‘Mr P2’ Márquez surprises everyone including himself in Cota

Rain, sprinting riders on the grid, and an end to an illustrious streak. The MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas had it all. Austin, Texas marked the third round in the 2025 MotoGP championship and delivered quite the show. The championship standings were completely reshuffled after the event. One man emerged as most consistent rider among the pack, his name? Álex Márquez.

Álex Márquez after the MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, retrieved from motorsportweek.com.

Álex joined MotoGP in 2020 with Honda and has always performed in the shadow of his older brother Marc, who has six MotoGP titles to his name. Four years seperates the Spanish borthers, however, on track it is Marc with significantly more mileage as he has participated in the sport since 2013. So far, Álex has never won a race or title but has been a consistent top ten contender since his move to Gresini Racing. In 2025, Ducati bikes are unbeatable so far, Marc Márquez had won the opening two races with the Italian team. The veteran saw his younger brother take second place in both races on the 2024 Ducati bike that Gresini uses. Even in the sprint races, the Márquez duo clinched first and second in all events.

Hectic race build-up at Cota

Once more, the brothers would be first and second at the start of the race in Texas. Due to rain tampering the track ahead of the race, last-minute strategy changes were made by some riders. The first to bite the bullet was Marc Márquez, who sprinted into the pits to pick up his dry-wheather bike with three minutes to go until the race start. Some riders followed him, causing the race start to be postponed, as too many people were still walking the grid. This allowed the other riders to calmly get their dry-wheather bikes ahead of the race. It would mean the grid would be the exact same as before, whereas if the race had begun at its official start time, Marc would have started in last place from pit-lane. He explained after the race: “I was convinced about my strategy. If they didn’t follow me, I’d start last and I’d try to come back during the race because I had the pace.”

Marc Márquez running away from pole ahead of the USA Grand Prix, retrieved from topgear.com.

And so it began, the Márquez brothers held position on lap 1 on a slippery track. Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia followed in third place. The double world champion almost picked off Álex at the start but would have to slot in behind after a stellar defense. Soon enough, it became clear that Marc had the pace over his younger brother, the six-time champion edged away from his competitors in the opening few laps.

Risk does not reward Marc Márquez

Marc Márquez has won every MotoGP race at Cota in which he participated, the Spaniard was victorious seven times in total at the venue. Unfortunately, this insane statistic went to shambles on lap 9. Márquez had been pushing hard, growing a gap to teammate Bagnaia in second who had passed Álex Márquez on lap 4. The race-leader pushed his front tire just a bit too far over the edge of the track and hit a wet patch on the kerb. This caused a crash for the championship leader, who did attempt to get up and running again. A couple of laps later he finally gave in, as the bike was undriveable since his right foot support snapped off during the crash. Bagnaia was now leading the race from Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

The factory Ducati bike of Bagnaia was simply too quick for the sole remaining Márquez. The gap between the Italian and Spaniard stretched to over three seconds in the final stages of the race. The Gresini rider was occupied fending off another Italian, Di Giannantonio, heading into the last lap. The Spaniard succeeded at that and clinched yet another second place as he crossed the line.

Consistency is key

With two-time race winner in 2025, Marc Márquez, crashing out at Cota, it would be Álex Márquez who sits on top of the table in the MotoGP championship. For the first time in his career, the 28-year-old seems to be in for a shot at the title this year. Having secured second place in every sprint race and Grand Prix, it is impeccable consistency that allows the Spaniard to flourish so far in 2025. Marc Márquez, however, is only one point behind in the standings.

Marc and Álex Márquez in first and second place during the Cota sprint race, retrieved from cyclenews.com.

Álex debriefed his remarkable streak of second place finishes after Cota: “We are 'Mr P2', but I'm happy with that! I don't have any problem making P2 from here until the end.” Looking ahead, the Gresini rider knows what is expected of him in the remaining races: “We need to enjoy the moment. We know what we have, we need to approach every race like we are doing and try to extract the 100% potential. I will try to keep going like this.”

The Ducati factory team has claimed victory in all races so far in the 2025 MotoGP season, however Álex Márquez on his 2024 Ducati bike finds himself in the championship lead going into the Qatar GP for Gresini Racing. Last year, the Ducati factory team also missed out on the title to Jorge Martín from the Pramac team which uses also Ducati bikes. Could Álex Márquez continue this run of taking te championship fight to MotoGP’s current most dominant team?