Super Saturday in Catalonia did not disappoint, that's for sure, and KTM painted orange the afternoon's Tissot Sprint with a captivating intra-battle between trio Enea Bastianini, Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder. After qualifying on row 3 in P9, Enea Bastianini from Red Bull KTM Tech3 came out in 5th of a hectic sprint battle with his teammates. A further step to recovery was made on Maverick Viñales' side, who completed his first race since injuring his shoulder two months ago. Qualified in 22nd on the grid, the Catalan took the 17th place of the Tissot Sprint in Barcelona, while we saw Ducati clinch the MotoGP™ constructors' championship for the sixth season in a row.

Grand Prix of Catalonia

QUALIFYING
Already qualified in Q2 following his 6th place on Friday’s Practice, Enea Bastianini focused on race preparation and tire management during the opening FP2, session he closed with the 14th time just 0.462 seconds from early pacesetter Joan Mir. Joined by Fabio Quartararo and Fabio Di Giannantonio coming from Q1, Enea Bastianini headed to Q2 to fight for the 15th pole position at stake of 2025. The number 23 began with a 1’38.814, before improving to a 1’38.629 which provisionally had him in 9th at the pit box stop, while Alex Marquez led the session thanks to an early 1’37.914. In the final time attacks, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider could improve to a 1’38.187 on his first flying lap, one that remained his fastest, and qualified him in 9th on the grid to close row 3. The feeling was good again in FP2 this morning for returning Maverick Viñales, with the Catalan taking the 4th time of the opening session in Montmelo. Q1 was a bit trickier for the Spaniard who gave his all despite his shoulder still recovering, and a 1’38.531 turned out to be his fastest. The number 12 will line up on the grid in P22, as he is set to race for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix.

TISSOT SPRINT
Under a scorching sun heating up the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, 15:00 rang the bell for 12 laps of sprint madness. Lining up in 9th, Enea Bastianini took a rocket launch as he approached the first corner on the left to take Fabio Di Giannantonio on the outside and exit T1 in 5th, but the #49 got the better of Bastia in the next sequence to claim back 5th. Shortly after, Johann Zarco found his way past Enea in the end of sector 1, and that meant Bastianini sat in P7 after the opening lap. At the front, Marc Marquez was obviously making the show with insane overtakes on Quartararo and Acosta. On lap 3, Zarco made a mistake as he went a bit wide at T9, which opened the way to Bastianini, and an opportunist Brad Binder made it 2 in 1 to move to 6th, leaving Bastianini in 7th. Then started to shape up an intra-KTM battle, with Acosta in 5th, Binder in 6th and Bastianini in 7th. The in-form South African had the pace to catch up on teammate Acosta, bringing with him our number 23, and sooner than later, began the battle between the KTM trio. Binder took the lead on his teammate on lap 8, and shortly after, Alex Marquez crashing at the front meant P6 for Enea. The battle for 4th between Binder and Acosta increased in intensity, and that left Bastianini watching close from behind, before he joined the battle too. On lap 10, Enea made a nice move on the inside of Binder to make it to 5th, and he instantly tried a move on Acosta, but that was a bit wide, and we were back in 5th. That trio-battle was entertaining to watch for us all until the checkered flag. Acosta closed all doors from P4, and Bastianini eventually crossed the finish-line in 5th just 0.3 seconds ahead of Binder. Excellent 5th Tissot Sprint place for Bastianini, who will be eager for more battles tomorrow on the long distance.

Maverick Viñales was ready to take a race start for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix back in June, so this one had been a long one coming for the Catalan, injured during qualifying at Sachsenring. The Spaniard was starting from 22nd, with the target to evaluate himself on 12 laps. When lights were out, the number 12 dropped to 24th in the opening lap, but he quickly gained ground back on both Lorenzo Salvadori and Somkiat Chantra to move up to P22 in 5 laps. Maverick progressively found his own rhythm, as he began closing on Alex Rins, just 0.7 seconds away. Top Gun was putting in a solid mid-sprint pace with his lap 6 faster than the next 10 riders ahead, a rather impressive performance! Maverick then moved up to 20th with Morbidelli and Martin crashing out ahead, then another two rider-crash ahead between Aldeguer and Bezzecchi meant P18 for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider on lap 8, and sprint leader’s crash on the next lap meant P17 with just 4 laps to go. By the last two laps, Viñales had closed the gap on Rins, and both entered the final lap in a battle for 16th, but it was the Yamaha Factory rider who won that one. P17 for Maverick on his first race in 2 months, and he will look forward to trying out the main event on Sunday, as lights go out at 14:00 UTC+2 for 24 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya!

ENEA BASTIANINI: "The first 3-4 laps weren't easy, I was struggling a bit to stop the bike, but then we settled well and I could improve my pace. I became much more competitive and I could give it a go in the battle for 4th with Pedro (Acosta) and Brad (Binder). I am very happy with our top 5, we have achieved our target! Tomorrow will be a different race, because we will use medium-tire on the rear, while today we had a soft tire, so managing the tires will be hard for sure! We need to be smart and prepare the last laps well. I think achieving top 5 is a realistic target, so let's go for it!"

MAVERICK VIÑALES: "The day has been really positive! Obviously, my head wants to push to the limit, but my body is not allowing it at the moment. The feeling on the bike was good, and yesterday we weren't sure if we could manage the sprint race, but we did it today, and it is a big step for us. We have to take this in, and focus on tomorrow. I am still lacking strength, so the main race will be tough, but we have to go through this to get better."

NICOLAS GOYON, Team Manager: "It is a positive Saturday in sunny Catalonia which comes to an end for both our riders. Enea Bastianini managed a solid qualifying on row 3, and he rode a great sprint race to achieve a top 5 result after a huge battle with his teammates Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder. It is a really encouraging performance heading to the main race tomorrow! We know the biggest challenge on Sunday will be to manage the tire drop, an area where Enea is good at, so let's prepare well for the 24 laps. We are also extremely happy to have Maverick Viñales back with us. It is not an easy weekend for him, as he has to deal with a lack of strength, but he managed to complete the whole sprint, which is another big step forward in his recovery process. He is on a good way, so let's try to save our energy and race smartly tomorrow in the main race."

QUALIFYING RESULTS

TISSOT SPRINT RESULTS

TRACK RECORDS

All Time Record: 2025 - A. Marquez (SPA) - 1'37.536 - 171.8 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - P. Acosta (SPA) - 1'39.664 - 168.2 km/h
Best Pole: 2025 - A. Marquez (SPA) - 1'37.536 - 171.8 km/h
Top Speed: 2023 - A. Espargaro (SPA) - 356.4 km/h