Álex Márquez fends off his brother to claim home glory

Silvia Cojocaru
20 hours ago
3 min read

Written by Silvia Cojocaru

Álex Márquez celebrating the win with his team | Credit: Michelin_Motorsport via X

Álex Márquez managed to pass his his brother, winning the Catalan Grand Prix and denying him the chance of claiming the world title at Misano.

Grand Prix Results

Álex Márquez, Gresini Racing MotoGP, 40:14.093
Marc Márquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, +1.740
Enea Bastianini, Redbull KTM Tech 3, +5.562
Pedro Acosta, KTM Factory Team, +13.373
Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha, +14.409
Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Team, +15.055
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Lenovo Team, +16.048
Luca Marini, Honda HRC Team, +16.372
Miguel Oliviera, Yamaha Pramac Team, +16.937
Jorge Martín, Aprilia Racing, +18.492
Raul Fernandez, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +19.489
Joan Mir, Honda HRC Team, +20.159
Maverick Viñales, Redbull KTM Tech 3, +22.792
Jack Miller, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, +24.351
Fermín Aldeguer, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +24.592
Somkiat Chantra, Idemitsu Honda LCR, +37.393
Aleix Espargaró, Honda HRC Test Team, +43.202

OUT. Franco Morbidelli, Pertamina VR46 Team

OUT. Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia Racing

OUT. Àlex Rins, Monster Energy Yamaha

OUT. Fabio DiGiannantonio, Pertamina VR46 Team

OUT. Johann Zarco, Honda LCR Team

OUT. Brad Binder, Redbull KTM Factory Racing

OUT. Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

Sprint

Ducati celebrating winning the constructor’s title | Credit: Ducati Corse via X

Álex Márquez had a great start to his race as a three-way fight unfolded behind him. Fabio Quartararo, Marc Márquez and Pedro Acosta went shoulder-to-shoulder in Turn 1, with the championship leader coming out on top.

After Lap 6, Álex managed to distance himself from his brother, putting almost a second between them, as Marc seemed ready to settle for 2nd place in the sprint.

Jorge Martín suffered another crash this season, this time being taken out by Franco Morbidelli on Lap 7. Just one lap later, his teammate, Marco Bezzecchi, was also taken out by Fermín Aldeguer.

Both Morbidelli and Aldeguer received Long Lap penalties for Sunday’s race following these incidents.

Fermin Aldeguer and Marco Bezzecchi after their crash | Credit: motogp.com

The series of unfortunate crashes continued when Álex’s race came to a heartbreaking end just two laps short of seeing the chequered flag, at Turn 10.

Marc inherited the win from his brother, with Quartararo and Fabio DiGiannantonio joining him on the podium.

Grand Prix

The opening lap of the race saw a great start from Marc, who was able to claim the lead before the end of the first lap.

Quartararo failed to take advantage of the momentum from Saturday, losing positions to both Marc and Acosta at the start. The Frenchman began to struggle, losing more positions throughout the race.

Opening lap of the Catalan Grand Prix | Credit: Michelin_Motorsport via X

After a disappointing qualifying and sprint race, Francesco Bagnaia recovered on Sunday, going from 21st on the grid to 12th after just one lap. He continued to win positions, finishing in 7th place.

On Lap 2, Bezzecchi was involved in his second crash of the weekend, this time his race coming to an end after making contact with Morbidelli. Behind them, Fabio DiGiannantonio also crashed, but he was able to rejoin the race.

Before Marc could distance himself from his brother, Álex managed a brave overtake to claim the lead once more.

The KTM riders, Enea Bastianini and Acosta, showed great pace, closing in on the leading duo and threatening Marc's position. However, the championship leader was able to distance himself, leaving the two to battle for the last place on the podium.

The KTM battle was resolved on Lap 11, when Bastianini overtook Acosta as the Spaniard started to struggle with his rear tire.

Johann Zarco had a great battle with Quartararo, eventually passing him on Lap 9, but his race came to an unfortunate end after crashing just two laps later. After his contact with Bezzecchi, Morbidelli's race also ended early after he crashed on Lap 21.

Ai Ogura managed an impressive performance, passing Bagnaia and Luca Marini on Lap 23 and even closing in on Quartararo’s position. It was too late for the Japanese rider to attempt another overtake, but the former Moto2 champion still had a great race.