The big news from Montmeló is that in pre-qualifying for Barcelona there are not three Ducatis ahead of everyone, but two KTMs, those of Binder and Acosta followed by the Rosse of Alex and Marc Marquez. And according to Marc the Martian, it is his brother's that is the favorite for both races this weekend.
It's a bit of a mantra, this, for the world championship leader: there comes in every season, especially in an extraordinary one like this one, the moment when you can't win. And you have to deal with it. Then if it's your brother who beats you, well there's also a subtle pleasure, especially since the end result is not under attack.
The impression from the outside is that the elder Marquez would really enjoy doing a one-two punch in Barcelona with the younger one with the roles reversed. He even revealed to us that Alex's real strength is the last couple of downhill corners.The ones of Rossi's attack on Lorenzo, just to be clear.
"There he goes faster, if we arrived together I couldn't beat him, in fact he would probably attack me," Marc said.
At this point the phrase has entered our heads and we are already imagining the last lap, of the sprint and the Grand Prix, with Alex and Marc in full battle. Let's say Marc is in front: how will he attack him, but more importantly, how will Marc defend himself? More importantly: will he defend himself or not?
The doubt is there: after all, the world championship is already won. It would o' exactly be a gift, but it's clear that the top goal for the two is this.
But are we really sure, on the other hand, that in the opposite situation, with Alex in front, Marc would not attempt an attack, albeit a desperate one, one of those contact attacks, in short?
With this image in mind, everything else fades into the background. Not least because then we are not entirely certain that what we saw today was the real value on the field.
Di Giannantonio gave us the explanation of the current situation .
"We're all close and Ducati doesn't dominate because Barcelona doesn't have grip, so that we with the Desmosedici can't exploit its potential. It's all about taking off torque so the rear tyre doesn't lose grip."
Is he right? Probably. But it's also possible, instead, that we'll see the first race where the Ducatis will be in a bit of a struggle.
"It's still the best bike, but for that very reason, it's difficult to make big steps forward. Our opponents, on the other hand, thanks in part to concessions, are improving. It's racing," Marquez pointed out.
It is the reality, a little uncomfortable and also, according to Gigi Dall'Igna, not entirely acceptable.
"If we see it from the point of view of the show, the spectacle, the regulations work. From the point of view of the sport, however, simply the best should win. Without outside help," Dall'Igna has said on more than one occasion.
But are we then really sure that in motorcycle racing it is the bike that makes all this difference? The 2025 world championship tells us it's not. Indeed, without Marc Marquez, we would not be talking about overwhelming dominance. In fact, we would have had several surprises this year.
Meanwhile, Pecco Bagnaia's descent into the underworld continues. A situation that even for insiders is becoming increasingly difficult to understand. Being in trouble is par for the course. Finding oneself the last of the Ducatis, a little less so.