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The MotoGP winter has showcased a solid and consistent Alex Marquez. Indeed, the Spanish rider has always proved to be in close contact with the top positions, and he does not intend to back down in what promises to be a two-way battle between Bagnaia and his brother Marc.
On the eve of the Buriram round, we shared a chat with the Gresini rider, kicking off a journey between present and future. It certainly hasn't been easy living with an eight-time world champion, but Alex has never given up one thing, and that is being himself.
And that is exactly where his rundown of this 2025 season starts.
"This is it, here we go," he began, "personally I'm confident for this start of the World Championship, as we were strong in testing. The fact is we saw so many champion riders in the winter, but then in the race things went differently. There is to say that the level of this MotoGP is really high, as a result I keep my profile and expectations low."
For the third year in a row you are with Gresini...
"Gresini is a second family and from the beginning there has always been great harmony. Then once you go to Faenza to see the headquarters you further understand the environment: it's like being at home. Nadia also is my racing mom: I talk to her a lot and she knows how to advise me."
How much has Alex Marquez changed from the Moto2 title to today?
"Even today I still retain the desire of that boy who at 18 years old dreamed of being champion. The moment you no longer have that motivation, you better stop and stay home. I train to win and be my best self every day. The important thing is to be okay with yourself, in every moment, aware that you have given everything, then the rest will be told by the track."
Where do you see yourself in the future? A factory team?
"Honestly, I don't know: I have two years on my contract and I don't deny that the factory team is what I aspire to. Considering my past, given my experience in Honda, more than money it's the bike and the project around it that counts, which is what I had lost in Honda."
You mentioned Honda. How difficult was that moment?
"In 2021 I didn't feel like coming to races anymore. Gresini restored my enthusiasm and motivation. In 2022 I already knew I could not aspire to any good results, given what I had in the pits, but I was thinking about what I would find in Ducati, which was a bike with a better and competitive package. However, in LCR I got along well, and I am still grateful to the people I had by my side. I knew the results would not come, but the will to fight was there."
If Gresini's call had not come, what turn would your career have taken?
"I would have stayed at home. Without results the doors don't open while with results they do. Gresini saved my career at a time when no one believed in me."
Is it true that haters motivate you?
"Yes! I am a person who accepts criticism so that it is constructive and useful to improve. On social media everyone is talking, but I prefer people to say things to my face without beating around the bush too much. In the end, you can't be liked by the whole world, but be ourselves without losing our identity."
How do you feel when journalists ask you about Marc?
"In 2020 I really couldn't take it anymore, everyone was just asking me about Marc: "How is Marc, when is he coming back?" I was in a really uncomfortable position, considering that Honda's team manager was Puig and not me. In the end, though, it's normal: the moment you have a champion brother, you are considered Marc's brother."
You took advantage of the fact of: "being the brother of..."
"In the Spanish Championship I used to go to races with my mom and dad: Marc was 13 while I was 10. We were more or less the same height and similar in face: people did not recognize me and often mistook us, in fact many people complimented me thinking I was him. I admit that sometimes I passed myself off as him, because at least I didn't have to stand there and say I was Alex. In the end even my family played along (smiles)."
Will Alex Marquez one day win a MotoGP World Championship?
"I don't have pure talent like Marc, but I love to work, because I believe in the work ethic and I know what it means. Life has taught me that nothing is impossible and dreaming is free. During the winter I trained to give my best and win."
Who will win at Buriram?
"Marquez! (laughs)"
photocredit: Gresini
