Alex Marquez, fresh off his 30th birthday, couldn’t have given himself a better gift than a victory— the one he secured on Sunday at Jerez at the end of a race in which he managed to outpace his rivals, including Marco, before setting his own pace unchallenged all the way to the finish line. This win mirrors last year’s victory on the Spanish track and brings an end to a season opener that was perhaps more complicated than expected.
The Spaniard, therefore, shares the burden and the honor—along with Di Giannantonio—of upholding the prestige of Borgo Panigale, in a season opener where the struggles of the two red bikes are counterbalanced by the increasingly hard-to-ignore presence of an Aprilia that placed four bikes in the top six positions.
At the start of the weekend, you didn’t feel you could replicate last year’s success.
“At that moment, I didn’t feel like raising expectations,” Alex declared, “I was coming off a complicated start to the season. But starting Friday, the feeling was excellent; I was flying and felt comfortable on the bike, with the pace and the lines, and everything came easily. Today I managed to stick to my strategy; after passing Marc at Turn 6, I started setting my own pace, avoiding mistakes and keeping Bezzecchi at bay. I’m very happy because it was an unexpected weekend. I don’t feel like I’ve become the king of Jerez, but I’m one of those who will be remembered in these 40 years of the track.”
You got to celebrate at the Nieto-Peluqi corner again.
"It’s one of the most magical things you can do during the championship; the fans are there from six in the morning to wake us up and make noise—they deserve it. I think I enjoyed it more this year; I experienced it more with my feet on the ground, whereas last year I waited until Monday to process what had happened."
Where do you feel you took a step forward to achieve this result?
"We’ve changed a few things on the bike, but they’re small changes; the only thing you can see from the outside is the rear aerodynamics. We analyzed my riding style, and I tried to ride through the problems rather than dwell on them. It will be just as important now to analyze the data to understand where we made the difference."
Are the feelings on the bike the same as they were last season?
"At the moment, they’re very similar, though it’s too early to judge. Tracks like Le Mans, Barcelona, and Mugello will be key to understanding whether the step forward we saw here is real or just a one-off. Tomorrow we’ll have some important things to test; I think Aprilia is still a step ahead of us, and we need to find something to improve."
Marc said he had an advantage in the left-hand turns, and you in the right-hand turns. Now you’ve improved in the left-hand turns as well.
"I’m always trying to improve; I train often with Marc and watch what he does. But most of the time, it’s just a matter of feeling. I feel like I’ve taken a step forward in turns 6-7-8, but not enough to make a difference compared to Marc—that’s impossible— but we’ve closed the gap."
The factory Ducati bikes are having more trouble than the satellite team bikes—why is that?
"It’s hard to say. I think it partly depends on the track; we’ve seen Marc be competitive on several occasions, even though Di Giannantonio has been the most consistent so far. Actually, all four of us are at a similar level, but Marc and Fabio have managed to extract more potential from the bike, while Pecco and I have had more difficulty. It’s been four weeks in which Ducati has been working non-stop. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next two or three races, and tomorrow will be an important day.”
Is there a feeling that someone has forgotten you’re a world champion?
"That’s how sports are; it doesn’t matter what we’ve done in the past. If you start with three tough races without a podium or even fighting for one, sports have a short memory, so you have to win every day. You have to keep your head down and not listen to the comments, but just keep working—the results will come."
Marc seems to be struggling.
"I think Marc is the one who has received both praise and criticism more than anyone else; he knows exactly what he needs to do."
There’s also a lot of talk about the future; some see you at KTM alongside Di Giannantonio.
“Right now, Bezzecchi is the luckiest one—he’s already sorted it out,” joked the Spaniard. “We’ll have to be patient, but for now, I’m happy where I am.”