IndyCar is not the only series opening its 2025 season this weekend. On the other side of the world, MotoGP begins its world championship season in Buriram, Thailand, the first of 22 rounds that will stretch until November 16.
Plenty of changes have occurred this offseason with riders switching teams and even a team switching manufacturers. There is already going to be an absence on the grid due to injury, and we haven't even made it to the first race weekend.
It is expected to be an enthralling championship to the very end. To start, we will look at when and where the championship will race this year.
Schedule
For the first time ever, Buriram hosts the season opener. The previous five Thailand Grand Prix all took place in the month of October.
From Buriram, MotoGP heads east to the Americas. Argentina is scheduled to return for March 16 after a one-year absence due to government funding cut from the race. The Circuit of the Americas will host the series on March 30. Qatar will run on April 13 after Ramadan has taken place.
Jerez remains the opening round of the European portion of the season on April 27, two weeks prior to the French Grand Prix on May 11. The British Grand Prix moves up to May 25. This is the earliest the British Grand Prix has ever taken place, and the earliest a world championship round has taken place in the United Kingdom since the Isle of Man TT counted toward the championship in 1975.
Aragón moves up to June 8, the earliest it has ever hosted MotoGP. The Italian Grand Prix from Mugello will be June 22, and Mugello is the first round of a back-to-back with the Dutch TT. This is one of seven instances of consecutive weekends with races in 2025. The next one will be July 13 and July 20 with Germany and the Czech Republic. Brno is back on the calendar after a four-year hiatus. After Brno will be the summer break.
Competition resumes in Austria at the Red Bull Ring on August 17. Seven days later, MotoGP is slated to return to Hungary and race on the Balaton Park Circuit for the first time. This is the fourth attempted revival of this race. MotoGP has only previously raced in Hungary in 1990 and 1992 with both rounds running at the Hungaroring.
Barcelona hosts the 15th round of the championship on September 7, seven days prior to the final round of the European leg of the championship from Misano.
The first of two legs of the Asia-Pacific swing begins on September 28 in Japan with Indonesia following on October 5. There will be a week off before the second leg, starting at Phillip Island and the Australia Grand Prix on October 19 with Malaysia following on October 26.
The 2025 season concludes with a two-week Iberian swing. The Portuguese Grand Prix from Portimão will run on November 9 with the Valencian Community Grand Prix ending the season on November 16.
Teams
Ducati Lenovo Team
Riders: Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Desmosedici GP24.9) & Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Desmosedici GP24.9)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
The most anticipated intra-team battle in ages, the Bagnaia-Márquez partnership is expected to be a test to see if Bagnaia is actually as good as his two MotoGP World Championships suggest or if Márquez can find his old groove on the best bike on the grid.
Márquez was stellar in testing, and led the way at the Buriram session. Bagnaia had the edge at the Sepang test.
This should fluctuate back-and-forth at every round. Both riders have a habit of pushing it over the limit. Bagnaia showed in recent seasons to control that aggression, but it cost him a little last year, particularly in sprint races. Márquez went over the edge a few times even when not on the best bike. The Spaniard did have that under control for most of last season, and it netted him third in the championship.
The machine will be under Márquez, but he will have a teammate pushing him to a higher level. They are both going to push one another. That could cost Márquez and be to Bagnaia's benefit or vice versa. Considering what Márquez did last year on a year-old bike, if he doesn't beat himself, he is believed to have the edge over Bagnaia, though it will likely be close no matter what happens.
Where should Ducati finish in the championship?
First. It is still the best bike on the grid, and it has combined two of the best riders in the championship. I am not sure we will see the same kind of domination from Ducati, but it should claim the championship again this year.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
Riders: Jack Miller (#43 Yamaha YZR-M1) & Miguel Oliveira (#88 Yamaha YZR-M1)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
One of the reasons for Ducati's success last year was Pramac. Pramac has switched to Yamaha and it has drafted in Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira.
Miller had the edge over Oliveira in testing at both Buriram and Sepang. Pramac Yamaha wasn't great, but looked a little more competitive compared to how Yamaha ran last year. Oliveira's two seasons on an Aprilia were not as fruitful as his years on a KTM, but the Portuguese rider's success has been hitting it on his best day and then being good but not great the rest of the time.
Miller was not all that brilliant on a KTM, and he cost himself more points than he would like to admit. More times than not, Miller should be ahead of these two on speed alone.
Where should Pramac finish in the championship?
It will be lower than second in the championship. Much lower at that. Last year, the factory Yamaha outfit, the only Yamaha team on the grid in 2024, scored 144 points. Fabio Quartararo was responsible for 113 of those points. If Pramac is in the top nine, it has been a decent season.
Gresini Racing MotoGP
Riders: Fermín Aldeguer (#54 Ducati Desmosedici GP24) & Álex Márquez (#73 Ducati Desmosedici GP24)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Márquez has spent five seasons in MotoGP, the last two on a year-old Ducati. Aldeguer ended 2023 as the hottest Moto2 rider, and teams could not miss the chance to scoop him up, only for his 2024 season to be a bit of a letdown. He still won three races and was fifth the championship, but he did not take a leap forward as was expected.
Márquez had the better of the two in testing. He is on a year-old Ducati again. That experience should favor Márquez, but Aldeguer could come on and make it closer in the closing stages of the season.
Where should Gresini finish in the championship?
With Pramac a Yamaha team, it creates a vacuum for the Ducati bikes. Gresini should benefit to an extent. The issue is the VR46 Racing Team has gotten its hands on the third current generation bike and Gresini is the only Ducati team fielding two year-old models.
It should still be good for Gresini. Between third and fifth.
Aprilia Racing
Riders: Jorge Martín (#1 Aprilia RS-GP25), Lorenzo Savadori - #32 Aprilia RS-GP25 & Marco Bezzecchi (#72 Aprilia RS-GP25)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
If Martín misses anymore than the opening round due to a hand injury suffered in training, which is different from the injuries he suffered in Sepang testing, it leans a little more into Bezzecchi's favor. If Martín only misses one round, he should do well enough to be impressive in the championship but still fall well short of a successful title defense.
Where should Aprilia finish in the championship?
Aprilia should be better than last year, and that is partially due to the inclusion of Martín. On the days Aprilia is quick, it will be giving Ducati a run for its money. When the speed isn't there, it will be in the middle of the top ten.
Ducati very well could go 1-2-3 in the championship again with its teams. Aprilia is likely the best chance to break that up. If it isn't third, it will be fourth in 2025.
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team
Riders: Franco Morbidelli (#21 Ducati Desmosedici GP24) & Fabio Di Giannantonio (#49 Ducati Desmosedici GP24.9)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Considering he will have the newer bike, it will be Di Giannantonio. Considering Morbidelli was only eight points better than Di Giannantonio last year and Di Giannantonio missed three races, it should be Di Giannantonio.
Prior to his shoulder injury that required Di Giannantonio to miss the final two rounds, he was on pace to finish seventh in the championship, three spots better than his final position. On the current Ducati, he should be challenging for race victories.
Where should VR46 finish in the championship?
This team should be second in the championship. If it finishes behind Gresini it will have been a massive letdown.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Riders: Brad Binder (#33 KTM RC16) & Pedro Acosta (#37 KTM RC16)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Acosta looks like he is going to lift KTM further up the grid than anyone should. Year two for the Spaniard should see significant results even though this manufacturer is in financial turmoil. Acosta could win a race or two on pure speed. I don't think Binder can do that, and I don't think you can count on consistency getting KTM fifth in the championship with a rider. It is going to take skill to finish that high in the championship this year.
Where should Red Bull KTM finish in the championship?
I think everyone expects the bottom to drop out on KTM, and it could if the off-track issues force some difficult decisions on the racing side. This team will go as far as Acosta can go. With the speed of the Ducatis and the assurance of the Aprilia, it feels like fifth is the limit for the factory KTM team.
Red Bull GasGas Tech3
Riders: Maverick Viñales (#12 KTM RC16) & Enea Bastianini (#23 KTM RC16)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Both riders are coming off outstanding seasons at other manufacturers. Bastianini won multiple races and was able to be healthy for the entire season with Ducati. Viñales was the lone non-Ducati victory in 2024 as he put Aprilia on the top step of the podium in the United States. The customer KTM team is a long step back for both riders.
Edge to Viñales because he has spent more time developing bikes while Bastianini spent four seasons at Ducati when the worst Ducati was still challenging for the top five on a regular basis.
Where should GasGas Tech3 finish in the championship?
While Acosta looked quick in testing and Binder was respectable, the Tech3 bikes were out to lunch. Of the 242 points GasGas Tech3 scored in 2024, Acosta was responsible for 215 of them. Pedro Acosta is not walking through that door. Tech3 should fall at least one spot, if not more in the championship.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
Riders: Fabio Quartararo (#20 Yamaha YZR-M1) & Álex Rins (#42 Yamaha YZR-M1)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Quartararo, no question. The Frenchman was doing some Herculean performances last year and even in testing Quartararo was turning heads for what he was doing with a bike little have faith in to be competitive. Quartararo is the backbone of this team and he will be looking to get more out of this season.
Where should Yamaha finish in the championship?
It cannot be worse than last year, and I think there is a chance Quartararo can take it a step further, which would be incredible. If he can do that, he could put Yamaha ahead of GasGas Tech3, which could be for sixth in the championship considering the belief the factory Yamaha team will beat the Pramac Yamaha team.
Trackhouse Racing MotoGP
Riders: Raúl Fernández (#25 Aprilia RS-GP25) & Ai Ogura (#88 Aprilia RS-GP25)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Ogura was regularly quicker than Fernández in testing, and he was running top ten times consistently at Buriram. This looks to be leaning in the rookie's favor.
Where should Trackhouse finish in the championship?
Being with Aprilia should help this team in year two. There is a chance Trackhouse approves and is between the Yamaha teams and KTM teams. Seventh in the championship is realistic if KTM is really bad and GasGas Tech3 stumbles more than the KTM factory team, and Pramac Yamaha struggles mightily.
LCR Honda Idemitsu/Castrol
Riders: Johann Zarco (#5 Honda RC213V) & Somkiat Chantra (#35 Honda RC213V)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Zarco, hands down. Zarco had a few impressive runs in testing, and he might have been the best Honda rider overall. Chantra is drinking from a firehose. Zarco's experience will be immense. Chantra is in for a rude awakening at the top level.
Where should LCR Honda finish in the championship?
The goal for LCR Honda should be to remain ahead of the factory Honda team. That will likely mean finishing tenth place. Ninth might be too far, but if things are really bad for KTM or Honda is surprisingly good, it is possible LCR Honda could rise up the order.
Honda HRC Castrol
Riders: Luca Marini (#10 Honda RC213V) & Joan Mir (#36 Honda RC213V)
Who should win the intra-team battle?
Mir had notable pace at the Buriram test. Marini had his own good days at Sepang. Only seven points separated these two last year. Neither is going to be competing for much. They need to be working together to rise up the order.
Where should Honda finish in the championship?
Marini and Mir should combine to do better than Zarco and Chantra at LCR Honda. The distribution should be more equal at the factory Honda team while Zarco will be pulling more weight at LCR. Again, if Honda is good and improving the most over the course of the season, and KTM is having off-track distractions affect on-track results, ninth is possible.
The Thailand Grand Prix weekend will being with practice at 10:45 p.m. ET on Thursday February 27. Second practice will follow at 3:00 a.m. ET on Friday February 28. On Friday night, practice will run at 10:10 p.m. before qualifying takes place. The first round will be at 10:50 p.m. with the second round at 11:15 p.m.
The first sprint race will run at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday March 1 with the Thailand Grand Prix following 24 hours later on Sunday March 2.
