Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is closing in on the 2025 MotoGP title. If he outscores by his brother Alex by 10 or more points at this weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix, he will have a chance to seal the crown in Emilia Romagna.
He has built an enormous 175-point lead after Alex Marquez suffered a poor run of form. His last six results either side of the summer break read 17th, DNF, 2nd, 10th, 8th and 14th.
Still, finishing as the runner-up would be a significant achievement for Alex, who has never previously placed higher than eighth. It would also mean beating Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati’s other factory rider.
He still has a 52-point advantage over Bagnaia, but the bigger concern may be the form of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi in fourth and KTM’s Pedro Acosta in fifth.
Ducati are considering whether to hand out more factory bikes next year, and Alex’s case may be too strong to ignore if he holds on to P2.
Alex Marquez clarifies that Marc Marquez will help him off the track
Speaking after the last round in Hungary, where he picked up his seventh consecutive Grand Prix victory, Marc indicated that he would try to help Alex seal second after he was confirmed as the champion.
“I will try to help him continue to score as many points as possible, just as he helps me,” he said, via Paddock GP. “We support each other.”
Motorsport Espana asked Alex about these remarks, and he clarified exactly what that ‘help’ would entail. He ruled out any possibility of Marc conceding a position.
He previously received assistance from his sibling at the end of the 2014 season when he won the Moto2 title, though he found that he was overloaded with information.
Alex said: “It’s more of a help off the track – those words have to be interpreted correctly, Marc was referring to training outside of races, and giving advice. The same thing we do now, it’s not going to change.
“I don’t want a repeat of years ago, when I was racing in Moto2, when I was playing for the title and he had already decided the MotoGP title, he was too focused on me . I had to tell him to leave me alone, because he gave me so much information that I couldn’t assimilate it.
“The best thing is to continue as until now, trying to win some more races, because if we fight for victories we will manage to close the runner-up position, one thing will be a consequence of the other.”
Marc Marquez explains why he doesn’t want MotoGP title ‘match point’ at Misano
Marquez winning the title at Misano would be narratively loaded. It’s effectively the home circuit of his great rival Valentino Rossi.
Ducati are wary that Marquez could be booed at the Emilia Romagna GP. A coronation could generate even more hostility among Rossi’s most passionate fans.
Marc says he’d prefer not to be in that position, but not because of the Rossi factor. He doesn’t want Alex to struggle this weekend and is content to wait.
“I hope I don’t have match point in Misano, because it would mean my brother has had a bad weekend,” he told DAZN.
There’s some debate as to whether Marquez will ease off when he achieves his primary objective. But he’ll be gunning for the record of most wins in a season – he only needs four more to break it.
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