Marc Marquez immediately overtook his brother Alex aboard the Ducati Desmosedici. The new MotoGP season gives us the familiar pairing in the Gresini team, where they have finally found a safe haven after the last few stormy years at Honda. The younger brother arrived in 2023, a year after the multiple champion from Cervera… and you can already think big.
The Marquez brothers side by side
Alex Marquez took a lot of effort to convince Marc to change manufacturer. He led the way a bit in the Gresini garage, tested the waters, experienced the very familiar environment that revolves around Nadia Gresini, squeezed the Borgo Panigale team, even in the unofficial version. “When he decided to make the step I was happy, not because he arrived as a teammate. But I knew he was coming to the right place. I saw myself reflected in him when I decided to take that step. On a different scale, obviously, because Marc is very big in MotoGP… I knew he was making the right step and it was like hugging him and telling him ‘Come here, you’ll be fine’“.
Marc Marquez’s choice was not an easy one, after eleven years of MotoGP with the RC213V and six world titles won. He canceled the contract prematurely, even at the cost of losing millions of euros. More than anything he needed to rediscover the joy of racing and find himself in the leading group. And with Honda it was no longer possible, as the performances of the HRC riders still demonstrate today… When he understood that he was ready for the big leap, Alex gave him the final push. “He took me into consideration. I’m one of the few people who pays attention – the younger brother tells ‘AS’ -. Every time he does something, he talks about it with me first and I with him. We talk to each other before making decisions. When I moved to Gresini it was the same, he told me that I had to go there at any cost“.
Dreaming of an official Ducati…
One step back to take two steps forward, leaving a global giant like Honda to choose a satellite, familiar team. Marc Marquez immediately showed that he has what it takes to aim for the podium, an objective achieved in the Sprints of Portimao and Austin. Then bad luck took its course, first with the contact with Pecco Bagnaia in Portugal, then the brake problem in Texas. Borgo Panigale is looking very carefully at his numbers and it is not excluded that they could entrust him with an official Ducati from next year. Will Alex try to take it away from him? “It’s too early to tell and I don’t even want to force myself to be in front of him. He is not a normal teammate. With another person you always have the rivalry of wanting to be ahead of him. This is a healthier rivalry where you give each other positive feedback“.
The Desmosedici GP23
After three Grands Prix, Alex Marquez is only thirteenth in the riders’ standings with 14 points. The transition from the Ducati GP22 to the GP23 was not painless. “The times are getting lower, but it’s a different bike and I think not trying the GP22 helped Marc. I had gotten used to the 22, which was very easy and docile, and I think that from the 22 to the 23 they made another step. They saw that it wasn’t very correct and with the GP24 they made an advanced sister of the 22, and the 23 is in the middle“. Not at home, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin also complained about the GP23 at the beginning of last season “because they didn’t understand it, saying that the 22 was better – concluded Alex Marquez -. We need to have a little patience and understand it better.”
