Neil Hodgson advises Alex Marquez on 'the only way to beat his brother' Marc in 2026 MotoGP title race
Published 15/11/2025 at 17:11 GMT
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TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson believes Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini) is the favourite to challenge his older brother Marc next season for the 2026 MotoGP world championship. Marquez is second in the standings this season, and after the Spaniard won at the Grand Prix Valencia Sprint on Saturday, Hodgson told him how to go one better in the upcoming campaign.
Highlights: Marquez secures Grand Prix Valencia win after polesitter Bezzecchi suffers poor start
Video credit: TNT Sports
Neil Hodgson tipped Alex Marquez to challenge his brother Marc next season after the BK8 Gresini rider won the Sprint at Grand Prix Valencia on Saturday.
The younger Marquez brother had already secured second place in the championship, with Marc emerging as the world champion after an utterly dominant string of performances until injury curtailed his Ducati Lenovo season.
The Spaniard was in attendance to watch the final Sprint of the season in Spain, ahead of next week’s testing before the action halts until the new year in preparation for the 2026 MotoGP season.
Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi was on pole but suffered a poor start and was unable to regain a podium place.
He was quickly usurped by KTM youngster Pedro Acosta, and then Acosta was overhauled by Marquez, who then pulled away for a comfortable victory.
BK8 Gresini will receive the next-spec bike for the 2026 season, which could enhance Alex’s chances of competing with his brother, and the rest of the competition in the following campaign.
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Hodgson had already tipped Marquez as the strongest challenger against his brother for next season in his end-of-season awards (Part 1 is here, and Part 2 can be read here), but that came before Saturday’s victory, which only reinforced his opinion.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the end of the race, the pundit said that the following campaign might be more equal as the pair would be on the same bikes.
He explained: "We are going to start the next season with Alex and Marc Marquez on the same bikes, the exact same bikes."
Hodgson added that the parity of setups would make every point important, with focus needed from the very start of 2026’s opening race, which will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
He continued: "It's going to make the start of the season really important. Because this year it does feel like A has been grateful to be in this position. 'Goals achieved, we've done it!'"
He advised the younger sibling that he would have to recalibrate his approach to racing if he wanted to overhaul his brother, telling him to be more aggressive, and target him in the same way he might other riders.
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'Aldeguer loses a wing' - Spaniard and Miller come together at Grand Prix Valencia Sprint race
Video credit: TNT Sports
Hodgson concluded: "Next year, the only way to beat his brother is by serving it to him. By putting the moves we know Alex Marquez has in his armour, but we've not seen him do it on his brother."
The next season will open in Thailand on March 1, 2026.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
‘Super happy to win’ - Marquez delighted with victory
Marquez reflected after the win, saying he hoped to improve for Sunday’s full-length event.
He said: "I am super happy to win today. During this weekend, we struggled more than normal, but today I said that we have to win, and we have to be there. I tried my best and attacked from the start.
"The key was to do our rhythm and save some tyre in the beginning before pushing at the end. I am super happy, but I think we need to make one more step in our setting for tomorrow to be even stronger."
Stream every race of the 2025 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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