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Written by Nina Rogerson
For the second round of 2025, we were back in Argentina again at the Termas de Rio Hondo. Here are some of the big stories of the Grand Prix weekend.
Pirelli Tyres from 2027
It was announced a few days before the Argentinian Grand Prix that Pirelli would take over from Michelin to become the official MotoGP tyre supplier from 2027. This tyre switch coincides with the new technical regulations to be set in place from 2027.
Moto2 and Moto3 currently use Pirelli tyres and in the announcement, MotoGP stated that once the paddock moves to a single supplier, it should “provide the perfect development ladder for the champions of tomorrow to hone their craft on their way to the top.”
Jorge Martin to miss more races.
Image via motogp.com
During the Thursday press conference, World Champion Jorge Martin made an appearance via video call and announced that he would be missing the next Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
He also announced that his appearance at the Qatar Grand Prix is uncertain as he wants to ride a MotoGP bike to test his fitness before taking part in a Grand Prix.
Image via @MotoGP on X
Miguel Oliveira suffers yet another injury.
During the sprint race on Saturday, there was contact between Oliveira and Fermin Aldeguer. Rookie Aldeguer attempted to overtake Oliveira and crashed out taking the Portuguese rider with him.
Oliveira was taken to the local hospital but despite being diagnosed with no fractures, he withdrew from the Grand Prix and made his way back home to undergo further checks on his shoulder.
This injury makes it five in two years for the Portuguese rider, through no fault of his own once again. Aldeguer was handed a long-lap penalty for the Sunday Grand Prix which the rookie was quick to accept after issuing a public apology to Oliveira and his team.
It was a Marquez family affair once again.
Image via @alexmarquez73 on X
After a Marquez 1-2 in both the sprint and the grand prix in Thailand, it was pretty much as you were this weekend in Argentina. The front row consisted of Marc Marquez in pole, Alex Marquez in 2nd and Francesco Bagnaia in third.
The sprint race on Saturday was fairly similar to Thailand with the top 3 starting and finishing in the same positions. On Sunday, it was between Marc and Alex and for a significant part of the race, it looked like Alex would take the win over older brother Marc. When it came down to the last few laps, it was Marc who had more left in his tyres and was able to take the victory.
Francesco Bagnaia finished in 4th after having a fairly tough time keeping up with his teammate once again.
Franco Morbidelli is back.
Image via @VR46RacingTeam on X
It’s been a tough few years for Franco Morbidelli with injury woes and a less than successful stint in the struggling Factory Yamaha team. This weekend in Argentina, Franco was back on the podium for the first time since 2021 and he looked very strong.
Morbidelli’s 2nd season on the GP24 already looks to be significantly more successful than his 1st, with Franco being tipped as one of the riders to fight for P3 in the championship.
Ai Ogura disqualifed from the Grand Prix.
Hours after the race finished, Ai Ogura who crossed the line in P8 was disqualified from the Grand Prix. This disqualification came because his bike was running a version of software for the Electronic Control Unit that was non-homologated.
Essentially, the teams were provided with a non-homologated version of software to try in pre-season testing. On Saturday in Argentina, Ogura crashed and did a lot of damage to his RS-GP that meant there had to be some rebuilding with spare parts. The ECU that Trackhouse had to use was the one that had previously been used to test the new software.
Ogura’s disqualification forfeits the 8 points he scored and brings his teammate Raul Fernandez into the top 15.
So chapter two of twenty-two is complete and it looked eerily similar to chapter one. For the next round we head to the Circuit of the Americas where a certain Marc Marquez has an impressive record. Will he take another win in Texas or will someone else be able to take the fight to the Spaniard? We'll find out in just under 2 weeks time!
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