Marco Bezzecchi
Alex Marquez remains second in the MotoGP world championship ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. He’s 17 points behind his brother Marc Marquez.
The Gresini rider finished runner-up to his old teammate at the first seven events of the year before slipping to sixth in the Qatar GP. Marquez qualified on the front row but received a long-lap penalty for a collision with Fabio di Giannantonio.
Outscoring factory rider Francesco Bagnaia is an impressive feat given that he’s riding a year-old GP24 bike. He’s also ahead of Fabio di Giannantonio, who’s on current-spec machinery too.
The performance difference appears minimal at this stage, but it’s likely to increase as the season goes on. Monday’s test at Jerez could launch the 2025 development race.
Alex Marquez could receive ‘gifts’ from Ducati if he continues to thrive
Speaking at an Estrella Galicia event in Madrid before the Grand Prix of Spain, Marquez senior gushed over his sibling’s start to the season. He’s on for by far his best year in the premier class after previously winning the Moto3 and Moto2 titles.
Marc has never had any doubt over Alex’s ability, having seen him score two podiums as a rookie for Honda in 2020. But he’s still impressed to see him holding his own against race-winning and title-winning riders.
He acknowledges that the 28-year-old could be at a disadvantage in the months ahead. But he hinted that Ducati bosses could change their plans for Alex if he continues to perform at an elite level.
They could hand him a more advanced GP24 (the current motorcycle is the Austria version), switch him onto the latest spec mid-season, or potentially upgrade his status in 2026. He’s already under contract with Gresini for another year.
“I’m proud to talk about my brother, and why not?” Marquez said. “He was Moto3 world champion, he was Moto2 world champion and in his first year in MotoGP, he got podiums with a bike that was, as was shown later on… more experienced riders couldn’t make it work.
“Alex is a great rider. Any rider has to have things in their place, and [when he does] he is happy, stable, capable of everything. He has shown it in these first races, being the rider who has led the most laps and maintaining that pressure as if he had won eight world titles!
“That’s not easy to maintain, the pressure of being up there. He has a lot of experience and I think he’s going to be one of the rivals for the title.
“Everything depends, and here I put pressure on myself, on how our bike evolves. Our bike will continue to evolve. Alex, in theory, has the GP24 on a satellite team that won’t evolve.
“But hey, if he earns it – Ducati has always been like this – surely gifts will come his way. Why not?”
Alex Marquez has one thing in common with Jorge Martin – and it could help him end his win drought
The title talk naturally needs to be viewed with a degree of skepticism. But Alex would have a unique advantage if he went up against Marc.
Marc Marquez says his brother has less ‘respect’ than other riders during their battles. He doesn’t fear the #93, particularly because he’s seen him ‘suffer’ amid his injury lay-off.
The only disappointment for Marquez junior this season has been the missed opportunity to win a race. In Austin, it was Bagnaia who capitalised when the championship leader crashed out from the lead.
He’s finished on the podium eight times, but still never graced the top step. Still, one pundit says Alex Marquez has the same consistency as Jorge Martin, so he should eventually be able to capitalise.
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