Given their close relationship, it’s easy to dismiss Marc Marquez’s declaration that younger brother Alex is his main 2025 MotoGP championship rival as sibling generosity.
But given they’ve qualified 1-2 at both grands prix so far and finished 1-2 at all four races held so far, and Alex was rapid throughout pre-season testing, do we need to open our eyes to the results and take the idea of a Marquez vs Marquez title fight seriously?
Here’s what we think...
Enjoy this while it lasts, Alex
Simon Patterson
I have a feeling that we (and Alex Marquez!) should be enjoying this exceptional run of form because let’s be honest: no one is going to be a title contender this year unless they’re on a red bike, especially not someone who’s shown us before that while he’s as fast as anyone on his day, consistency isn't to be expected.
That takes nothing away from Alex’s speed, of course. But the way in which he became Moto2 champion in 2019 is telling - winning the title largely because of a brief and glorious run of form early in the season (while KTM was struggling), then holding on as the year progressed to finish it with only three points more than opponent Brad Binder.
The fact that he’s currently on the best bike on the grid also has to be taken into account. Right now, the GP25 (which is not quite the 2024 spec despite the fact Ducati has shelved or completely ruled out the main new elements) is struggling - and Marc is still winning on it.
But the factory’s problems won’t last for too much longer, and after that the best case scenario is surely that Alex gets demoted to third behind his brother Marc and Pecco Bagnaia.
Given the might of the factory machines, I see no shame in Alex’s natural position this year being very much in the battle for third in the standings, something that actually promises to be a lot more entertaining than the fight for the top spot in the championship race.
I’ve underestimated Alex
Megan White
I’ll hold my hands up: I put Alex Marquez fifth in my pre-season standings prediction. Now, with two rounds complete, it looks like that was a tad harsh.
A lot of things were hard to predict ahead of this season, KTM’s rough start and Jorge Martin’s terrible training crash included.
Perhaps the writing was already on the wall for the younger Marquez brother’s success - Marc said that Alex had been the biggest surprise of pre-season testing. But I’d wager even the elder Marquez hadn’t imagined his brother would be second in the standings, just 16 points behind him, after taking second place in both of the sprints and grands prix so far.
Often overlooked despite having put in some fantastic performances over the years, including his runs to Moto3 and Moto2 world championship titles, his stellar effort in the main race in Argentina, which at one point even prompted his brother to consider throwing in the towel and backing off, proves just what a serious contender Alex can be on his day.
This satellite rider can’t win a title
Val Khorounzhiy
I just don't see it. Not yet anyway.
Alex is in a solid position in that whatever the factory riders are running this year clearly isn't a big upgrade, if an upgrade at all, on the hand-me-down Ducati Desmosedici GP24.
But he's a rider in a satellite team, and a rider who's had a consistently large gap between the upper and lower bound of performance in basically every season of his MotoGP career.
We don't have a good sample size yet, but unless he's become a totally different rider overnight, I don't see how he can see off not just Marc but Bagnaia over a full season that's just his first on a consistently frontrunning bike.
He’s a contender but has one more thing to prove
Oliver Card
Before the start of this season, my prediction that Alex Marquez was going to be the dark horse of the season felt playful and, dare I say, a little lairy, but even I am surprised at the vigour with which Alex kicked off his 2025 campaign. His pre-season testing looked like a solid foundation, but clearly the superiority of the GP24 has unlocked a newfound stability in his performance.
It’s a small pool of results to draw from in a very long season, but here we are, two races, two sprints and he looks to be making the most of his machinery. The bike is allowing him to ride with a cleanliness that feels a significant step forward from his historically more raw style on track. Signature kinks in performance seem ironed out for Alex this year compared to his previous season’s results in the first few races of the season.
However, if he is to be considered a true title contender, he needs to be capable of showcasing a range of performances. It’s one thing to qualify well and stay out front, but the great title contenders of recent years have at some point in the season ended up stuck in the jungle and gallantly battled their way to the lead - and so far, Alex has been clear of the midpack.
We are yet to see a proper dogfight, somewhere his aggressive style can get the better of him. Marc's overwhelming pace will more often than not keep him safely out in front, leaving Alex more at risk of being vulnerable.
Once others unlock their 2025 potential he will have to learn to deal with more than a fraternal noogie from his older sibling. You can see riders like Franco Morbidelli unlocking their own performance gains in the wake of rough patches, gradually building confidence to challenge for more podium finishes. These riders are hungry to prove a point and will be less forgiving wheel to wheel.
So far though, he’s doing enough to keep the battles at bay and that will ultimately keep him in contention for this initial chapter. Contender? Absolutely. Favourite? Alas for Alex, I’d still bet on the big brother to keep him at arm's length. His reach has grown, but Marc’s arms, despite their various rebuilds, will always be longer.
You can’t ignore these results
Matt Beer
I keep hearing my colleagues lament Alex Marquez’s inconsistency. Qualifying or finishing second every time so far across a sample set that’s already four races, having also been fastest in two of the three pre-season tests (counting Barcelona 2024 as 2025 test one) and second in the other one. That’s consistent top-two performance across four circuits.
There is nothing inconsistent about Alex Marquez in 2025.
Surely it’s not impossible that a now quite experienced rider is going to be less mistake-prone when on a predictable, pacesetting bike in a year when many likely rivals are out of the picture than that rider was when on a less competitive bike scrapping in the upper midfield to prove they actually belonged on the grid in their own right?
Whether Alex is a title contender is a very different question to whether he can beat Marc to a title. Spoilers: he can’t unless Marc does something ludicrous.
But is Alex the closest thing Marc’s got to a title rival in 2025? He genuinely could be.
