Marc Márquez expects his younger brother, Alex, to be his main rival as he chases a seventh MotoGP world championship crown and is convinced it is just a matter of time before the Gresini Racing rider wins his first race in the premier class.
Alex, at 28, is four years younger than Marc, has won the Moto2 plus Moto3 world championship and has seven MotoGP podiums to his name. He came close to winning his first MotoGP race at the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix and in Argentina on Sunday, but was denied by his in-form brother on both occasions.
Marc won in Argentina after trailing Alex for much of the race. MotoGP did not have two brothers finishing first and second for 76 years, but the Márquez brothers have achieved the feat twice in a fortnight.
“Alex will win some races this year, more than one,” Marc said. “I know that when he is [feeling confident], he is able to win a world championship, like he did in Moto3 and in Moto2. Alex is the main opponent for the championship.
“I was impressed by my brother’s riding style . He was riding super smoothly, always keeping the corner speed. I thought: ‘This guy is on another level today’.
“There were some moments when I said to myself, ‘OK, second place is enough’. In the end, I [managed to win]. But as you saw, I took a lot of risks at some points in the race, maybe too much.”
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Alex is determined to maintain his form. He trails Marc by 16 points at the top of world championship table with the double MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia sitting third. “I’ve never felt so strong in MotoGP,” Alex said. “I’m enjoying the bike and everything I do. We need to keep going like that.”