Marc Marquez says brother Alex is 'strongest' rider ahead of MotoGP Grand Prix Spain after record-breaking Jerez lap
Updated 25/04/2025 at 20:50 GMT+1
This weekend's Spanish Grand Prix will see another battle between Marc Marquez, brother Alex, and Francesco Bagnaia as MotoGP returns to Jerez. The elder Marquez brother said that Alex is the rider to beat this weekend after he shook off two crashes to set a new lap record in practice on Friday. The BK8 Gresini rider clocked a stunning 1:35.991 to beat Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli.
Marc Marquez says brother Alex is 'strongest' rider ahead of Grand Prix Spain
Video credit: TNT Sports
Marc Marquez admitted that his brother Alex is the "strongest" rider ahead of this weekend's MotoGP Grand Prix Spain, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The younger Marquez brother persisted through two crashes in Friday's practice to set the best time of the day and break the Jerez track record.
Marc may be the championship leader, but he feels that his brother is a step ahead of himself and Francesco Bagnaia going into qualifying, the sprint and the race.
"At the moment, the strongest one is my brother, Alex," he said. "He has the best pace in FP1, the best lap time in practice. So at the moment, Alex is riding faster, me and Pecco are about equal. So let's see."
Alex, who rides for BK8 Gresini, clocked a stunning 1:35.991 to beat Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli into top spot on Friday.
In contrast, Ducati Lenovo Team rider Marc endured a difficult day, suffering technical problems in FP1 and a suspected oil leak on his second bike.
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He added: "Today didn't start in the best way. The second half I was able to ride but I missed a bit on the set-up, but we found this afternoon on the last run, that I felt better."
Five years on from a career-threatening arm injury at Jerez, Marc appears back to his best and has already racked up several wins in 2025 as he targets a tilt at the title.
He recently fended off a challenge from Tech3 KTM's Maverick Vinales to win the Qatar Grand Prix.
"The main target today was to be on the Q2," he said. "Doesn't matter if you finish third, fourth, five, sixth. I was there on the practice with the tyre and riding in a good way.
"It's true that I have been a bit unlucky with the yellow flags, but in the first time attack I already did a good lap. So let's see if we can understand for tomorrow which is the best way, and be in the front row. The main target is to be in the front row."
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'He's on fire' - Alex Marquez praised for 'incredible' practice performance
Video credit: TNT Sports
Naturally, a return home is being met with immense fanfare, but he admits that can also present itself as a challenge.
"It's super special to come back to Europe and the first race is in Spain," he continued. "All the people are pushing a lot, especially in the city, they have a big party in the night. I'm proud about Spanish fans.
"It is one of the more difficult things to control. Yesterday was a nightmare. A lot of things, a lot of events. But today I was focused with my team and working as always."
How to watch Grand Prix Spain
The Grand Prix Spain's race weekend gets underway on Friday, April 25 and will run until Sunday, April 27.
TNT Sports is the home of MotoGP after agreeing a new multi-year deal to broadcast the championship in the UK and Ireland.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
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