MotoGP: Álex Márquez reigns in Spain to take title lead as brother Marc crashes
Gresini Racing's Álex Márquez claimed his first MotoGP race victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, taking the championship lead from his elder brother Marc, who crashed early in the race and finished 12th.
After seven second-place finishes in sprints and races this season, Álex secured a dream race win on home turf in front of over 100,000 fans, with the Spaniard imploring them to increase the volume as he took the last few corners on the final lap in Jerez.
Marc Márquez (Ducati) squeezed his way through the crowd to embrace Álex in the winner's circle as they became the first brothers to both win in MotoGP. But the day belonged to the younger sibling, who leads Marc by one point in the standings after taking the chequered flag – waved by the Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz.
'The best birthday present, amazing. The first one in Jerez is something amazing,' said Álex Márquez, who celebrated his 29th birthday earlier this week. 'I cannot ask for more. It was a race where I was really clever in all the movements.'
France's Fabio Quartararo finished second to give Yamaha their first spot on the podium since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix, while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came in third.
An action-packed opening lap had pole-sitter Quartararo get a perfect start off the line to take the lead into turn one while Marc Márquez, Saturday's sprint winner, fell behind to fourth place.
Álex Márquez started in fourth and attempted to overtake those in front of him early on by threading the needle between bikes. He braked too late and fell behind while Marc Márquez and Bagnaia collided while jostling for position. With Marc running in third and trying to overtake his teammate, he crashed at turn seven as thousands of fans around the circuit groaned collectively.
The elder Márquez sibling rejoined in 22nd place with a damaged bike. Bagnaia immediately had another Márquez to contend with, as Álex came up behind him and elbowed the Italian out of the way to move up to second and put Quartararo in his sights.
The Yamaha rider tried his best to keep Álex Marquez at bay but on lap 11 the pace of the Ducati bike proved far too superior as he overtook Quartararo to draw a roar from the Márquez Grandstand. Once Álex was in the clear, he began to pull away and finished 1.56sec clear of Quartararo, who held off Bagnaia for second place.
'Incredible, to be on the podium is super special – especially with the gap to Álex and to keep Pecco (Bagnaia) behind in the race was so difficult,' said Quartararo, the 2021 world champion. 'It's been long years but super happy to be back on the podium in Jerez.' Maverick Viñales (KTM) finished fourth at his home race.
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'See you in Le Mans,' Quartararo said, referring to the season's next race, the French MotoGP, which takes place in two weeks' time. Bagnaia was frustrated after his dreams of a fourth successive win in Jerez were dashed. 'Honestly I do not like races like this,' said the two-time world champion. 'Every time I was getting closer Fabio found something extra.'
Álex Márquez has 140 points after five races, with Marc second on 139. Bagnaia has 120 in third place, with fellow Italians Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio (both Team VR46) in fourth and fifth place, and Quartararo in sixth.
Jorge Martín, whose defence of the MotoGP title has been ruined by injury, is making progress after sustaining serious injuries in a crash in Qatar. The 27-year-old has three broken ribs according to Angel Charte, MotoGP's medical department head, as cited by his team Aprilia. 'The evolution is very positive,' Charte said.
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