Let's talk MotoGP: Marc Marquez is too polite to say it, but he has no competition

Watching the latest MotoGP Grand Prix, a fundamental question came to me: has Marc Marquez even stopped being the strongest? Yes, some of his choices were questionable during his last two seasons with Honda, but this start to 2025 shows that in reality, Marc never left; injuries never got the better of his infinite talent. It is time to learn some lessons from this Argentine Grand Prix, which could be nicknamed " Thailand Grand Prix, Part 2 ».

 

Alone in the world

 

In the parc fermé, after the race, Marc Marquez made a most revealing statement: “This time I really pushed!”This innocent sentence, which makes the weekend in Buriram even more indecent, is undoubtedly as piquant as it is true. However, I really think that once again, he had no competition, that he was far superior to all the other drivers.

 

 

On Saturday, a perfectly negotiated qualifying session was rewarded with pole position. Besides his stratospheric time (track record, Bagnaia takes almost four tenths on a lap), it is the manner that is striking. From his first fast lap, he climbed to the front, yet missed the climb of the difficult turn n°9. He was easy; Marc did not give the impression of pushing too hard, the biggest difference with its qualifications in 2024.

There's not much to say about the Sprint, which was negotiated with such ease. It's true that Alex Marquez was close, but never able to overtake him. And then, I honestly think Marc had it in him if his brother decided to get angry..

I had exactly the same feeling during the Grand Prix, the big one this weekend. Indeed, Marc Marquez said that Alex had really put him in difficulty. Moreover, Marc made one of his signature catches at the apex of turn 11., but this one didn't seem to me to betray an exacerbated attack. In my opinion, Marc Marquez was simply managing his effort and his tires. This comma seemed more like a small one-off error.

 

 

Don't see this as a personal attack on Alex Marquez, but I don't imagine it's that close, contrary to what other analysts believe. Before the race, the Marquez pair had tipped each other about tire degradation, planning a sort of joint strategy for the occasion, or at least a strategic agreement. Marc, by saving his rubber, put himself in a much better position for the final laps.

When Marc decided to go on the attack, Alex couldn't do anything about it. Besides, I think it could have been even faster and more incisive if the target was not his own brother. After an unsuccessful first attempt, he took care of the line in turn 3, then 4, in order to benefit from optimal slipstreaming in the long straight. When braking for 5, Alex Marquez was trapped. And less than a lap later, Marc was already three to four tenths ahead, "easily." As a reminder, the gap a few meters from the line was around a second and a half.

 

A depressing gap

 

 

Marc was very polite, and did not fail to pay a glowing tribute to Alex, who is, in fact, the only one to "get close" to him at the start of the season. The eight-time World Champion remains humble in his communication, but knows, deep down, that no one can deny him a victory at this time. When you saw Marc Marquez second by three or four tenths, with less than ten laps to go, How many of you thought Alex was going to win? Everyone knew what was coming next, just like in 2019 when he played with his opponents. You'd have to ask him, but I thinkAlex Marquez himself knew he wasn't going to win., even if I do not doubt his commitment to another driver, whatever his surname.

I would like to draw your attention to another point: only a Marc Marquez on a mission prevented Alex Marquez from achieving two poles, winning two Sprints and two Grands Prix. It is both gratifying, but oh so frustrating! The Gresini driver is undoubtedly having the best start to a season of his career at the highest level, but can't do better than second, four times in a row. Because if we're honest, The gap between Marc and Alex is significant, but no more than the gap between Alex and the rest of the field!

Morbidelli came close for a while, but still plays in a lower league. What about Pecco Bagnaia, disappointing and without gut feeling., who is quietly letting his championship rival slip away. Clearly, the Italian is not as good as expected, regardless of Marc Marquez. As for the others, Zarco, Di Giannantonio, Bezzecchi and Ogura… they are having a good start to the season, but nothing that comes close to Marc and Alex Marquez.

For the show, I hope this will change, because I don't remember having the same two drivers in the first two places in six major sessions (qualifying, Sprint and Grand Prix), all in the same order each time.

Do you think Alex Marquez is close to beating Marc, or do you think, like me, that the latter still has some room to grow? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport