Alex Márquez Ends Brother’s Streak with Catalan Grand Prix Victory
Gresini Racing's Alex Márquez halted his brother Marc’s dominant run by winning the Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday, securing only his second career victory after crashing out of the lead in Saturday’s sprint race.
Marc had claimed the last 15 sprints and races, and a win on Sunday would have set him up for a potential seventh title at Ducati’s home Grand Prix next weekend. However, Alex had different intentions, disrupting expectations and reducing Marc’s championship lead to 182 points with seven rounds remaining, delaying his title celebrations until at least the Japanese Grand Prix later this month.
Tech3’s Enea Bastianini secured third place, marking his first podium finish with the team, while KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo completed the top five.
“This feels amazing,” Alex said. “I still had yesterday’s crash in my mind a bit, but today, once I was on the bike, I told myself, ‘This one’s mine.’ I put in strong lap times, and I’m thrilled for the team. They’ve stood by me through tough times, and now we’re back on top.”
Alex had taken his first pole since April 2023, but it was Marc—winner of Saturday’s sprint—who had the stronger start, leading into the first corner and blocking his brother on the next turn, while Acosta settled into third.
Yet Alex refused to settle for second again this season. On lap four, the Gresini rider seized an opportunity in the first turn to reclaim the lead. Marc had acknowledged all weekend that his younger brother had superior pace, a fact confirmed as Alex set the fastest lap and stretched his advantage to half a second.
Bastianini, meanwhile, capitalized on Acosta’s slipstream to overtake the younger KTM rider on lap 11, securing third and earning a delighted reaction from former F1 team principal and future Tech3 CEO Guenther Steiner.
As the leading trio pulled away, Acosta—the only rider using a soft rear tire—saw his strategy fail, leaving him trailing. The race ultimately became a duel between the Márquez brothers, with Bastianini admitting he couldn’t close the gap.
In the final laps, Marc eased off as Alex’s lead grew, conceding defeat to his determined sibling.
“I gave it everything; it was a perfect race from me,” said Marc, graciously acknowledging his brother as Alex celebrated with the enthusiastic home crowd. “Alex was faster, and I tried to stay close, but on the last lap, I was struggling. Still, I’m happy for him, for Ducati, and for myself—second place at a tough circuit is a good result.”
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