Alex Marquez impressed in all winter tests with top times – Marc Marquez names the reasons for the strong performance of his younger brother
“To be honest, he is the biggest surprise of the winter tests,” says Marc Marquez, praising his brother Alex. ‘But I’m not saying that because he’s my brother.’ Alex Marquez presented himself as competitive in both the test drives in Malaysia and the tests in Thailand. He rides the sophisticated Ducati GP24 in the Gresini team.
While the factory team had to compare engines, chassis and aerodynamic packages, Alex Marquez was able to focus exclusively on performance and optimal set-up. He set very good lap times in qualifying attempts and race simulations.
“At Sepang, I tried to beat him in the sprint simulation, but it was impossible. He beat me.“ At Buriram, Marc Marquez was ultimately faster in both the time attack and the race simulation.
”I was leading the test drives until he decided he wanted to be in front,” laughs Alex Marquez. ”That’s just how he is. I know that Marc controlled the risk. But when he puts everything together, he’s always been super fast on this track.”
Alex Marquez also had difficulties in the race simulation. These were due to the electronics and an incorrectly set pressure in the front tire. That’s why his pace was slower compared to Marc Marquez. It could have been faster.
Nevertheless, the Gresini rider is very satisfied: “Of course you want a preparation season like this. Without a doubt, it was my best preparation since I’ve been racing in MotoGP. It was good to be solid in the top three, top five on all days. That’s very important. I feel very good.”
Will he achieve his first Grand Prix victory soon?
Alex Marquez has so far achieved five podium places in the premier class. He has won two sprint races, but no Grand Prix yet. In view of his performance, is he one of the favorites for the new season, especially in the first races?
Marc Marquez definitely has his younger brother on his radar: “He is very sensitive about his bike. He knows exactly what he needs. When he finds that feeling, he can ride super fast.”
“That was the case in Barcelona and Sepang. Here too, he was very fast on a completely different track with many hard braking points. He was in the top three in terms of race pace and qualifying.”
From the Gresini team’s point of view, it is an advantage that the factory team will be riding with the same engine and chassis. This is because the technical differences between the bikes are marginal, especially at the beginning of the season.
“Of course, the data can be compared better,” Alex Marquez points out. But he also notes: ‘They can improve over the course of the season. What we have, we have until the end. But the GP24 is very nice to drive.’
