Grand Prix San Marino Sprint recap - Marco Bezzecchi wins first Sprint race of season for Aprilia in front of home crowds, Marc Marquez crashed out

It was a glorious Saturday in San Marino for Italian hero Marco Bezzecchi, who clinched the Sprint victory in a chaotic race that saw Marc Marquez crash out of the lead.

Bezzecchi earned his first podium of the season for Aprilia with a spectacular performance that saw him hold off BK8 Gresini rider Alex Marquez, who finished in second place.

Valentino Rossi's presence on track boosted his riders' spirits as Fabio Di Giannantonio managed to snag a podium position ahead of team-mate Franco Morbidelli, who came home in fourth place for the VR46 team.

However, it was a race to forget for Ducati Lenovo as Marquez crashed out of the Sprint and Francesco Bagnaia finished in 13th place.

Marc still holds a 173-point lead over his brother Alex in the Riders' Championship, and could have a chance of clinching the title in Japan at the end of the month.

Marco Bezzecchi earned his first Sprint race victory of the season after battling it out with the Marquez brothers. He brought his Aprilia home in first place, in front of his home crowd.

Bezzecchi said: "Yeah, it was a fantastic Saturday.

"Very happy to grab the Sprint win.

"I don't really remember my last one.

"So very happy, very happy.

"The race was not perfect, because we had some issues during the race, but even having these problems, I was able to have a good pace, and I knew that.

"I knew that Marc was on the limit, and so very happy, I gave my best."

Alex Marquez capitalised on his brother's crash during the Sprint and snatched the second-place position on the podium.

Marquez said: "Yeah I lost the victory on the side.

"I was not aggressive enough and in that point, I lost the way.

"But later on, you know, I was there behind Marc and Marco.

"They were slightly faster than me. I should say to be fair, but I try my best.

"You know, here when you're behind somebody, the front tyre goes up on the pedal and all that.

"But I was keeping the lap times quite constant, quite good.

"So happy about that. Tomorrow we'll try a little bit harder, a little bit better.

"But anyway, it is so important to be second here."

VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio came home in third place, finishing ahead of his team-mate Franco Morbidelli in an amazing race for the team.

Di Giannantonio said of Morbidelli: "He's amazing.

"I mean, I'm super happy.

"So yeah, it was beautiful for a short Sprint, because Frankie was pushing hard, but then I was quite focused on making the perfect lines.

"I was able to get a good rhythm.

"It was so special to get my special helmet on the podium.

"Today is definitely the day when I can remember where I started."

TNT Sports and discovery+ will show every practice session, every qualifying session and every Sprint Race and main Race of the MotoGP season.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+. As part of TNT Sports’ comprehensive coverage of MotoGP, it will continue to offer best-in-class analysis and reporting via its digital platform TNTSports.co.uk and content via its social platforms right throughout the season.

Starting from the 2025 season, there will be a new show on Friday evenings called The Inside Line, which will be a half-hour round-up of all the news, action and analysis from the first day of the MotoGP weekend.

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi is just the third rider to win a Sprint race this season, despite being 16 rounds into the year. He brought it home in front of eager home crowds, ahead of Alex Marquez, who finished in second place.

VR46 have triumphed this weekend in true Italian fashion, with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli finishing in third and fourth place. Seven-time premier class world champion, Valentino Rossi, is here on track to celebrate with the team.

Marco Bezzecchi takes his first Sprint victory of the season for Aprilia on home soil, holding off the Marquez brothers to relish in glory in front of his home crowd.

Marco Bezzecchi may have this one in the bag as he has managed to pull 0.7s away from Alex Marquez behind in second place.

Marc Marquez has just returned to the garage, explaining his first mistake of the season to the Ducati bosses. His teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, has continued to tumble down the order with a Sprint race to forget entirely.

A handful of riders including Alex Marquez, Jorge Martin, and Ai Ogura, have received track limit warnings in the closing stages of the Sprint, hoping to avoid any penalties for the full race tomorrow.

This has blown the fight for victory wide open with a hungry Alex Marquez sitting in second place, ready to feast on his brother's spoils. The Gresini rider immediately picked up the pace and managed to close the gap to Marco Bezzecchi down to 0.388s by Lap 8.

Marc's crash has put the VR46 riders in the perfect position to attack Alex Marquez, as the duo inch closer and closer to the Gresini as the Sprint draws to a close.

Rookie rider Fermin Aldeguer put in a spectacular performance, gaining four places to ride in sixth place behind Pedro Acosta. Their battle has lasted the entire Sprint race so far, with both of them climbing into the points-scoring positions.

Marc Marquez has just crashed out at Turn 15 in a shocking turn of events, after pushing his GP25 bike to the limit in one of the fastest left-handers on the track.

Although Marc Marquez was flying ahead in second place, his teammate Francesco Bagnaia managed to lose five positions in the first five laps of the sprint race. The Italian champion fell to 13th place with suspected problems with the GP25.

Fabio Quartararo slid out of Turn 2 in the hunt for Alex Marquez, losing fourth place to the VR46 duo behind. It looks like the VRY46 riders have incredible pace and consistency so far, managing to stick close to one another on the track so far.

At the front of the pack, Bezzecchi had a slight wobble on the opening of Lap 6, and it allowed Marc Marquez to snatch the lead of the sprint race halfway through the lap.

Marco Bezzecchi managed to hold onto the lead during the first stint of the sprint race, but Marc Marquez looked to be gaining temperature in his tyres. With fire in his eyes, Marquez searched for a way around the Aprilia riders.

The GP25 bike seemed as strong as ever, with Marquez positioning the bike tight on entry to every corner, gaining incredible speed in the hunt for Bezzecchi.

However, it was Alex Marquez who had the quickest lap of the race as he gained more time on his brother than any other rider in the field.

Behind, rookie rider Fermin Aldeguer battled it out with Pedro Acosta for eighth place in a fierce fight for points in the championship.

Alex Marquez got off to a blisteringly quick start, launching off the line to briefly overtake the polesitter Marco Bezzecchi on the opening straight, before his brother Marc Marquez snatched the position around Turn 3.

The riders did a quick swap, and Bezzecchi regained the lead and defended hard from Marc Marquez who looked for a way around the inside of the Aprilia rider.

By Turn 11, Alex managed to close in on his brother and inched excruciatingly close to the Ducati Lenovo. Meanwhile, the VR46 duo of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli sat in fifth and fourth place as they tailed behind Fabio Quartararo in fourth.

There are just five minutes to go until the Grand Prix San Marino gets underway. Stay tuned for a thrilling sprint race around a much-loved circuit that offers a tricky challenge for each and every rider lined up on the grid.

The track temperature is a whopping 37°C as the riders set off on the warm-up lap.

MotoGP fans, brace yourselves for some insane tyre choices to come.

Pirelli is set to become the official tyre supplier for MotoGP in 2027. The Italian manufacturer is due to hold their very first test at Misano next Tuesday, booting Michelin out of the coveted role.

Test riders Michele Pirro (Ducati), Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia), Daniel Pedrosa (KTM), Takaaki Nakagami (Honda), and Augusto Fernandez (Yamaha) will take part in the Misano test next week.

The funny thing is, Pirelli has been producing tyres for Moto2, Moto3 and the World Superbike Championship, and is only just entering the premier class. The Milan-based manufacturer is said to be working on a range of base tyres for all three categories of the championship.

Ducati Lenovo has already secured the MotoGP Constructors' Championship after Marc Marquez secured yet another victory at the Grand Prix Catalunya Sprint race. He picked up the mammoth win after his brother, Alex Marquez, crashed out of the lead after dominating all weekend.

However, Alex pulled one back on his older brother and ended Marc’s winning streak and claimed a glorious victory on home soil. At this stage in the championship, the battle for points is largely between the Marquez brothers.

Today, Alex starts in second place with Marc two places behind. San Marino is a circuit that the Marquez brothers know very well, with the two picking up dozens of trophies here across multiple championships.

Marc holds the record for the most wins (seven) around this circuit, and he is certainly eager to claim an eighth. While he may start in fourth place, there is no doubt that the soon-to-be world champion will shoot up the field and immediately put pressure on his brother.

Neil Hodgson explains in his exclusive TNT Sports column why British riders like Jake Dixon face a more difficult route to the top tier of motorcycle racing, MotoGP.

He also applauds Dixon's decision to move to WorldSBK at the end of the season and delves into the psychology of motorcycle riders amid two-time world champion Pecco Bagnaia's struggles for form.

The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is one of MotoGP’s most cherished circuits on the calendar. Constructed in 1972, the track is 4.2km long, featuring 16 technical corners with a blend of high-speed straights and undulating terrain.

The track has undergone major development to create a modern track renowned for its smooth tarmac and excellent grip levels. Riders adore racing around this track due to the silky smooth surface and the slight elevation at Turns 8 and 10.

Misano was often used as the Italian Grand Prix throughout the 1970s and 80s before establishing itself in 2007 as a MotoGP staple. Now, the track welcomes thousands of spectators each year to watch the thrilling racing.

Marco Bezzecchi put it on pole for the second time this season, with a blistering time of 1:30.134s in front of his home crowd. Alex Marquez joins the Aprilia rider on the front row, ahead of Fabio Quartararo who slotted in third place. Surprisingly, Marc Marquez qualified in fourth place, although we all doubt that he will stay there for very long.

The starting grid is as follows:

1. Marco Bezzecchi

2. Alex Marquez

3. Fabio Quartararo

4. Marc Marquez

5. Franco Morbidelli

6. Luca Marini

7. Fabio Di Giannantonio

8. Francesco Bagnaia

9. Pedro Acosta

10. Fermin Aldeguer

TNT Sports and discovery+ will show every practice session, every qualifying session and every Sprint Race and main Race of the MotoGP season.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

As part of TNT Sports’ comprehensive coverage of MotoGP, it will continue to offer best-in-class analysis and reporting via its digital platform TNTSports.co.uk and content via its social platforms right throughout the season.

Starting from the 2025 season, there will be a new show on Friday evenings called The Inside Line, which will be a half-hour round-up of all the news, action and analysis from the first day of the MotoGP weekend.