Alex Marquez’s ongoing rivalry with his brother, Marc, is becoming almost routine. The Gresini rider, who qualified third, watched Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha enjoy a brief surge of pride at Le Mans, but ultimately, Quartararo couldn’t match the Ducati’s pace. As a result, Alex ended up in second place once again, trailing his brother.
Alex now finds himself slipping behind in the championship standings. “I knew Marc was second because of his mistakes,” he told reporters. He appeared more focused on his own performance on the challenging Le Mans circuit than on the title race. For Alex, the championship battle is something he tries not to dwell on, as he feels the pressure is more on factory riders than on himself.
However, the recent history of Jorge Martin suggests otherwise. At present, Alex seems to be the only rider able to match Marc’s aggressive pace, racing for an independent Ducati team. Once again, history repeated itself with Alex finishing second behind Marc.
“It’s the same story as the last six weekends,” Alex laughed. “I was there thinking, ‘Again?’ I tried to close the gap to Marc while also keeping the riders behind me at bay. I thought Fabio would fight for the win with Marc, but he started losing ground towards the end. Overall, I’m very satisfied. On paper, second place was the maximum, but we gave it our all. Tomorrow, we’ll try to take another step forward.”
When asked about losing the lead in the standings, Alex remained calm. “I knew Marc was second because of his mistakes, which are part of this sport. It’s not a problem. I gave 100 percent. Tomorrow will be a very fast race, so we’ll need to be prepared.”
Alex was then asked where he found the margin to improve his performance in qualifying. “The plan was to try some setups. We tested two, chose the best one, and it worked well in qualifying. Not enough to take pole because they were flying, but it was enough to be competitive.”
He was also asked about his consistent success in finding the right setup. “It’s the bike that’s easy. It only takes small changes. We have a good base, and these small changes help me feel better on the bike. The GP24 doesn’t need radical changes to improve. When things are like this, it’s easy to find the optimal setup.”
Alex also mentioned his teammate, Aldeguer, who was on the podium. “There’s respect between us, we share the same team and colors. He’s doing a great job and showing he can be competitive. People criticized him early on for two bad weekends, but he’s still a rookie. He’s talented and just needed more time to learn. It shouldn’t be a surprise. All the riders who have come through Gresini have been able to achieve podiums and wins. The team works hard and does a lot for their riders.”
Regarding his championship expectations, Alex said, “I don’t want to set expectations for myself in terms of final positions. We’ve seen others make mistakes, and we’re able to stay close to them. We have to continue taking it race by race, understanding our level on each track, and doing our best. If we face difficulties at some GPs, we’ll have to settle for a P4 or P5.”
While the pressure of expectations is high, Alex remains unbothered. “When things happen naturally, there’s no pressure, and the feelings are good. Right now, I feel good, and I don’t feel any pressure. That’s something the factory riders have to deal with. Their goal is to win, while for us, every result feels like a gift.”
So far, Alex has been competitive on every track, but there are still challenges ahead. “Le Mans is tough, but there may be other circuits where I think I can do well, and we might struggle. That’s why we can’t relax. In Qatar, I did a little bit, and here, we’ll need to be extra careful. We’re doing a good job, but we can’t afford to relax.”
