Aleix Espargaro explains why he ‘couldn’t stand’ Marc Marquez at the start of his MotoGP career

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Marc Marquez was the dominant force in MotoGP from 2013 until the decade. In that period, he won six world championships, with Jorge Lorenzo the only rider able to interrupt his streak.

Marquez succeeded the great Casey Stoner at Honda on the back of winning the Moto2 title. And he became the first rider since Kenny Roberts in 1978 to claim the MotoGP championship as a rookie.

He would then start 2014 with 10 consecutive race wins, effectively ending the title race before it had a chance to begin. Yamaha struck back the following year, with Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi battling for the crown.

Marquez was unstoppable thereafter, though. After defeating Rossi in 2016, he edged out Andrea Dovizioso in the 2017 finale before dominant triumphs in ’18 and ’19.

A serious accident at Jerez at the start of the delayed 2020 season, combined with Honda’s subsequent decline, has opened the door for his rivals. But back on a factory Ducati bike, Marquez has an excellent chance to equal Rossi on seven premier-class titles this year.

Aleix Espargaro admits Marc Marquez was his brother’s ‘Kryptonite’

Pol Espargaro was among those to witness Marquez’s dominance first-hand. He entered the premier class in 2014 after the Honda rider bagged his remarkable maiden title.

Espargaro didn’t manage to win a Grand Prix before he retired at the end of 2023, instead forced to settle for eight podiums. He finished sixth in his debut season, then ninth and eighth in the two subsequent campaigns.

Speaking on DAZN’s ‘Espargabros’ documentary, Pol’s brother Aleix suggested that he would have been more successful had it not been for Marquez. And that fostered resentment at first.

But now the older Espargaro brother has total respect for the Ducati superstar. He even labelled him the most talented rider in MotoGP history.

“Marc and I exchanged helmets and I told him that I have suffered and pursued him throughout my sporting career,” he said. “I think there has not been a more talented rider in the entire championship. In the first part of my sporting career, I couldn’t stand him, because he was my brother’s kryptonite.”

Does Marc Marquez regret the timing of his Honda exit after dominant run ended?

Pramac rider Jack Miller says the MotoGP field are still ‘scared’ of Marquez. They know how ‘dominant’ he can be when he’s ‘healthy’ and comfortable on the bike.

That illustrates the extent of the task facing Francesco Bagnaia next season. With reigning champion Jorge Martin joining Aprilia, the Italian may be the only one who can stop Marquez lifting the championship trophy once again.

His bombshell decision to join Gresini for the 2024 season proved a masterstroke as his old team struggled. But Marquez doesn’t think he should have quit Honda earlier despite the somewhat messy end to their relationship.