The inevitable Gresini show took place in Kuala Lumpur with the presentation of the team that will compete in the 2026 season. Alex Marquez made up for the absence of the injured Aldeguer. The Spaniard, the absolute star of last season's championship, is now on the lips of many who see him as one of the most sought-after riders on the 2027 market. But even though he is not closing the door on other offers, Alex is happy in Gresini, a team that over the years has increasingly distanced itself from the 'satellite' label by welcoming and developing young talent on the one hand, and reviving past champions such as Marc Marquez on the other.
The exploits of Alex Marquez, who tried to give his brother a run for his money in last season's championship, earned him an important weapon for this year, the official Ducati GP26. It was a well-deserved achievement, despite what the Spaniard still ironically sees as a defeat: "In the end, I lost (to Marc, ed.), and I'm the first of the losers." However, it is an incentive to improve even further and, with his usual smile, pursue his long-standing goal: the world title in the premier class.
"I'm happy to be here, especially with testing already underway," said the Spaniard. "It's been a relaxed winter. I was quite mentally tired at the end of the season, and in the last two races I was a bit at my limit, but in December I started training again, and now I'm preparing to face testing and the first race in the best possible way."
Is it different facing the winter when you finish second in the championship?
"Yes, but in the end, I lost! (laughs and repeats). As I always say, I was the first of the losers, so you have to improve to win the title and have more options, especially with an opponent like Marc. He was on point halfway through the season, we lost points, and then there was also the injury, among other things. I'll try to focus on improving, especially on the negative aspects, to be more complete as a rider and as a team."
What negative aspects are you referring to?
"We still struggle too much on some circuits, especially where there are a lot of braking points. We are trying to analyze everything and have come to a conclusion, which is what we will work on in Thailand to prevent these problems from recurring. We will try to improve the feeling in our hands because we have been fast on some tracks, but we need to improve at Motegi, Austria, and Hungary."
Last year, Nadia told you that you should aim for the top 5, and we saw how that went. What did she say to you this year?
"(Laughs) Nothing yet, I think she'll tell me to do the same, to be there. For a satellite team, it's always nice to be on the podium. In the last championship, we exceeded expectations. We handled many situations intelligently, so we'll have to have the same mentality, with better ingredients and better bikes, to be able to extract all the potential by working closely with Ducati."
Has your relationship with Dall'Igna and Ducati changed now that you're an official rider?
"It's the same as always. It doesn't matter if you have the new bike or the previous one, the Ducati staff helps us, and that makes a difference. But now we have more data and more information, so we'll have to extract the potential and do better than last year."
Do you feel more pressure now?
"No, I think being a factory rider is extra motivation. Last year we were lucky because we didn't have any problems and the progress made by our rivals came too late. If you started the season like in 2023, knowing you had problems, you know you'll have this bike for the whole season, and that's difficult for a rider to accept. With the factory bike, on the other hand, you know that during the season you'll have things to improve, solutions, and that gives you more peace of mind as a rider."
With the improvement of the rival manufacturers, will having the factory bike this year be a necessary condition to repeat your success?
"Having the factory bike is always necessary, no matter what year it is! (Laughs). But maybe this year it will be even more so. It will be interesting to see how much our rivals improve, how much they want to invest again in the last season with the current rules. It seems that both Honda and KTM are making progress, Yamaha is trying many things, everyone wants to be up to par and be there. "
You've also become one of the stars of the rider market. Would you prefer to continue with Gresini or are you aiming for a seat in a factory team?
"I think the market for 2027 is pretty crazy and many will be thinking about making changes, and the change in regulations will open up many options for the future and for all riders. If there is a time to take risks, it will be 2027 because no one knows what the balance will be. All the manufacturers will tell you they have the best bike, but no one can know that. Obviously, the motivation and expectations are always to be in a factory team, but I'm very happy at Gresini, and when I have all the options in front of me, I'll choose the best one for my future. It's difficult for me to talk about 2027, there's still a long way to go, but that's how the market is, and I think many riders will already have settled by the first race."