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Marc tweeted just after the Aragon race: “Hi everyone, I'm Alex Marquez's brother”. An ironic way to underline how the younger brother is not in MotoGP, in the factory Honda team, for family reasons, but for his talent. After a podium in the wet at Le Mans, one in the dry has now arrived in Spain. A confirmation of his value.
"But I don't race for revenge, I'm not like that - underlined Alex - I'm interested in doing my job well and having fun".
Both objectives have now been achieved and, for a while, he could have climbed onto the top step…
"I made a couple of mistakes in the last two laps, one in the first and the other in the last corner - he explained - So I lost ground from Rins, but I still tried to the very end. Having already made a podium at Le Mans took away my thoughts, on the bike I forgot everything and was amazed at how fast I was. When I saw Vinales in trouble, I thought I could go for the win. Tyre management was essential and I knew I had something more at the end, but Rins was very smart at the start of the race. I am happy and proud of this result”.
There is no better way to get rid of the always awkward comparison with your brother than to let the results speak for themselves. That's exactly what Alex is doing.
"Sometimes it's difficult, but I like having Marc as a brother because I've learned a lot from him - he said - Of course, when things don't go the way you expect people are ready to point the finger at you, but that's okay".
In truth, in this year as teammates, a direct confrontation has only been for one weekend. Then Marc was out of action due to injury.
“There is nothing positive in not having him on the track - he continued – For sure there is more pressure with Marc, because you have to get the results, but on the other hand he is a rider who pushes the bike to the limit, he marks the way to follow. When there are problems you can look at what he is doing and understand if the limit is the rider or the bike ”.
Even without him, however, Alex seems to have found his way…
“In the Misano tests I made an important step forward - he recalled - I tried new things, nothing big, but above all I started using a setup more similar to Marc's. I understood how the Honda should be ridden ”.
Such as?
"You have to be a complete rider, strong in all areas: braking, cornering, acceleration, you can't focus on just one – was his answer - You must always be fully concentrated, as soon as you relax a little you lose a second per lap. It is for this reason that everyone says it is a difficult bike and also because Marc crashes so often: he tries to find the limit. The Honda is a difficult bike, but it also has the potential to win ”.
Alex proved this by going very close today and the good news is that he will already be able to try next Sunday, when he will race again in Aragon.
"This year I have always improved my performances in the second race on the same circuit, but I was coming from a 14th or a 15th place, not a 2nd - he smiled - I think that next weekend everyone will take a step in forward and I'm a rookie, it's not realistic to set the podium as a goal. I just have to avoid the ups and downs, think about being regularly in the top 8. Then, if I feel particularly good, I'll try to do something more, like today. I want to take advantage of the good opportunities, also because I have the same points as Binder in the standings and I would like to win the title of best rookie of the year. "
