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Alex beats Marc as younger Marquez brother takes the lead in the world championship - The Story of Grand Prix Spain
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Published 27/04/2025 at 19:47 GMT+1
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Alex Marquez usurped his brother Marc, not just at Grand Prix Spain on Sunday, but in the world championship standings. The 29-year-old won his first-ever MotoGP in Jerez, and is a point clear of his older sibling as a result. Marc suffered heartbreak with an early crash, while Fabio Quartararo impressed with a second-place finish ahead of Francesco Bagnaia in third.
Highlights: Alex Marquez takes championship lead with first-ever MotoGP win in Spain
Video credit: TNT Sports
Alex Marquez took the lead in this year’s MotoGP world championship standings with a "dream" maiden win at his home Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain.
The 29-year-old has often been left out of the limelight as a result of his older brother Marc Marquez, with the latter able to point to six world championship victories over the course of his career so far.
Of course, the first-ever win for the younger sibling and his ascent to the top of the standings is the dominant story of the weekend, but the action over the weekend in Spain threw up several intriguing subplots.
Alex Marquez’s early warning shots - ‘Feeling no limit’
While Ducati Lenovo’s Marquez came to Jerez top of the table, there were signs from the off that he was going to have a challenge on his hands, with Alex clearly chomping at the bit and ready to race aggressively.
Alex crashed twice in the warm-up sessions, but by pushing his bike to the limit, he also set a course record of 1:35.991.
He ended up with a scuffed bike and a similarly dinged-up body, and admitted he was suffering from overconfidence.
"It's not really painful," he said. "Honestly speaking, it's more all the blood that is going out and all that, but it's not bad.
"I did two stupid mistakes today. I was riding with too much confidence. We're coming from Qatar and a really fast track. So this one is with low speed, and I was feeling no limit on the bike."
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Alex Marquez shows injuries and reflects on fastest lap in Grand Prix Spain practice
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Marc concedes Alex is ‘strongest’ rider in Spain
His brother admitted that he thought that Alex was the "strongest" of the pack after his exploits before qualifying, but there was a surprise in store for everyone gunning for pole position on Saturday.
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Marc Marquez says brother Alex is 'strongest' rider ahead of Grand Prix Spain
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Quartararo springs surprise in qualifying...
France’s Fabio Quartararo ended Marc Marquez’s qualifying dominance, perhaps surprising himself as much as he did the rest of the competitors.
Marc Marquez took provisional pole in Q2 with a lap record of his own, but Quartararo beat him by 0.033s to usurp him by a tiny margin, giving him a first pole in over three years, since he managed the feat in Indonesia in 2022.
The 2021 world champion added an unexpected wrinkle to the Ducati rivals as his performance supported suspicions that Yamaha was turning the corner after a few years in the doldrums.
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Excitement as Quartararo ends Marc Marquez pole streak
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...but suffers heartbreak in the Sprint Race
However, Quartararo was unable to hold on to the lead as he crashed out on Lap 2 as Marc Marquez put the pressure on early.
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Heartbreak as Quartararo crashes out of Sprint Race at Grand Prix Spain
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Marc Marquez wins the Sprint, despite his ‘hate’
Marquez ended Saturday’s Sprint Race with eight wins from the nine races so far this season, but with team-mate Francesco Bagnaia and his brother Alex still in with a chance of landing the world championship at this early stage of the season, he was focused on winning on Sunday.
Marquez even claimed to "hate" the abridged Saturday races, claiming they were a distraction from the main event that offered up more points.
He said: "I struggled a bit in the end, but I was controlling the race.
"I hate the Sprint Race because I'm super happy, but I just want to control my emotions because tomorrow is the most important day.
"But in front of this crowd, you know you have this extra power."
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Highlights: Marc Marquez beats brother Alex to Sprint win after Quartararo crashes out
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Marc Marquez suffers early disaster, Quartararo focused
On Sunday, Quartararo had another chance to impress and record a rare win after his recent relative struggles.
This time, he kept his focus far better and led from the front, and received a boost as Saturday's winner Marc Marquez made an early error and crashed out into the gravel.
For the older Marquez, the challenge became simple - race from the back and through the pack, to squeeze out as many points as possible from a disastrous early performance.
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'Marquez is down!' - Marc Marquez spins out at Grand Prix Spain
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‘Alex Marquez gets through’ - Younger brother makes his move
While one Marquez was out of the way, Alex was still in the hunt for maximum points. He gradually reeled in his French rival before slipping past, and then gave no hint that he would slip and offer up a chance to anyone in his wake.
Quartararo still made an impressive fist of his chance in the podium places, and once again, Bagnaia failed to threaten to find his best form on his new bike.
Quartararo had no such problems, and after just trying to enjoy Saturday’s run-out, he committed to riding with control and ambition on Sunday, and declared himself "super proud" of his second place.
‘Certainly stepped out of his brother’s shadow’ - Laverty hails Marquez win
For TNT Sports’ Michael Laverty, he suggested that "it’s all coming together" for Alex Marquez as his brother crashed out, and he raced into the lead.
The "stars are aligning" for Alex as he took the lead of the world championship, at the same time as winning his first-ever MotoGP.
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Laverty: Alex Marquez has 'stepped out of his brother's shadow' with Grand Prix Spain triumph
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'Today is your day' - How Marquez came to believe
The winner could barely believe his fortune when he stopped to reflect upon his chance, declaring it a "dream" that he could not really yet credit.
He confessed that he had told himself "today is your day" when he realised his brother had crashed out, and resolved not to let the chance slip.
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'A dream' - Alex Marquez celebrates 'amazing' MotoGP win at Grand Prix Spain
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Alcaraz delights in ‘amazing experience’ ahead of Roland-Garros
Carlos Alcaraz found himself with time on his hands away from the Madrid Open, and while his attention will soon be on Rome and then the French Open - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - he came to Jerez and was taken aback by the quality.
He said: "It was amazing, it was an amazing experience. Feeling the speed, feeling the sound. It was a great experience.
"[Marc Marquez’s crash] It was a little bit disappointing, but I see him fighting, fighting for points, rising the way he does.
"Unbelievable. So I mean it's a shame he crashed in the first or second lap. I'm just proud of the way he's fighting."
Hodgson believes Bagnaia testing could mean we’ve got a 'world championship on our hands'
Wrapping up the action, Neil Hodgson suggested that there could still be a chance for Bagnaia to turn the season around.
While he has appeared near-disconsolate at times, Hodgson looked at upcoming testing opportunities as the time for the Italian former world champion to at last get comfortable on this year’s bike.
He told TNT Sports: "Luckily for Pecco [Bagnaia], Mark has made two huge mistakes in races, so it doesn't look that bad at all. If Pecco can find something tomorrow - everyone is testing, so potentially everyone can find something - but I believe Pecco, he is missing something in corner entering.
"It's a balance thing. You don't experiment on a race weekend. You're racing on a Saturday. Friday afternoon, you've got to go to your absolute limit.
"If Pecco can find that missing piece, with the two big mistakes from Marc, we've got a championship on our hands.
"We need Pecco in that battle."
Next up, Le Mans.
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