MotoGP, Alex Marquez: "My brother hasn’t lost the magic”

In 2024 brothers Alex and Marc Marquez will be back on the same team, sharing a garage as they did at Honda in 2020, during what was Alex’s first year in the top class. Speaking to "AS.com", the two-time world champion (Moto3 in 2014 and Moto2 in 2019) touches on this very subject and appears pleased to be back with his brother, four years on: "Being together has mutual benefits. I can’t pinpoint any one thing, maybe the feeling, that connection we have as brothers, we understand each other at a glance. In the past I gave him this sense of tranquility and would sort his head out, but now, at 31, he already has this tranquility. I think the most important thing about this pairing is that we immediately understand each other. When I first went to Honda he would annoy me and I had to tell him to leave me alone. But having him with me now is special, because he’s my brother".

Alex Marquez: "Marc is still at the level of 2019"

According to the team Gresini rider, who won two Sprint races in 2023, having a champion like Marc Marquez in the garage will spur everybody on, team and rider alike: "Aside from what happened in 2020, this is a second chance, but the situation is very different now. Back then I was a rookie and Marc was fighting for the title, so we were in very different places. This year I can make better use of having a rider like Marc alongside me, he’s fast and I now have experience in the category. This union gives us strength and I know that in the past, during my time in Moto3 and Moto2, I enjoyed my best years when I had a strong team-mate.”

Alex Marquez is convinced that his brother has what it takes to be as dominant as he was a few years ago: "When a team has two strong riders and they share information, but without going overboard and causing confusion, it can help. So, in my case but also for the team, having a rider like Marc can be really helpful. We can expect anything from Marc. He hasn’t lost the magic. He’s asked me a thousand times whether he’ll do well with the Ducati. He’s still at the level of 2019, I see him in training. There will be difficult moments and he might struggle, but if there’s one person who knows about struggle, it’s him. If I’m fighting with Marc for the win? I want the first, if he could let me have at least one.”