Alex Marquez outlines Gresini’s ‘radical’ approach to one ‘problem’ that could await the MotoGP championship leader

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Alex Marquez won his first premier class race at the Grand Prix of Spain to even regain the lead of the riders’ championship, but Gresini know an area he still ‘struggles’ with.

The 29-year-old got his MotoGP debut back in 2020 when Honda brought Marquez up from Moto2 to partner his 32-year-old brother, Marc Marquez. But while Honda saw Marc win in only his second appearance on the grid in 2013, it took 94 Grands Prix for Alex to record his.

Alex Marquez had also been the perennial bridesmaid to start the 2025 MotoGP season and his third campaign with Gresini. The 2019 Moto2 champion has come second in every Sprint Race so far this year and was second in the first three Grands Prix before sealing P6 in Qatar.

His consistency even saw Alex Marquez get the MotoGP championship lead for the first time in his career at the Grand Prix of the Americas after Marc Marquez crashed in the lead. Now, thanks to Marc falling and recovering to P12 at Jerez, Alex leads his brother by a point again.

Gresini tried ‘radical changes’ to Alex Marquez’s bike at the Jerez test to avoid having ‘too much’ grip

The 2014 Moto3 champion will now hope to retain the lead of the MotoGP riders’ standings for more than one Sprint Race when the premier class heads for the Grand Prix of France on May 9-11. Le Mans was not a happy hunting ground last term as Marquez was P14 plus P10.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Alex Marquez from net worth to career stats

Gresini also sought during the Jerez in-season test to try to help Marquez avoid struggling in future races when the Cervera native has ‘too much grip’. Marquez feels his Faenza crew are one of the best Ducati outfits at finding grip, so Monday’s hot conditions went against them.

Marquez said, via quotes by Moto.it: “Usually we have a base set-up that already has a lot of traction. Among [the] Ducatis, we are the best in this aspect.

“But in conditions like today, we struggle, both to turn the bike and to maintain a good balance. So, we worked on the electronics to be prepared for situations like this.

“Having too much grip is a problem, so we made radical changes to understand which direction to take in these cases.”

Gresini’s tyre data from the Jerez test could keep Alex Marquez in the title fight for longer

Marquez sees a ‘similarity’ with Jorge Martin’s 2024 MotoGP title success with Pramac after the Gresini rider regained the lead of the 2025 championship with his first premier class win at the Spanish GP last Sunday. But his situation is also different as he uses last year’s Ducati.

Being on the GP24 rather than the GP25 like his brother and Francesco Bagnaia in the works Ducati team could soon start to work against the Gresini pilot when the Borgo Panigale crew bring upgrades to develop their machine. Marquez might not get any upgrades for his GP24.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Gresini from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

So, Marquez will likely need to take full advantage of the instant grip that Gresini can unlock with the GP24 while the bike is still on par with the GP25 in most circumstances. He was the fastest rider at the Spanish GP despite using last year’s bike, yet his advantage will soon slip.

Gresini finding ways to avoid the ‘problem’ of having ‘too much grip’ in hotter conditions at Monday’s Jerez test should also help Marquez to remain a title contender for longer. It may prove vital for his title challenge having the extra knowledge of where to go with his set-up.