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About two weeks after the end of the season, Alex Marquez has gone back to reflecting on his 2024 season, drawing up a balance of what has been his second year in the colors of the Gresini team and his first effective one as teammate of his brother Marc. It has been a roller-coaster year, as the Catalan rider recounted in an interview granted to the Spanish publication Relevo.
"It was a fairly average season, especially in the middle of the year. But in the end, the races at Misano and especially the races at Aragon, Misano 2 and in Indonesia ... got complicated. So it was a year of ups and downs, because the crisis lasted too long and it took me a long time to get my confidence back," he explained, "but finishing the season well, especially after Australia, having turned things around and having some good races gave me a lot of strength and we ended up where we should be regularly."
What made this year special above all was that he was finally able to share the box, and a podium, with his older brother Marc. Something that the injury suffered by the eight-time champion in 2020 prevented him from doing in his Honda days.
"It's not just about having Marc as a teammate, but also in what environment. It is true that in 2020, if what happened had not happened, we would have shared the box. But at that time he was one of the favorites, he had the pressure to win at all costs, and in an official team of a manufacturer like Honda, like it or not, the atmosphere could be a bit more cold - commented the two-time world champion - This year in Gresini, with a satellite team, much more family-like and more united, the atmosphere was much more relaxed and that made it easier to have fun. On the track everyone did their job and we were focused, but outside we had a lot of fun, I learned a lot from him. In particular, how to be a leader, always be on the small details and never relax."
It was a relaxed atmosphere that was also seen at the first winter test, when Marc turned the middle finger toward his old pit crew after learning of his brother's best time.
"We had a good time all weekend," the 28-year-old laughed, "It didn't bother him because they tried material all day long, and it makes a big difference when you have to try a thousand things compared to when you have the same bike and you make the most of it. But at Montmeló I'm a little bit faster than him usually, and although he always manages to take something off in the race, on the one lap and in practice I always manage to do a little bit more than him. He gets over it, he says, 'Okay, you go faster on that track, but then there are 15 laps and I'm better.'"
However, not everything is positive about having an 'awkward' rider like the 31-year-old as a teammate.
"The negative aspect is the pressure, the way people are looking at you, keeping more of an eye on you," Alex admitted, "In 2023 above all it was a very relaxed box, we were not constantly in the spotlight, and having Marc means that when you open the box there are 20 journalists in front of you who are paying very close attention to everything that is happening inside. Not only on his side, but in the whole box in general and all this pressure, not only from journalists but also from people outside, is the negative aspect. It is also possible to see the team more nervous on some occasions, especially in the beginning. They had an eight-time World Champion inside the box and there was a bit more nervousness. It is also true that after two, three, four races, the situation normalized and the atmosphere was very relaxed."
Marc's arrival, however, was not only good for the 28-year-old, but for the entire Gresini team.
"I think they have grown as a team," he noted, "The other day, talking to Nadia (Padovani, ed.), she told me. When we had the opportunity to get Marc, one question I asked both Michele (Masini, ed.) and Carlo (Merlini, ed.) was, 'Are we ready for someone like that to come to the team? Because if we are not ready we should just refuse'. They said yes, they were convinced and so they did it."
As important as the two Marquez riders' joining the team was for Gresini, Nadia Padovani's team also proved to be exactly the same for the careers of both the Spanish brothers.
"How important has a team like Gresini been for me? Very. When I decided to change, it was clear to me that it was a matter of live or die: either my racing career would end there in that first year or I would go back to having fun and, above all, enjoying the races," Alex explained. "Feeling like a racer again, feeling fast, makes you believe in yourself again, that you can do it, and it saved my racing career. I told Nadia a thousand times in the conversations we had and I will always be very grateful to her. We can say that Gresini is the team that revives riders."
Although Jorge Martin has shown that even satellite riders can dream big, and the first 2025 test was more than positive, Alex Marquez does not want to get his hopes up looking ahead to next year.
"You have to be realistic when you have a bike from the previous year. The test at Montmeló went very well, the GP24 is a super competitive bike and I liked it a lot, but you can't know how much the manufacturers will improve, so like it or not, you have to wait a bit and look in perspective," he said, "I hope to have the same resources next year, which is already the third in the same team and with the same bike. I hope no one improves and if they can get worse, they get worse. Everyone thinks of their own interests, however, yes, I left Montmeló enthusiastic. On the other hand, last year in Valencia I left there happy, but not completely convinced: when I tested the GP22 and GP23 there were better and worse aspects, but there was something that didn't quite fit."
