One Marquez streak ended with Marc crashing out of the MotoGP race lead at COTA on Sunday, however brother Alex Marquez prolonged his runner-up document to 6 out of six up to now this season.
His reward was to take the world championship lead for the primary time in his premier-class profession.
The Gresini rider began the race strongly, holding second within the early laps earlier than being handed by his brother’s manufacturing facility Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia.
When Marc fell on lap 9, Alex moved up a spot, finally crossing the end line simply two seconds behind Bagnaia.
“In the event you stated to me earlier than the primary race, ‘You can be main the championship’ I might have stated, ‘You are loopy!’“ smiled Alex.
“We’re ‘Mr P2’, however I am pleased with that! I haven’t got any drawback making P2 from right here till the top.
“We have to benefit from the second. We all know what we have now, we have to strategy each race like we’re doing and attempt to extract the 100% potential. I’ll attempt to preserve going like this.”
“Final yr’s bike main the championship is wonderful”
Whereas Alex’s championship lead is one other private milestone, he struggled extra at COTA than within the earlier two rounds.
“If we examine my efficiency in Thailand, Argentina, and right here, this was the worst when it comes to feeling and the way I used to be approaching all of the corners,” he defined.
“After the primary few laps, I noticed they had been going sooner than me. I had an enormous second shedding the entrance at Flip 10, and stated, ‘OK, at the moment we should be third. We should be actually calm.’
“Then once I noticed Marc crashing, I stated, ‘OK, concentrate.’
“I’m actually, actually pleased with how we’re managing the whole lot, how we’re actually constant within the prime three. That’s precisely what we have to preserve doing.
“However above all, we have to get pleasure from this second as a result of, for an unbiased group, working final yr’s bike and main the championship is one thing actually, actually wonderful.”
Alex – who received two Sprints in 2023 however is but to take a Sunday MotoGP win – is now a single level away from Marc heading into spherical 4 in Qatar.
