Italian rider Marc Bezzecchi, from the Aprilia Racing team, concluded the MotoGP season with a dominant victory at the Valencia Community Grand Prix.
According to Noticias Argentinas agency, Bezzecchi led Aprilia's first-ever 1-2 finish of the year, having also won in Portugal. Second place went to Spaniard Raúl Fernández (Trackhouse), while Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina) took third. The race was marked by numerous retirements and decisive moments that impacted the manufacturers' concession points.
The race winner took the lead from the start and did not allow any response capitalizing on a perfect pole position start, unlike the previous day. From that moment, he began to establish a solid lead as Spanish rider Alex Márquez moved into second place, while Pedro Acosta dropped to sixth due to problems with his KTM.
Márquez held the second position for 12 laps, but the gap to the Italian widened, leaving him vulnerable to Raúl Fernández, who advanced with a strong pace to overtake him and trail the leader by just 1.2 seconds. The gap was reduced to three tenths in the final laps, but Bezzecchi maintained absolute control and crossed the line with his sixth class win and third of the year, following his victories in Great Britain and Portugal.
The fight for the podium also featured changes. Acosta overtook Márquez to move into third, but Di Giannantonio advanced decisively, passed the Gresini rider, and caught the KTM in the penultimate lap to snatch the final podium spot. Acosta finished fourth, and Márquez lost fifth place to Fermín Aldeguer on the final lap.
Franco Morbidelli clipped the rear wheel of Aleix Espargaró, causing him to crash. He went to the pits and immediately retired due to hand pain. Jorge Martín, to avoid risks at the first corner, started last due to a long lap penalty from Japan; he stayed on track for 16 laps before being ordered by the team to retire to focus on Tuesday's test.
Johann Zarco made contact with Pecco Bagnaia, sending him into the gravel and ending his race, which secured Zarco fifth place in the World Championship; the Frenchman received a long lap penalty, as did Joan Mir for his Saturday incident. After serving his penalty, Mir dropped to 14th, leaving Marini the task of securing the result Honda needed.
Luca Marini staged a remarkable comeback, bringing Honda to seventh place, a crucial result that helped the Japanese brand exit the manufacturers' concession group D, which is now solely occupied by Yamaha. Other retirements included Maverick Viñales, due to a shoulder injury, and Aleix Espargaró due to mechanical problems.
