The 2025 MotoGP season had it all. With 22 rounds and 44 races, the campaign comprised some ferocious fights, riders over-compensating for their lack of competitive machinery, multiple first-time winners all behind a dominant display from one of the best of all time.
With another season in the books, Motorsport Week’s MotoGP writers Henry Cheal and Eden Hanningan select the top 10 riders from 2025.
10. Johann Zarco
2025 marked back-to-back MotoGP seasons in which Johann Zarco finished as Honda’s top rider. The Frenchman scored 148 points, highlighting the Japanese marque’s improvement throughout the year. Although he finished 12th in the championship, he starts our top 10 list.
Zarco’s campaign began in incredible fashion, producing strong finishes of seventh, sixth and fourth before becoming Honda’s first winner since Alex Rins with a historic victory at his home race at Le Mans. He became the first French rider to win his home race in 71 years after nailing the strategy calls in mixed conditions, creating a moment that will last a lifetime.
He followed up his home victory by finishing second at Silverstone on pure merit, but after those two races, which made up the bulk of his championship points tally, Zarco couldn’t finish higher than ninth in a Sunday main race for the remainder of the season.
It was later revealed that Honda had not supplied him with parts as up to date as those received by the factory Honda duo, but the drop-off in results was still significant, given expectations of strong performances from the two-time intermediate class champion. It doesn’t change the fact that Zarco was once again one of the best on the grid, though.
9. Luca Marini
Consistency is sometimes the biggest key to success, and if there’s one rider on the MotoGP grid that personifies that, it’s Luca Marini. The Italian was arguably the pivotal figure in Honda’s late-season surge that saw it move up to rank C in the concession standings.
While Marini may not have been the quickest Honda rider or earned the podiums and victories that Joan Mir and Zarco managed, the 28-year-old provided a level head and chipped away at Honda’s issues, which eventually brought his stablemates their respective successes. The Italian also proved to be a consistent points finisher, earning at least one point in every race he finished, his only Grand Prix DNF coming due to a mechanical issue.
The backdrop of Marini’s work is even more impressive when his Suzuka 8 Hours crash is factored in. Multiple injuries, including a pneumothorax and severe ligament damage, threatened to derail not just his season, but potentially his career with Honda. Instead, upon his return, he rewarded them with his best run of form since becoming a factory rider.
Despite his Suzuka accident, Marini only crashed three times in the MotoGP season, the lowest tally of any rider – an impressive feat on a bike that had become notorious for throwing off riders. Not only that, but his seventh place in the Valencian Grand Prix may have been one of the most vital results for Honda so far this decade.
8. Raul Fernandez
The rise of Raul Fernandez is one of the key storylines that emerged from the 2025 season. It could have been questioned whether Trackhouse keeping the Spaniard for the past season was the right decision, but he silenced all critics as the year progressed.
He endured a tough start to the season with poor results, particularly as his rookie team-mate Ai Ogura delivered impressive performances in the early rounds. From Le Mans in round six, Fernandez began producing strong results, finishing consistently in and around the top 10 and performing at an ultra-consistent level.
As Aprilia continued to make impressive steps forward in competitiveness, establishing itself as one of the best bikes on the entire grid, Fernandez delivered even stronger results. That momentum carried through the remainder of the season, with consistently solid points finishes and just two retirements, which came at Balaton Park and Sepang.
On the flip side, his standout moments arrived at Phillip Island and at the season finale in Valencia, where he claimed his first MotoGP victory and was firmly in contention to repeat the feat. Although he took second in the finale behind Marco Bezzecchi’s factory machine, it underlined his impressive upward trajectory and could be a sign of things to come in 2026.
7. Fabio Di Giannantonio
Fabio Di Giannantonio’s season was a mixed bag, but a relatively successful season in his first year receiving Ducati factory equipment. The Roman rider was one of the standout performers in 2024, and he followed this up with his best championship finish of sixth.
He featured on the rostrum four times at COTA, Mugello, Phillip Island and Valencia, all tracks that place a emphasis on the rider. Di Giannantonio ended his campaign 26 points behind factory rider Francesco Bagnaia, closing out the season just behind the two-time premier class champion, who struggled with the GP25. The GP25 proved to be a downgrade on its predecessor, the GP24, yet the result showed that the VR46 Ducati rider managed to extract the maximum from the package and finish within touching distance of Bagnaia.
There were times when Di Giannantonio struggled, but he ultimately delivered strong results throughout the year. He finished ahead of team-mate Franco Morbidelli on a worse yet newer bike and proved that undergoing surgery at the start of the season and missing pre-season was the right choice, despite his limited time on the new bike during testing.
6. Fermin Aldeguer
Fast, impressive and aggressive: Three words that describe the first impressions of Fermin Aldeguer after a strong rookie season that proved Ducati were right to sign him so soon.
Following a tumultuous 2024 Moto2 campaign, many were doubting Aldeguer had what it took to make an impact in the premier class, but after a relatively lacklustre opening few weekends, the Spaniard started to show his worth. The Murcian claimed his first MotoGP podium in treacherous conditions at Le Mans and from that point on looked comfortable.
The defining moment of a strong debut campaign came at Mandalika, where he joined an exclusive club by winning a race as a rookie. In doing so, Aldeguer also became the second youngest winner in MotoGP history behind Marc Marquez at just 20 years old.
The thing that prevents Aldeguer from getting into the top five in our list is simply because he made a few too many errors this season that caused danger to his fellow riders. Of course, he can be forgiven for that, after all he was a rookie and will be expected to iron out some of these mistakes for his second season, where he’s currently anticipated to do even better.
5. Pedro Acosta
In his sophomore year in the premier class, Pedro Acosta stepped up despite having yet to taste champagne from the top step of the podium in his first two seasons. KTM’s uncertainty at the start of the year visibly impacted Acosta both on and off the track, as the extent of KTM’s woes left its participation in MotoGP looking in serious doubt.
Acosta struggled to extract the maximum from his bike, as it was Tech3 stablemate Maverick Vinales who grabbed the initial headlines. But a change in mindset allowed Acosta to spark his second half of the season into life, earning a double podium at MotoGP’s return to Brno before finishing in the top five in every race bar the Sunday races at Misano and Motegi.
KTM’s off-track struggles later proved no longer as severe as they once were and the team discovered the funds to develop the RC16. While the bike was still not up to par with the best in the closing races, with five Grand Prix podiums and seven Sprint podiums, Acosta ended the season in fourth position, scoring almost double the points of team-mate Brad Binder.
4. Fabio Quartararo
Season after season, Fabio Quartararo proves why he is one of the biggest talents on the MotoGP grid, despite his increasing dissatisfaction with Yamaha’s M1 machine. It could, and perhaps should, be expected that a rider who remains stuck on machinery that doesn’t match their talents would sometimes slack off, but not Quartararo, who continuously pushes himself and his bike to the limits.
Five pole positions aboard what proved to be the worst bike on the 2025 MotoGP grid is one of the most impressive achievements of Quartararo’s career so far. Although the Frenchman was unable to convert most of the pole positions to respectable finishes – with second in Jerez the sole exception – the one lap pace he was able to extract from his sub-par machinery was just superb.
It was ultimately a bitter season, though, as he should have joined the 2025 race winners’ club. He dominated at Silverstone before his ride height device failed with seven laps remaining in a devastating moment for both Quartararo and Yamaha. Even without that victory, however, Quartararo stamped his authority over his fellow Yamaha riders, finishing with more points than the other three riders combined.
2026 will be the make-or-break year for the relationship between Quartararo and Yamaha. The Japanese marque will have to improve with its new V4 engine to keep Quartararo, whose stock still hasn’t fallen despite spending potentially the best years of his career on an underperforming M1. If he continues his brilliance, he’ll have plenty of admirers ahead of the regulation change coming in 2027.
3. Alex Marquez
The season of Alex Marquez’s life? Without a doubt.
Truth be told, not many expected that at the end of the 2025 MotoGP season we would be talking about a Marquez 1-2 in the championship, but that’s exactly what we got. While Marc Marquez took all the plaudits, it could be argued that the younger Marquez achieved an equally impressive feat en route to claiming the runner-up spot.
Starting the season strongly with seven consecutive second-place finishes, before making a costly error overtaking Fabio Di Giannantonio in Qatar, the first chink in the Alex Marquez armour showed. In the past, the mistake would have set the Spaniard on the path to destruction, but not in 2025, as he took his maiden MotoGP victory just one round later in Jerez and kept tabs on his elder brother throughout the opening half of the campaign.
Most people expected there to be a drop-off, and it never really materialised. Though he wasn’t able to keep his run of second places going to the end of the season, he remained consistent throughout and easily sealed the vice-champion spot. He also gets extra points for holding the fort for Ducati after his brother’s season-ending injury and was at times the only rider on a Desmosedici that looked like he was even trying – winning in Malaysia and taking a further podium in Portimao before capping off a successful year with fourth at Valencia.
All in all, a rock-solid season for Alex, who exceeded every expectation in 2025.
2. Marco Bezzecchi
It’s quite difficult to describe just how good Marco Bezzecchi’s 2025 season was, especially in the second half. Coming off the back of a 2024 that had seen his usual form and consistency dissipate, he came back in some fashion to record the best-ever MotoGP season for an Aprilia rider with three victories and third place in the Riders’ standings.
Although he started the season lacking in confidence as he adapted to the RS-GP, the Italian stunned the field by taking his first victory for Aprilia at Silverstone. Although the British GP win was in mitigating circumstances after Quartararo’s mechanical problem, Bezzecchi went on to prove he wasn’t just a one-race wonder.
After claiming second in Assen, Bezzecchi looked unstoppable and consistently turned up to every circuit as the best rider not called Marc Marquez. Although he had the blip in Indonesia that saw him end the nine-time World Champion’s season after a near-catastrophic error, Bezzecchi responded in some fashion as the season reached its finale. Two wins in the final two races, the first back-to-back wins in Aprilia’s history, cemented his status as the best non-Marquez in the championship and have made many wonder if the Italian could be a genuine title contender in the seasons to come.
Simply put, a fantastic year for Bezzecchi and Aprilia, who will be hoping for more in 2026.
1. Marc Marquez
Undisputedly, Marc Marquez claims top spot on our top 10 list from the 2025 season. The Spaniard wasted no time at all in delivering exceptional performances, starting his debut season with Ducati with a double victory in Thailand.
He laid down the gauntlet early on, and it set the tone for the year, winning 11 Grand Prix and 14 Sprint Races across 18 races. Despite unforced errors at one of the best tracks in Texas and a few races later in Jerez, Marquez dominated to a ninth MotoGP crown, becoming the first rider in history to win seven premier class titles in the MotoGP era.
Marquez boasted a seven-race winning streak in both Sprints and Grand Prix from Aragon to Balaton Park, spanning almost three months in the calendar year. However, his season was far from perfect, as he was unfortunate to be involved in a racing incident with Marco Bezzecchi at the start of the Indonesian Grand Prix, which required him to undergo season-ending surgery on his shoulder.
Taking part in just 18 weekends of a 22-race calendar and still winning the title by 78 points over his younger brother Alex highlights not only his greatness, but also his ability to extract results when the GP25 showed less competitive pace at certain rounds compared to riders on the same bike. Marquez’s crown puts him back on top of the MotoGP summit after a six-year absence, a period during which his career appeared close to over following repeated injury setbacks and uncompetitive machinery.
Discussion about this post