of our sport, maybe the history of [all] sports,\u201d Acosta said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can compare this with Michael Jordan, when he went to play baseball and then came back to basketball [and won three more championships]. I think it will be one of the greatest comebacks of sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marquez hasn\u2019t lost a race since the British Grand Prix in late May, and can set up a championship match point this weekend. (Photo by Lluis GENE \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n

BIGGEST GRID OF THE SEASON IN BARCELONA<\/p>\n

The MotoGP grid will swell to a season-high 24 starters this weekend in Barcelona, with Aprilia and Honda entering a fifth bike for round 15, and KTM and Honda welcoming back riders from extended injury absences. <\/p>\n

Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori, who deputised for the injured Martin in 10 rounds this season, will make his first wildcard start of 2025, while Honda tester Aleix Espargaro, who has started three Grands Prix this season, will compete as a wildcard for HRC.<\/p>\n

Acosta tops practice despite NASTY crash | 00:46<\/p>\n

Espargaro was scheduled to stand in for injured rookie Somkiat Chantra at the most recent round in Hungary, but the Spanish veteran had to sit out after suffering a back injury in a cycling accident. Chantra, who has missed the past four rounds with a right knee injury after the Dutch Grand Prix, resumes at LCR Honda alongside Johann Zarco.<\/p>\n

At KTM, Maverick Vinales is back after missing Hungary, the Spaniard returning for his home race after aborting a comeback in Austria in mid-August as he was still suffering the effects of his heavy crash in qualifying at the German Grand Prix in July that dislocated and fractured his left shoulder. <\/p>\n

In Moto2, Australia\u2019s Senna Agius returns after missing the Hungary round with head and neck trauma after a heavy crash on the opening lap of the previous event in Austria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rewind 10 months, and Jorge Martin left Barcelona after the most intense moment of his career, one that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[2620,8454,2095,12910,16224,1724,64,63,689,3159,937,84701,30090,84722,73506,586,3554,9239,11301,2057,12370,49524,676,13038,7607,84717,5717,14211,84720,84710,84708,939,84705,4805,84704,3555,941,15612,5744,4280,84714,41706,16268,40801,51911,1385,3557,84709,84711,806,805,803,804,84706,16255,677,10734,2119,16250,84721,84703,84716,84718,12022,21786,49513,84707,64337,84713,16242,11298,2812,3595,2020,84719,85,84723,22764,80067,80068,84702,51041,38445,22294,80070,84700,2062,84712,84715,2086,64317,16263,2836,37215],"class_list":["post-119838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-alex-marquez","tag-america","tag-argentina","tag-arm-surgeries","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-austria","tag-barcelona","tag-championship-match-point","tag-contract-clause","tag-contracted-teammate-let","tag-cycling-accident","tag-czech-republic","tag-diogo-moreira","tag-eastern-asia","tag-eastern-europe","tag-europe","tag-fermin-aldeguer","tag-final-rider","tag-final-round","tag-finish-line","tag-francesco-bagnaia","tag-french-veteran","tag-germany","tag-grands-prix","tag-hastily-reorganised-season-finale","tag-heavy-crash","tag-home-race","tag-hungary","tag-incumbent-riders","tag-indonesia","tag-injury-absences","tag-jack-miller","tag-japan","tag-johann-zarco","tag-jorge-martin","tag-marc-marquez","tag-match-ball","tag-match-point","tag-matt-clayton","tag-maverick-vinales","tag-media-day","tag-michael-jordan","tag-miguel-oliveira","tag-miller-inks","tag-motogp-press","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-neck-trauma","tag-netherlands","tag-oceania","tag-pedro-acosta","tag-pit-talk","tag-portuguese-rider","tag-pre-event-press-conference","tag-premier-class-career","tag-preserving-tyre-life","tag-production-bike-series","tag-province-of-barcelona","tag-race-weekend","tag-reigning-world-champion","tag-results-trend","tag-right-knee-injury","tag-second-last-rider","tag-somkiat-chantra","tag-south-america","tag-south-eastern-asia","tag-southern-europe","tag-spain","tag-sporting-legend","tag-sports","tag-sprint-podiums","tag-sprint-race","tag-test-rider-role","tag-time-sheets","tag-title-ball","tag-title-decider","tag-title-defence","tag-title-race","tag-tops-practice","tag-two-decade-relationship","tag-western-europe","tag-wildcard-start","tag-world-champion-elect","tag-world-championship","tag-world-championship-leader","tag-world-championship-standings","tag-world-title","tag-yamaha-motor-company-inc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}