Italian rider Celestino Vietti aboard a Kalex secured his third win of the Moto2 season at the Catalan Grand Prix. The Catalonian event saw Vietti pull ahead at the finish line, surpassing fellow Kalex riders Arón Canet and Augusto Fernández to extend his lead in the world championship standings.
Cheering fans captured a moment of pure joy, highlighting the excitement surrounding the race day. The MotoGP official account shared the celebration from the Catalunya circuit, emphasizing the dramatic conclusion and Vietti’s continued momentum on the season’s docket.
Vietti accumulated 133 points, extending his advantage over Ai Ogura of Japan, who finished seventh and has 117 points, and over Arón Canet who ended the race in second and remains in touch with the championship chase after his thirty-ninth start in Moto2 without yet reaching the top step.
Izan Guevara climbs to the top of the podium at the Catalan GP
Jake Dixon of Great Britain, riding a Kalex, delivered a bold challenge that surprised many as he moved ahead of Vietti during a pivotal moment. American Joe Roberts and Spaniard Arón Canet, both on Kalex, remained in the frame, with Dixon and Arenas pressing closely in the early stages of the race.
From the opening laps, the field settled into a rhythmic pace that kept the main group tightly bunched. Vietti found himself slightly outpaced by the leading trio, struggling to match the initial tempo set by Roberts and Canet while keeping a watchful eye on Ot as the race unfolded, with Vietti gradually losing ground to the head of the race and having to defend from challenges as the laps wore on.
The crowd erupted when Roberts commanded the front, holding a lead that stretched the group as the race progressed. He managed to press Canet and the chasing pack, building a gap that extended to almost a second over the rest of the field within six laps, before Dixon and Arenas began to close in. Vietti, meanwhile, found himself facing pressure from Ai Ogura and Augusto Fernández, with Marcel Schrötter in close pursuit and a recent surge from other rivals challenging the balance of power in the pack.
As the race evolved, Roberts continued to press the pace, attempting to maintain a clear lead. Canet tracked him closely, with the chase group forming around them. Vietti stayed within sight, while Ogura and Fernández tried to carve through the field from behind. The early acceleration faded into a tactical mid-race phase as riders jostled for position behind the two leaders, with several riders suffering small slips that reshaped the lineup and opened opportunities for others.
The race narrative shifted as Roberts hit a setback entering Turn 5 on lap eleven, losing control and crashing, which handed the advantage to Dixon and Canet while Vietti watched from a distance as the podium positions crystallized around a tight cluster of contenders. The stadium stretch became a crucible for late-race decisions, with Canet and Dixon trading moves in a high-stakes duel that kept Arenas, Vietti, Fernández, and Schrötter in the fight for victory.
With nine laps remaining, the fight intensified. Canet pressed Dixon relentlessly while Vietti waited for an opening, and Fernández alongside Schrötter refused to concede. The tension built as Vietti finally sought his moment to strike, applying pressure in the later stages of the race and clawing his way back into podium contention as the minutes ticked away. The field endured several attempts at breaking free until the decisive moments of the final laps arrived.
On the penultimate stretch, Vietti surged past Dixon and Canet, seizing an advantage that would prove decisive. Fernández and Schrötter remained in pursuit, but Vietti held firm as the lead settled in the closing laps. The closing circuit delivered a dramatic finish as Vietti crossed the line with a razor-thin margin ahead of Canet by a mere eight-one thousandths of a second, sealing a dramatic victory over Fernández who completed the podium lineup.
In the final positions, Pedro Acosta finished sixth, Alonso López eighth, Manuel “Manugas” González ninth, while Jorge Navarro and others trailed behind in the standings as the Catalan GP concluded. The race offered a memorable showcase of Moto2 racing, with fast pace, tactical drafting, and decisive late passes shaping the outcome on a day of high drama at Montmeló.