Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira competed in his penultimate MotoGP race Saturday, finishing 17th in the Valencian Community Grand Prix sprint ahead of his planned departure from the premier category.
The sprint race marked the 22nd and final round of the season, and Oliveira’s farewell from MotoGP. He is set to transition to the World Superbike Championship with BMW starting in 2026.
Oliveira, riding a Yamaha, crossed the finish line 15.597 seconds behind the winner, Alex Márquez.
He started the 13-lap sprint race from 18th position but briefly dropped to 23rd in the initial corners before recovering to 17th place.
Spain’s Alex Márquez, riding a Ducati, won the sprint race, beating compatriot Pedro Acosta on a KTM by 1.149 seconds. Fabio Di Giannantonio of Italy, also on a Ducati, finished third, 2.637 seconds behind Márquez.
Alex Márquez, who started from second, quickly overtook pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi of Italy. Márquez then established a comfortable lead over Acosta.
Bezzecchi finished fifth, behind Raul Fernandez, securing third place overall in the championship.
Marc Márquez had already mathematically clinched the championship title earlier in the season, currently holding 545 points. Alex Márquez is second with 457 points, and Bezzecchi is third with 328 points.
Pedro Acosta moved to fourth in the standings with 294 points, ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, who has 288 points after finishing 14th in the sprint. Oliveira sits 20th overall with 38 points.
The main race is scheduled for Sunday, which will be Oliveira’s final appearance in the MotoGP World Championship.