Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is gunning for his first Grand Prix of Spain win for six years this weekend. He enters the weekend 17 points clear of his brother Alex in the championship.
Marquez finished on the podium on his first seven visits to Jerez, taking victories in 2014, 2018 and 2019. That streak came to a dramatic end in 2020 as he suffered the accident that led to multiple surgeries.
He lost out to Francesco Bagnaia in last year’s race but scored his first podium for Ducati satellite team Gresini. Some see this as a chance for Bagnaia, on a run of three in a row here, to beat Marquez on pure pace for the first time.
The six-time premier-class champion was second-quickest in FP1, three and a half tenths behind his brother. He appeared to encounter an issue with his Desmosedici motorcycle in the early stages, but quickly returned to the track to set the initial pace.
Marc Marquez went to Gresini pit box by mistake at Spanish Grand Prix – reminiscent of Lewis Hamilton
After Marquez slowed down on track and pitted, he appeared to suffer a momentary loss of concentration. He drove straight past his Ducati garage to neighbouring Gresini.
It may be that the Spaniard subconsciously thought he was still racing for Nadia Padovani’s squad. One Ducati mechanic frantically gestured for Martin to stop before rushing to retrieve the GP25.
This was reminiscent of a moment Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton had during his first season with Mercedes in 2013. Hamilton had just left McLaren after six seasons.
At the Malaysian Grand Prix, just the second race of the year, Hamilton accidentally pulled into the McLaren pit box. His old colleagues, waiting to service one of their own drivers, waved him on.
Hamilton got going again after a momentary delay but he cost himself a couple of seconds. Marquez at least made the mistake in a practice session where the time loss didn’t matter.
What Marc Marquez is saying to Alex Marquez behind the scenes before Jerez
Marquez has a perfect record in qualifying sessions and Sprint races in 2025. He’s only faltered once, crashing out of the Americas GP from the lead.
As revealed in an interview this week, Marquez spent three days ruminating on his Austin error. In Qatar, it was Bagnaia who slipped up, with a qualifying crash condemning him to 11th on the grid.
Bagnaia needs to overtake the younger Marquez brother in the standings before his title ambitions can be taken seriously. The GP25 should soon start to stretch its legs over its predecessor.
Marquez has been telling his brother to soak it in, stressing that it’s not normal to see two siblings at the top of the championship. The Gresini rider is making a case to ride a current-spec machine in 2026.
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