Patryk Stachowiak
In a rare moment of candor and family pride, Marc Marquez opened up at Assen about the surprising rise of his brother, Alex Marquez, in the 2025 MotoGP season. What once was a clear pecking order in the Marquez family now looks like a head-to-head duel, with Alex steadily emerging from the long shadow of his elder sibling.
Marc, riding with the support of the factory Ducati team, has been the man to beat through the first nine rounds. But Alex, aboard a year-old machine under the Gresini banner, has matched that dominance with relentless consistency. The result? A slew of one-two finishes that have defined the early season narrative—and a growing belief in the paddock that Alex might just have the edge in 2025.
“There are still a lot of races left,” Marc told reporters on Thursday at Assen, “but I’ll say it—last year I didn’t do as well as Alex is doing now.” A rare admission, but one filled with mutual respect. “He’s riding a year-old bike, with a satellite team. People say they’re the same bikes, but there’s still a difference.”
And that difference makes Alex’s current form even more striking. The Gresini rider has finished second in eight sprint races—always trailing his brother—and took victory in the only event where Marc missed out on the top spot. In the main races, Alex has recorded five runner-up finishes and notched one victory. For a team like Gresini, still recovering from a modest 2024 campaign, the improvement is staggering.
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Marc is under no illusions about the rivalry this has become. “Last year, I was the one fighting with a satellite bike against the factories. This year, that’s what Alex is doing—and he’s doing it better.”
But beneath the competitive tension lies a bond that racing can’t break. “He’s my rival now, yes,” Marc admits. “But he’s also my brother. That will never change. Family comes before any world title.”
With the season hitting its stride, the question isn’t just whether Marc can maintain his dominance—it’s whether Alex, with a year-old bike and underdog status, can flip the script. And if he does, how will it feel to dethrone a legend when that legend shares your last name?