Acosta Dominates Practice, Bagnaia Struggles at the Valencia MotoGP 2025 Finale
KTM's Pedro Acosta finished Friday's practice at the Valencia MotoGP 2025 season finale on top, showcasing his prowess in the face of adversity. Despite the absence of racing in Valencia last year due to flooding, Acosta's KTM proved its mettle in 2023, and the young rider, still chasing his first MotoGP win, emerged as the strongest contender during the hour-long session.
Acosta set the pace from the start, maintaining it throughout the session. His final run, though unimproved, was enough to secure a 0.053-second lead over Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi. The top eight riders, including Acosta, Bezzecchi, Franco Morbidelli (VR46), and Alex Marquez (Gresini), secured Q1 spots for Saturday's qualifying.
However, the highlight of the day was the struggle of Ducati works rider Pecco Bagnaia, who finished a disappointing 14th, 0.001 seconds behind Honda tester Aleix Espargaro, the second-fastest Honda rider. Bagnaia's struggle was a stark contrast to the solid performance of the V4 Yamaha, driven by Augusto Fernandez, which was just a second off the pace.
Among the injury returnees, Maverick Vinales narrowly edged out his Tech3 team-mate Enea Bastianini, finishing 18th, while Jorge Martin, who prioritized his condition, ended up 22nd. The top 10 riders, led by Acosta, were separated by a mere 0.433 seconds, highlighting the intense competition at the season finale.
