Alex Marquez might have outqualified brother Marc as Gresini team-mates eventually yr’s British MotoGP – and gained the moist 2023 Dash – however he’s underneath no illusions about who’s favorite heading into this weekend’s Silverstone occasion.
Though Alex held the higher hand over a single lap final yr, and agrees that Silverstone’s flowing corners go well with his driving model, Marc turned the tables in each of final yr’s races.
The #93 was holding fourth, with Alex in seventh, when he crashed out of the Dash. These positions – fourth for Marc, seventh for Alex – have been then repeated on the chequered flag of the grand prix.
The Marquez brothers return to the UK holding first and second on this yr’s world championship standings – new manufacturing facility Ducati rider Marc breaking 22 factors away from Jerez winner Alex after a non-score at Le Mans.
Though Marc has not gained at Silverstone since 2014, that was the case forward of spherical 4 in Qatar, the place Marc emerged with an ideal double victory.
“Final yr, with the GP23 bike, he was capable of be in entrance of me. So he’s higher than me [at Silverstone],” mentioned Alex, who was 2.8s from Marc on the end final season.
“It’s a monitor that usually I get pleasure from it so much, it is actually quick, flowing. However about efficiency, it isn’t that I am higher than him [at Silverstone].
“Possibly it is a monitor that, for my driving model, is barely higher, however it’s Marc Marquez, he isn’t a rider who would not know methods to be quick on some tracks.”
Though Alex suffered his first DNF of the season after crashing twice within the Le Mans race, the Gresini rider had no regrets over his bike-swap choices.
Like Marc, the #73 began on slicks, served a double lengthy lap for the pre-race bike swap, then was pressured to modify to wets because the rain worsened.
“For six laps, it was not raining. I feel that 2 laps extra within the dry, and we’d have been capable of be additionally in entrance of Johann [Zarco, race winner, starting on wets],” Alex mentioned.
“A state of affairs like that’s all the time a lottery. We performed the lottery in a great way, however later the crashes made our weekend seem like a catastrophe, however it’s not like that.
“In the appropriate moments, we did every little thing actually exact [strategically].”
The forecast suggests MotoGP might face one other weekend of blended climate at Silverstone.
