Marc Marquez has secured the MotoGP world championship once again, consolidating his dominance in the 2025 season. Meanwhile, Jorge Martin, the defending champion, remains sidelined due to injury, as Francesco Bagnaia has unexpectedly returned to form with a strong recent performance. This MotoGP 2025 season update reveals a complex landscape that is still evolving despite the title race conclusion.
The Indonesian Grand Prix held at Mandalika Circuit on Lombok Island served as a quieter event following Marquez’s championship victory in Japan. However, this seemingly subdued race weekend belies the fact that the next MotoGP season is already shaping up to be influential in how teams prepare for the upcoming 2026 season. With changes looming, including a shift in tyre suppliers and major engine regulation updates scheduled for 2027, the current races carry significance beyond their immediate standings.
2026 Season: A Transitional Period for Teams and Riders
The 2026 season is shaping up as a transitional phase where many elements remain constant, with nine out of 11 teams maintaining the same rider line-ups as 2025. This continuity suggests that 2025 and 2026 will blend together in terms of competition dynamics. Riders and teams are treating the remaining rounds of 2025, such as the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island in October, as a platform to prepare and start gearing up for the impending regulatory overhaul in 2027.
The 2027 switch to 850cc bikes, accompanied by Pirelli replacing Michelin as the tyre supplier, will mark a significant reset, emphasizing development shortly after the current machines’ life cycle ends. This backdrop lends the remainder of the 2025 season added importance as teams seek to finalize rider orders, gather valuable data, and test strategies that could influence how they approach the upcoming changes.
Bagnaia’s Breakthrough at the Japanese Grand Prix
Francesco Bagnaia stunned the paddock at the Japanese Grand Prix by claiming a dominant victory, leading from pole to finish after a prolonged period of difficulties. Before this performance, Bagnaia had struggled through several rounds without a podium, including a shaky home race in San Marino and a series of disappointing finishes. His turnaround in Japan marks a vital moment in the MotoGP 2025 season update, signaling a potential resurgence for the two-time world champion.
Bagnaia attributed his improvement to adjustments tested during the Misano post-race sessions, aimed at restoring confidence and enhancing bike performance. He refrained from confirming rumours about using a GP24 chassis with a GP25 engine but acknowledged that his package now offers more potential. He expressed optimism about fighting for top positions once he regains the responsiveness he seeks from the bike.
“In the Misano [post-race] test we decided to try different things that also in the past [have given] me more confidence, more performance,”
Bagnaia said.
“I don’t confirm what you’re saying, but I confirm that the feedback in the Misano test was arriving from some items that we used also in the past.”
Bagnaia added.
“I know that my package now can give me more potential, more performance. So we just decided to start with the same bike as Motegi and see what we can do during this weekend.”
“I know my potential, and the moment I get what I’m asking for, I will be fighting for top positions again.”
— Francesco Bagnaia
Technical Insights on Bagnaia’s Sudden Improvement
Peter Bom, MotoGP crew chief turned analyst, provided an insider perspective on Bagnaia’s improvements during Fox Sports’ ‘Pit Talk’ podcast. Bom suggested a technical tug of war behind the scenes, involving Ducati’s general manager and technical guru Gigi Dall’Igna. The 2025 bike had been initially designed as an advancement over the 2024 model, but Bagnaia’s sudden return to form could result from reverting to some features of the previous year’s bike that engineers had resisted revisiting due to pride and design philosophy.
Bom noted that although the 2024 bike was declared incompatible with the 2025 chassis due to engine mounting differences, the current machine seems to have reincorporated critical elements such as the ride-height device. Bom implied that Bagnaia is essentially riding a 2024-spec bike adapted to 2025 regulations, which accounted for his dominant display in Japan.
“We don’t know [what changed], but it’s either illegal or really, really late … it’s obviously the last thing, it’s very late,”
Bom remarked.
“[Ducati] were telling us the 2024 bike was not possible … when they said it was not possible, we concluded that the 2025 engine probably has different engine mounts and doesn’t fit in the frame – you have the engine homologated, but not the chassis.”
“It makes me think that [the bike] now has the main thing that made the 2024 [Ducati] different from 2025, the ride-height device construction.”
“I think [Bagnaia] is more or less on a 2024 bike now. Technicians, especially those on Gigi’s level and with his ego, don’t like to go back to older things. They make a new bike, that’s better, so they forget about the old bike.”
“If you’re on a Yamaha or Aprilia or KTM, if something doesn’t work, you go immediately back to the older bike, that’s not even a five-minute discussion. But Gigi … he came pretty far by believing his numbers and his calculations. You don’t want to go back [as an engineer], because it hurts. So that must have hurt for Gigi to go back, and then for ‘Pecco’ [Bagnaia] to immediately … pole position, sprint, lead the whole race.”
“I’m not too over-enthusiastic that he is completely back and maybe can even challenge Marc – [Motegi] is a very special track, and on this track everything worked.”
“It’s too much of a difference and too convincing, so if ‘Pecco’ is back … whether he’s back to third or maybe second and closer to Marc [like the beginning of 2025], I’m keen to see what’s coming this weekend.”
— Peter Bom, MotoGP crew chief analyst
Jack Miller Eyes Improvement for Yamaha at Mandalika
Australians are closely watching Jack Miller’s performance at Mandalika, where he arrived with hopes of bouncing back after a frustrating Japanese Grand Prix, which he described largely as a test weekend. Miller experienced a chain failure near race end in Japan after multiple crashes throughout the event, leaving him pointless and slipping further down the championship standings.
Recall that Miller had a promising start at Mandalika’s inaugural 2022 race, leading for several laps and finishing just off the podium in fourth. He also suffered an early first-lap collision at the same circuit last season involving several riders, adding to his motivation to redeem himself this year.
With Indonesian conditions marked by high heat and humidity, Miller gains confidence from the challenge, believing the climate suits his endurance and riding style. He anticipates that the new track surface and moderate corner speeds will benefit Yamaha’s handling characteristics.
“It’s nice to be back in this temperature, I enjoy these hot ones,”
Miller commented.
“I want to bounce back after a weekend that ended up being more of a test [in Japan]. I think it can be a good track for [Yamaha], decent grip with a new surface that doesn’t get overly used that much.”
“It’s a decent average speed around here, you’re carrying the momentum, so I feel that can play into our hands a little bit more so than others. Some corners in the last section, our bike should behave pretty good so – fingers crossed – we can have a solid weekend.”
— Jack Miller
Miguel Oliveira’s Future Moves Affect Yamaha Line-Up
Miller’s Pramac Yamaha teammate Miguel Oliveira is departing MotoGP for World Superbikes, joining BMW in a move that triggered significant contractual and team adjustments for the 2026 season. Despite having a remaining contract year with Yamaha, Oliveira was replaced by Miller, who brings crucial experience with V4 engine platforms essential to Yamaha’s upcoming development efforts.
Miller acknowledged Oliveira’s departure with respect, praising his skill and competitiveness, and looked forward to watching his efforts in superbikes.
“It’s sad to see Miguel go, he’s a fantastic rider and still has a fantastic level, but that’s the way it goes sometimes here [in MotoGP],”
Miller said.
“I believe he can be ultra-competitive over there, and I will be watching with a very keen eye.”
Oliveira, meanwhile, remains open to a MotoGP return, emphasizing the importance of the series to his career.
“I’m on a one-year contract with BMW … I don’t say the ultimate goal is to come back, but for sure I leave the door open,”
Oliveira stated.
“MotoGP has been my life for the past 15 years of my racing career so you don’t close the door and lock it completely.”
Aprilia Faces Challenges as Key Riders Sit Out Indonesian Grand Prix
Aprilia heads into the Indonesian round missing two of its four full-time riders, significantly reducing the team’s presence on the grid. Reigning world champion Jorge Martin underwent surgery for a broken right collarbone sustained after a high-speed collision in Motegi, while rookie Ai Ogura continues to recover from wrist and hand injuries incurred during a crash in Misano.
Martin’s injury marked his fourth major setback during a difficult title defense, and his recovery timeline remains uncertain despite undergoing a complex surgical procedure involving screws and a support plate.
“It was a complex procedure due to the fracture presenting three fragments, which were successfully fixed with screws in the middle-distal third of the fracture and a support plate to prevent displacement,”
explained MotoGP medical director Dr Angel Charte.
“Recovery times are still uncertain; we cannot give an exact date for his return, but rehabilitation will begin as soon as possible.”
Martin’s crash also involved teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who remarkably continued to race despite sustaining right leg and hand injuries. Bezzecchi described a bruised thigh muscle that complicated his recovery but expressed cautious optimism about improving over the race weekend.
“The foot was not the problem, was more the leg and the knee,”
Bezzecchi noted.
“The muscle on the thigh is completely full of blood.”
“I feel overall a little bit better, these days [between races] were a bit complicated to try to recover as quick as possible,”
he added.
“But, feeling better and hopefully this will be better day-by-day during the weekend. Until I ride the bike, I don’t know. For the moment, it’s better so we will see.”
— Marco Bezzecchi
Ogura, still not medically cleared following his high-speed crash, was officially withdrawn from the Indonesian Grand Prix grid with a team statement confirming his inability to ride safely.
“It has been decided he cannot ride his Trackhouse RS-GP25 safely at Mandalika,”
the team announced.
With Martin and Ogura absent, Aprilia will field only Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez at Mandalika, reducing the total rider count to 20 for the race weekend.
Looking Ahead: What the Final 2025 Rounds Could Reveal
As the 2025 MotoGP season advances toward its conclusion in Valencia on November 16, the focus shifts to how the remaining races will shape perspectives on rider form, team strategies, and equipment developments. Bagnaia’s reinvigorated performance raises questions about his capacity to challenge Alex Marquez and the championship winner Marquez siblings for top positions, with only weeks left to race. Meanwhile, Honda’s factory team, represented by Joan Mir’s recent podium, searches for consistency across circuits beyond their familiar testing grounds.
Questions also linger around teams like KTM, which rely heavily on Pedro Acosta for competitive lap times, and Yamaha, which hopes Jack Miller can convert qualifying pace into race results amid a difficult season. The period ahead will serve as a critical window for teams to test their potential before the 2026 season, which itself is a precursor to the 2027 technical overhaul.
Ultimately, the MotoGP 2025 season update reflects a year in flux, where a world championship conclusion contrasts with ongoing internal battles, evolving equipment decisions, and strategic jockeying. The Indonesian Grand Prix and subsequent rounds provide a meaningful stage for riders like Bagnaia to stake their claims on the future while exposing the challenges teams must overcome ahead of the sport’s awaited transformation.
