Alex Marquez has been the revelation of the 2025 MotoGP season so far. And for now he is best placed to take the fight to brother Marc. Here, he tells AMCN how he’s done it.
It didn’t take long for Alex Marquez to realise 2025 could be really interesting. A handful of laps into the first post-season test at Barcelona confirmed what he had suspected when looking at the data of Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin throughout last year: Ducati’s GP24 is astonishingly good.
“Love at first sight” was how he described the first outing on that chilly November morning. Since then, the double world champion (Moto3, Moto2) has produced the best riding of his career. He topped the next two pre-season tests before racking up seven straight second places in the first seven outings of the year. In that time, he’s also led the MotoGP world championship. Not bad going on a year-old machine.
More than the numbers, it’s the fact the younger Marquez brother has made his older brother work like no one else has managed to in the season’s opening stint – including the factory team’s two-time world champion Pecco Bagnaia. Never was Marc riding harder than Sunday’s race in Argentina, when he was on the ragged edge to overhaul Alex late on.
Incredibly, the rivalry at the top of the MotoGP standings has brought motorcycle racing’s fastest brothers, who reside in the same house in Madrid, even closer together. They’re the sport’s first sibling duo to finish first and second in a premier class race. And the first to lead the premier class championship. And Alex isn’t taking any of this recent success for granted.
So, what better time for AMCN to sit down with the revelation of this year’s MotoGP season so far? In this chat on the eve of the Qatar GP, Alex spoke about where this recent improvement has come from, sharing a house with the rider you’re fighting hardest on track, and why he gets really infuriated when asked if he doesn’t pass his brother out of respect.
Are you surprised at how well the start of the season has gone?
Yeah. You can be surprised when you’re leading after the first race. But after three rounds, it’s not just luck. It’s not easy to do this in three rounds. A little surprised but in pre-season my ideas were clear. I knew we had a good bike with great potential in a really great team. Then when you’re racing everything needs to come together well.
How quickly did you realise you could be very competitive with Ducati’s GP24?
I was quite convinced already before trying the bike. We had access to all the (Ducati riders’) data last year so we saw it quite clearly how they had made a big step, especially for my riding style. You always have some doubts. But already in the first run (in the Barcelona test), I realised that it’s a really good bike. (I thought), ‘Wow, this is what I’ve been trying to find all year!’ It was love at first sight. And immediately I was faster. It was amazing to have this feeling. When you jump on a bike and you have great consistency already on the first day, it’s a really good sign. From the first run I realised it was the bike.
What clicked that allowed you to become ‘Mr Consistent’, when in the past you struggled?
Having the correct bike in the correct moment. I’ve said many times: you need this in racing. I was in the right place in 2020. Also, in 2023. But when it’s a first year with a new bike – we saw this last year with Marc, and he’s Marc – it’s difficult to understand everything, especially when you come to a factory where there are many riders who have been there for many years. When I came, (Jorge) Martin and Pecco had a lot of experience. When you have the bike and the team, I wouldn’t say it’s easy to be consistent. But it’s easier!
Have you taken a big step forward as a rider?
I don’t like to speak about what I could have done with this bike (the GP24) last year. For sure I’m more mature now. But like I said many times, last year (2024) gave me lots of experience and I learnt how to ride better. I wasn’t able to ride the GP23 in a natural way. And I was able to be fast with it, so I improved many aspects that weren’t so good – like braking and stopping the bike in the correct time. I did a great step forward last year. This year’s it’s been about putting everything together and with that experience from last year we’ve done it.
Would you say you’re a rider who needs more time to get up to speed in a category than others?
Possibly. In Moto3 and Moto2 the bike is less important. Everybody has the same bike, more or less. But in MotoGP you have to be on the correct bike, in the correct team to win the championship. And, especially, (you need) a factory bike. But (even if) we’re an independent team with last year’s bike, we’re able to be fast. Maybe I’ll only have this opportunity this year. I have to strike and take 100 per cent from the potential we have.
You’re in a team centred around you in a factory that gives you a lot of attention. Is this when we see the best of you?
Yes. I also felt this in Honda but the bike wasn’t working. You can have a familiar team, like I had in LCR. The second year was great, with this family feeling. But the bike wasn’t working. If you don’t have the bike, you still struggle even if the atmosphere is good and you’re riding well. You can’t do anything about it. Now I have the bike and the team. We’ve built a really solid relationship. There are small details, but it’s about how everyone is with you when you arrive at the track, or when you have an event. (You can say,) ‘I prefer to not do this one, but I can do this.’ These are small things that give you confidence (and confirms) they’re considering you. This makes me feel really comfortable here.
In the tough years at Honda in 2021 and 2022, was there ever a time when you feared you’d be out of MotoGP?
This time was in 2022 when I was at LCR Honda. I was in Germany and we were trying to speak with some teams. We were speaking with Trackhouse, who were switching to Aprilia. They considered it but took Raul Fernandez. Then I went directly to Gresini and said, ‘I want your bike.’ This was my last chance. Then I said, ‘This is a test – if I’m meant to be a MotoGP rider, I’ll be great; if not, I’ll go home. Give me a one-year deal and we’ll see what happens.’ They gave it to me and we had great potential from the beginning. Doubts? For sure. I had many in that period. But as soon as I jumped on the Ducati in Valencia (in November 2022), I knew I could be fast again. I believe in myself. I know that maybe I don’t have a super talent. But with work I know I can be really fast and fight for something great. This test convinced me and gave me the motivation to work every day.
You live with your brother. When you return from a race and you’ve been fighting each other for victory, is it different to before when you were apart on track?
It’s the same. This year we even speak more. We’re on TV more together so we can talk about details. In other years, if you weren’t on TV you can’t do this, speaking about how to brake, or enter the turn. We rewatch the race together. We do the same things for training – going cycling, etc. It’s strange… Last year was his first year on a Ducati and he was busier, thinking about many different things. Now we’re in a separate team but we’re sharing things more. That’s great.
Does it suit you to be the underdog in a satellite team?
Yes. We don’t have the pressure. In theory, we’ll lose. This is the theory, but it’s not always the practice! I know one point of the season will arrive and (the factory team) will introduce some new things that will give something more to them. And we won’t be able to fight in equal positions. But until that point, I want to continue living the dream, which is leading (the championship – at the time of writing), trying to extract 100 per cent potential from every race. The theory is we’ll lose against them, so we don’t have anything to lose.
It’s unique for two brothers to be leading the MotoGP world championship. Have you had a chance to reflect on this since the first race?
Yeah. We’re really realistic about this situation, especially Marc. He’s three years older, so maybe he’s more emotional (about this). He said to me, ‘F..k, this isn’t easy. We’re on the top of the top of motorsport.’ Especially where we’re coming from – Honda. His last years there weren’t easy. (Nor were) mine. You stop and think, ‘Woah, this is nice!’ As we said in Argentina, we have to enjoy this moment. You never know if it’ll be the last time we’re one-two in MotoGP. We did many things together. But two brothers being one and two on the podium in MotoGP is amazing.
How can you beat Marc?
Good question! I’m not really sure what we need. He’s not struggling! If you asked me where, I’d say in right-hand corners. But there it’s like (makes tiny gesture with thumb and index finger). He’s not really struggling compared to other years. It will be really difficult to beat him. To beat Marc, you have to do everything excellently. If not, it’s not enough.
In Argentina, you slapped down a journalist for asking whether you didn’t overtake Marc because he was your brother…
It was painful for me that he said, ‘You have too much respect.’ I said, ‘It’s time to stop this.’ As a rider who’s training every day, giving their 100 per cent in every race, it’s painful (to hear this). You’re like, ‘F..k you!’ If I had the chance, I’d have attacked him as if he was Pecco or another rider. I was the first one who tried to beat him in Thailand, but I didn’t have the chance. In Argentina I had the opportunity and I tried. I pushed all race, but it wasn’t enough. My answer was to stop that (kind of question), as it’s not true.
Are you aiming for a factory ride in future?
If I keep going as I am now for another year, for sure we’ll have the opportunity. But we have to keep going. In this sport, your price is the last race – not the past, or how big your talent is. If we continue like this, then why not?
From what you’ve said it seems having the best bike in MotoGP is more crucial than ever?
I completely agree. Especially now in this moment Ducati is living. It’s amazing. They have everything under control. This year in pre-season they tried to go one way but it wasn’t working. But they can see clearly what’s working and what isn’t. Now in terms of aerodynamics the bike is crucial. If you’re losing 0.3sec in acceleration, forget about (trying to make it back) in braking, because the Ducati is still very good in braking. In past years, we saw bikes that were strong in some points and really bad in others. But now the Ducati is good everywhere. Maybe Honda’s chassis is super good and it gains a little in entry. But later on in acceleration, you’ll lose out. (Ducati) has found a compromise. And it’s really difficult to compete against them.
