Gresini chief disagrees with Alex Marquez about his chances of beating Marc Marquez in 2026

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Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez made history in 2025 as the first brothers to get first and second in the MotoGP riders’ standings, and they may now fight for the 2026 title.

No rival riders would threaten the Marquez brothers atop the 2025 standings, as Marc lifted his seventh premier class crown to date with 545 points ahead of Alex on 467 points. Marco Bezzecchi ended the campaign in third place on 353 points, ahead of Pedro Acosta on 307.

Such was his dominance that Marc Marquez won the 2025 MotoGP title with five rounds to spare, having left the Japanese Grand Prix holding a 201-point lead. Alex reduced his deficit over the final four rounds of the term after Marc sustained a season-ending shoulder injury.

Can Alex Marquez fight Marc Marquez for the 2026 MotoGP title?

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Gresini CEO Nadia Padovani believes Alex Marquez can beat Marc Marquez for the 2026 MotoGP title

Marc Marquez was simply in a different league during 2025 after he joined the works Ducati team. The 32-year-old took 11 Grand Prix wins, 14 Sprint wins and eight pole positions. Alex Marquez of Gresini took three Grand Prix wins, three Sprint wins and one pole in 22 rounds.

READ MORE: Every MotoGP rider’s 2025 season ranked, as Marquez overshadows Bagnaia

Ducati will now reward Alex Marquez with a factory-spec bike in 2026, having competed on a satellite Desmosedici GP24 during the 2025 season. The 29-year-old joins his brother and works teammate Francesco Bagnaia, plus Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46, in getting a GP26.

Racing the same factory Ducati bike as Marc Marquez during 2026 could even allow Alex to fight for the riders’ title for the first time. And while Gresini CEO Nadia Padovani believes it will be “difficult” for Alex to fight Marc for the 2026 MotoGP title, it will not be impossible.

“Yes, it’s difficult,” Padovani told Moto.it. “But that would be a dream come true. Come on, it’s possible.”

Alex Marquez would be happy to finish second to Marc Marquez again in 2026

Alex Marquez’s second place in the 2025 riders’ championship means Gresini have finished inside the top three in each of the past two seasons. Marc Marquez secured third place for Gresini in 2024 during his only season with the Faenza outfit, after the Spaniard left Honda.

READ MORE: The top five rides of 2025 as Marc Marquez misses out on top spot

Yet Alex Marquez would be happy to finish second to Marc again in 2026, as repeating what the Cervera native achieved during 2025 would satisfy him. The 2025 season marked Alex’s career-best season in the premier class, having never previously ranked higher than eighth.

The 2025 season also saw Alex Marquez score his first MotoGP race win at Jerez, before he went on to secure further wins in Barcelona and Malaysia. Alex beat Marc in a straight fight to win the Catalan Grand Prix, unlike the Spanish GP as the elder Marquez brother crashed.