MotoGP Finale 2025: A Return to Valencia and the End of an Era
What a difference a year makes. In 2024, because of horrific flooding, the MotoGP season finale was moved to the Barcelona Circuit instead of the traditional Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin slugged it out, and it all came down to the final race. Martin placed high enough to win the title, with Pecco Bagnaia coming in a respectable runner-up position.
What a difference a year makes.
In 2025, the MotoGP Finale returned to a refurbished Valencia Circuit and signaled the end of the longest season on record—22 races! And when I say everyone was ready for it to be over, everyone was ready for it to be over. “Everyone? Everyone!”
This also marks the end of an era for Dorna, the Spanish sports management company that holds the commercial and television rights for motorcycle racing, as it hands over the reins to Liberty Media.
Will this gamble pay off and turn MotoGP into the next big motorsport sensation on American soil—just like F1? That remains to be seen. But here’s what I noticed as I strolled through the paddock at the 22nd and final round of the MotoGP Finale 2025.
The fans! Whether it was the Spaniards supporting their own or MotoGP fans in general, the turnout was impressive—over 90,000 on race day and more than 200,000 over the race weekend. Seeing MotoGP in Spain is like watching basketball at the Rucker—it just feels right.
MotoGP Finale 2025: Press Conferences, Riders’ Emotions, and That Wicked Snarl
The pressers? Listen, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—if you want technical insight, read Matt Oxley or David Emmett. Those guys can make talking tires sound compelling. Me? I’m interested in the riders’ emotions—how they really feel about situations, basically “the essence of a rider.” And let me tell you—they never disappoint, especially if you can get Pedro Acosta to start spewing.
Here are some highlights…
Me to Acosta after the sprint, where he finished runner-up to Alex Marquez:
Me: “If you get the holeshot, do you think you can hold off Alex for the entire race?”
Acosta: “Yup. And when I do, I’ll come looking for you!”
Acosta is a treasure that needs to be discovered by everyone—journalist or not. He gets it, and we should all be grateful.
The presser that tugged at my heart was Nicolo Bulega’s. It may sound like nothing, but he said, “I was very nervous. I was in World Supersport, and that is your last shot. But I won the championship and went to World Superbikes and was very fast.”
The resilience I saw in that moment touched me. His career was almost over, but he did what he had to do. Now he’s getting a taste of MotoGP. That’s mental toughness.
But the greatest moment of the MotoGP Finale 2025 weekend? Without a doubt, hearing that wicked snarl of a MotoGP bike starting up and leaving the paddock—only to be outdone by a bike rolling into pit lane after battling fellow competitors. That, in turn, is only outdone by the vicious burnouts from riders who won’t be returning to their teams—or MotoGP at all. The hugs and handshakes you see are heartfelt and real.
All in all, it was a great weekend—being around fellow GP freaks and geeks like myself. A family reunion of sorts, where you see old faces and make new friends.
I don’t know what MotoGP will look like with Liberty Media at the helm, and I wish them the best. But a part of me will miss Hervé Poncharal as he retires from the paddock, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.
One thing I can assure you: my love for MotoGP only deepens, and I’m willing to roll with the changes. GP is life!
The 2026 season promises to be even better as Marc Márquez goes for number ten, with Aprilia and KTM in hot pursuit. So, if you think I’m abandoning MotoGP… As Judas Priest so eloquently sang: “You got another thing coming!”
Enjoy the offseason, GP Freaks. 2026 will be here before you know it!
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