In a surprising twist at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, Alex Marquez won his first MotoGP victory, a turning point that shocked the paddock. Marquez’s younger brother, competing for the Bk8 Gresini Racing MotoGP team, not only ensured the highest step, but also regained the head of the ranking, overcoming his brother Marc Marquez of a single point. After this exciting triumph in front of the house audience, Alex launched a fiery message that opened the way to an electrifying rivalry between brothers: “I am no longer in the shade of Marc Marquez; this is mine”.
The race itself was a spectacular show, which embodied the ups and downs of the unpredictable nature of MotoGP. Marc Marquez, eight times world champion and current driver of the Ducati Lenovo Team, started the weekend as a leader of the championship, having dominated the opening races of the 2025 season with three wins in four races. However, his hopes of continuing the positive strip were broken on the third lap, when he lost the front of his Ducati at the Martinez curve, leaving the competition. This rare false step of the typically imperturbable Marc has opened the doors to Alex to grasp the moment.
Starting behind the head group, Alex capitalized his brother’s bad luck with a composed and calculated performance. On the fourth lap, he passed the official Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia at the Lorenzo curve, conquering second place, behind only the poleman Fabio Quartararo. The rhythm of the Gresini pilot was incessant and on the eleventh lap he made a decisive overtaking on Quartararo at Curva 1, taking command. From there, Alex no longer turned back, rejecting the attacks of Quartoraro and Bagnaia and cutting the milestone as a winner. The victory marked the 200sth for a Spanish driver in MotoGP and extended the winning strip of the Ducati to 22 races, equaling the record of the 1997-98 Honda.
The emotional weight of the victory was palpable. After years in which he had been labeled as “Marc’s brother”, Alex’s triumph in Jerez was a decisive moment. Stopping the bike halfway through the track, he ran to the delirium crowd, enjoying the attitude of his fans. Until this point, the twenty -ninth century path was a path of perseverance. Twice world champion in Moto3 (2014) and Moto2 (2019), Alex had to face continuous comparisons with his older brother, whose eight world titles and 65 MotoGP victories have thrown a long shadow. Yet his 2025 season was a revelation, with second constant places in the opening races and a newfound confidence in himself riding the Ducati Gp24, winner of the championship.
In the post-gara, Alex’s comments were imbued with pride and challenge. His affirmation of having left Marc’s shadow was not only a personal success declaration, but a direct challenge to his brother, who was the point of reference in MotoGP for over a decade. The relationship between the brothers, however, remains strong. Marc, who concluded the race outside the points after going up again, expressed sincere happiness for Alex’s success, stressing that their competitive dynamics approached them. “Alex has an extraordinary talent, but he needed the right bike and the right moment to prove it,” Marc said to Motorsport.com, recognizing the potential of his brother and thinly strengthening his stature.
The paddock was flooded with reactions to Alex’s audacious affirmation. Some see her as a sign of her growing confidence in itself, while others see her as a risky move, given the proven ability to recover from the setbacks. Francesco Bagnaia, a third classified behind the Yamaha of Quartararo, admitted that Alex’s constancy makes him a real contender for the title, but he warned that it is unlikely that Marc and the official team Ducati remain at a long time. Fabio Quartararo, whose second place marked the first podium of the Yamaha in a Grand Prix since 2023, praised Alex’s maturity, underlining that his driving technique has evolved significantly.
While the MotoGP circus starts towards the next stage, the narrative no longer concerns only the race of Marc Marquez to the ninth world title. Alex said herself as a force not to be underestimated and her victory in Jerez has changed the dynamics of the championship. The question is now if he manages to maintain this momentum against a group that includes his formidable brother and a Bagnaia in recovery. For Alex, the Spanish GP was more than one victory: it was a statement. The world of MotoGP is observing to see if this is truly the dawn of his era.
