Álex Márquez proved once again why he is the second ranked in the world. And the first of the mortals behind the Martian is his brother, wounded but always attentive to the actions of the youngest of the family. Marc was the first to congratulate him on the victory obtained this Saturday in the ‘sprint’ of the Portuguese GP. In parc fermé he reminded him of some of his advice via a video call. “I already told you,” he commented as his father, Julià, held the phone in his hand. Everyone laughed and the Gresini team kept the rider who took them furthest in the world championship rankings.
Despite the celebrations, Saturday’s winner absolutely did not raise the bells and demanded even more from himself. “I didn’t have the best sensations, I didn’t feel very good on the bike. It’s time to improve for this Sunday”, he noted, summing up one of the best races of the year. With the cooperative in difficulty due to the absence of the great dominator of the premier category, Portimao witnessed a magnificent show on the track. Marco Bezzecchi once again underlined his brilliant development work with Aprilia with an unassailable pole position, even if he later had to settle for third place on the podium. At the front, stronger, both the winner and the runner-up shone, Pedro Acosta who is ever closer to his first victory in MotoGP.
The good start encouraged Álex after the crash in qualifying, which relegated him to fifth place on the grid. Bez He held his line into the first turn, but Acosta stayed in his slipstream and ripped off the stickers as the second lap began. Marquez overtook the Italian braking at the finish line in fourth place and did the same to the Murcian in sixth. The KTM man resisted with everything and in five corners there were up to four exchanges of position in favor of the boy from Mazarrón.
The script repeated itself twice more, but on lap nine Álex consolidated the overtaking from the first lap and resisted into turn five, where Acosta had responded twice. Seven knife passes to the delight of the fans. From then on, Márquez stood out, although his rival’s pride led him to fall behind the almighty Ducati at the checkered flag after the runner-up relaxed more than necessary on the final lap. So close and so far from that first and long-awaited victory for Murcia.
“It was the best race of the whole year and we were very close. We knew we would suffer with the tyres, but we are closer than ever,” celebrated the 21-year-old. The difference in traction between KTM and Ducati made the difference. The winner, for his part, was content to have moved on.
a bad day by his exacting standards. “These battles are always nice when you end up winning them. I wanted to get rid of the pain of the crash in qualifying and I succeeded, even if I feel that we remained stagnant and the others improved more than us,” he concluded unconventionally. He’s already starting to sound like his big brother, always looking for an extra point before uncorking it prosecco…and even after obtaining it.
Another award for Marc Márquez
Despite being at home recovering from his shoulder injury, Marc Márquez took another award for his brilliant season of recovery by confirming his victory in the prize that BMW reserves for number one in time trials. Álex’s fall secured him the luxury car of the German brand and in ’93 he discovered the gift while shopping in a greengrocer. As usual, he joked online and blamed the little one in the family. Good vibes and fair play above all.
With all the fish sold in this campaign, the riders consider these last races of the course as a preview of the 2026 preseason. That’s why Álex Márquez doesn’t throw himself into the ring and tries to get the most out of his bike, beyond just winning. His performances, however, continue to remind everyone that he has reached the top to stay. Next year the final test will come: the same bike as the world champion and the one that all riders want on the grid.
