Marco Bezzecchi
Alex Marquez says his brother Marc Marquez was unusually off the pace through the left-hand corners at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Gresini rider won at Jerez on Sunday after the reigning world champion crashed on lap two. He had already taken the lead from his elder sibling at that stage.
Despite qualifying fifth, Alex entered the race as one of the favourites based on his apparent superiority in dry conditions. Indeed, polesitter Marc said he was only aiming to finish third or fourth before his accident.
Alex Marquez ends Aprilia’s winning run at the Spanish Grand Prix! 🏆 Will Ducati regret losing him to KTM?
Marc Marquez’s Spanish Grand Prix differed from ‘90%’ of his weekends
Speaking to DAZN, via Motosan, Alex revealed that Marc’s traditional strengths had flipped this weekend.
Ordinarily, the 33-year-old loses time through right-hand corners – a weakness exacerbated by his serious 2020 arm injury – but gains it back in the left turns. From the outset, his data looked different here.
“Even in FP1, Marc was losing the most time compared to me in left-hand corners, which is strange,” Marquez Jr said. “On the right-hand corners, the fast ones where, for example, he crashed today, there was no difference.
Marc Marquez has never come back from a deficit larger than 37 points
With the gap to Marco Bezzecchi now 44, are his title hopes over?
“He’s not always faster in left-hand corners, but 90% of the time he is.”
Marquez has not looked like himself on the bike all season, partly due to a lack of fitness after his season-ending shoulder surgery last autumn.
He has identified ‘front feeling’ as the main area Ducati should be working on, an opinion Francesco Bagnaia shares. Monday’s test will be crucial in that regard.
‘I can confirm the magic exists’ – Alex Marquez on his Spanish Grand Prix win
Discussing his own weekend, Marquez said the result felt like ‘magic’, one year on from his maiden premier-class win at the same venue.
Last year’s world championship runner-up hadn’t finished in the top five in the opening three rounds, which is why he ruled out contending for the win last Thursday.
But his ability to ‘ride above the problems’ will attract the attention of his fellow GP26 riders. Indeed, Bagnaia says Ducati need to ‘copy’ Gresini, based on Marquez’s success.
“If there was a good place to become competitive again, it was here, where the magic happens,” said Marquez. “I can confirm it, the magic exists.
- READ MORE: Marco Bezzecchi applauds ‘perfect’ Alex Marquez as MotoGP win streak ended at Spanish Grand Prix
“We weren’t in any position before arriving here, not even to contend for a podium, or perhaps even break into the top five. I’m speechless.
“From Friday onwards, I went out and felt great. It’s not that I’ve changed a lot, just a few small things, but not many.
“I’m very happy to have been able to switch gears, to ride above the problems, and to get the most out of what we had.”
Alex only gains one spot in the championship with the victory, but he is just four points behind Marc.
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