Alex Márquez’s Home Triumph: From Understudy to Title Contender

For years, Alex Márquez has ridden in the immense shadow of his older brother, Marc. Despite being a two-time world champion in the junior classes (Moto3 in 2014 and Moto2 in 2019), Alex’s MotoGP career has been a tale of persistence through tough seasons and flashes of potential waiting to be realized. All that changed on April 27, 2025, at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. In front of his home crowd, Alex Márquez achieved his maiden MotoGP victory, an emotional triumph that he equated to the greatest accomplishments of his career autosport.com . This article explores Alex’s journey – from his early days as Marc’s junior, to the challenges of finding his place in MotoGP, to the breakthrough victory that has now made him a bona fide title contender.

Early Promise: Titles in the Lower Classes

Alex Márquez’s racing pedigree has never been in doubt. Coming up through the ranks, he demonstrated a calm, methodical riding style quite different from Marc’s all-out aggression, but effective in its own right. Alex clinched the Moto3 World Championship in 2014, then moved up and took the **Moto2 World Championship in 2019】. Those achievements put the Márquez brothers in rare company as siblings with world titles. Yet, as Alex himself has noted, nothing in the junior classes quite compares to the premier class – and he longed to make his mark in MotoGP.

He got his first shot at MotoGP in 2020 with the Repsol Honda Team (replacing a retiring Jorge Lorenzo). As a rookie, Alex impressed by scoring two podiums on the Honda RC213V, a bike notoriously difficult for newcomers. However, the subsequent seasons were less kind. Honda’s performance dipped, and Alex often struggled at the back of the pack while Marc (when not injured) fought at the front. Alex spent 2021–2022 in the LCR Honda squad, enduring a largely forgettable stint with only occasional top-ten finishes. By the end of 2022, it was clear a change was needed.

A New Chapter with Ducati: Rebirth at Gresini

The pivotal moment in Alex’s career came when he signed with the Gresini Ducati team for 2023. This move placed him on Ducati machinery – widely considered the best bike on the grid – and it effectively hit the reset button on his MotoGP prospects. In 2023, Alex immediately showed improvement. He took a pole position in Argentina and scored a couple of podiums that year, reminding everyone that given the right package, he could run with the leaders. Still, a victory eluded him, and he finished the 2023 season as a solid upper-mid-pack rider.

Entering 2025, Gresini provided Alex with the Ducati Desmosedici GP24 (the previous year’s model, since the factory team riders use the GP25). The season began with many pundits focusing on the “super team” of Marc Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia at the factory Ducati squad. Alex was considered an afterthought in title predictions – an independent team rider unlikely to challenge his superstar sibling or the reigning champ. But Alex had other ideas. In the first four rounds of 2025, he stunned observers by achieving no fewer than seven second-place finishes combined (across main races and sprints) reuters.com . He was frequently the runner-up to Marc in those early races, and these consistent podiums meant he was quietly keeping pace in the standings. The narrative was forming: Alex Márquez, the underdog, was emerging as the closest challenger to the seemingly unstoppable Marc.

Despite those strong results, the top step of the podium remained just out of reach – until Jerez.

The Breakthrough in Jerez: A Maiden Win at Home

If Alex could script a perfect venue for his first MotoGP victory, Jerez would be it. “If you had asked me where I would want to win my first MotoGP race, I would say Jerez for sure,” Alex revealed autosport.com . The Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez is a home race in every sense: the Andalusian fans are among the most passionate in the world, and the Márquez name is chanted around the grandstands all weekend (typically for Marc, but increasingly for Alex too). Alex had also tasted success at this track in his Moto2 days. All of that history came together on that Sunday afternoon as Alex delivered a masterclass ride to claim victory in front of family, friends, and tens of thousands of Spanish supporters.

The race itself was filled with narratives. Alex started fourth on the grid, directly behind Marc. Early on, he nearly collided with Marc in a bold overtake attempt, then had to watch his brother slide out in front of him a lap later reuters.com . At that moment, the door to victory truly opened. “When I was through the last corner [on the final lap], I was like a mix of emotions,” Alex said of the finish. “I was happy, I was emotional. It was super nice.” autosport.com As he crossed the line, he celebrated in a uniquely local fashion – revving to prompt the crowd and even gesturing for more noise with a few corners to go reuters.com . The normally reserved younger Márquez soaked in the adulation, having transformed the Circuito de Jerez into his own backyard party.

On the victory lap, Alex’s thoughts turned to his family and especially Marc. “My grandfather, all my family, and especially Marc… he’s the guy who is with me every day, supporting me the most,” Alex shared, explaining the flood of feelings after the win autosport.com . Indeed, moments after the race, Marc fought his way through the parc fermé throng to embrace Alex in a show of brotherly pride reuters.com . The fans witnessed a touching scene of two brothers – one having achieved everything in the sport, the other finally achieving his own moment of glory – celebrating together. It’s worth noting that this win made the Márquez brothers the first siblings ever to each have a MotoGP class victory reuters.com . Given Marc’s 8 world titles and 59 premier-class wins, and Alex’s long wait for win number one, this was truly a historic family milestone.

For Alex, the significance of the win was monumental. He boldly stated that the Jerez victory was “on the same level as my two titles” in Moto3 and Moto2 autosport.com . Consider that statement: world championships are usually a rider’s career highlights, yet Alex felt a single MotoGP win – coming after five full seasons of trying – matched those accomplishments. It underscores how meaningful and difficult that first win was for him. Not to mention, he achieved it against a field of riders that included multiple world champions (Marc, Quartararo, Bagnaia) and on a satellite bike. Little wonder Alex was fighting back tears amid the podium celebrations, as the Spanish national anthem played and the crowd roared.

Out of the Shadow: A Title Contender Emerges

Alex’s triumph in Jerez did more than earn him a winner’s trophy – it transformed the complexion of the 2025 championship. By winning while Marc finished 12th, Alex Márquez moved into the lead of the MotoGP World Championship after Round 5 autosport.com . It’s a position he had briefly held earlier (after Marc’s crash in the Americas GP, Alex had tied or led, only for Marc to reclaim it). But this time it feels different: Alex has proven he can beat all the top riders head-to-head in a straight fight. He didn’t luck into the win; he passed a factory Yamaha and a factory Ducati on track to get it autosport.com . That has to boost his confidence tremendously.

Yet, in true Alex Márquez fashion, he remains humble and realistic. Even after Jerez, he told media that he is not changing his mindset to think about the title hunt just yet autosport.com . “No,” he answered simply when asked if his goals had shifted now that he’s leading the standings autosport.com . He knows the road ahead is long (17 races to go) and that Marc, with the full might of the factory Ducati program behind him, is still the favorite in many respects. As Alex pointed out, Marc’s Ducati GP25 will receive updates and improvements throughout the year – indeed, the first major upgrade was expected in the test immediately after Jerez autosport.com – whereas Alex’s year-old GP24 might not benefit from as many developments. This technical disparity means Alex could face an uphill battle to maintain his edge as the season progresses.

However, what Alex Márquez has now is momentum and self-belief. The psychological breakthrough of a first win can unlock even more performance. Riders often say that after the first victory, the next ones come easier. Alex will also no longer be racing merely to podium; he’s proven to himself he can win, so his approach in close battles might sharpen. The dynamic between him and Marc will be fascinating to watch. The Márquez brothers have an excellent relationship off-track – they train together and openly support each other autosport.com autosport.com – but on-track for a world title could test that brotherly bond in new ways. We got a small taste of it in Jerez (the brief wheel-to-wheel moments before Marc’s crash). There’s a long season ahead where both could find themselves fighting for wins on multiple occasions. How will Marc respond to pressure from his kid brother? How will Alex handle being the target that Marc is chasing in the standings? These are narratives no one would have imagined a couple of years ago.

The Underdog Story Fans Love

Alex Márquez’s rise to title contention is rapidly becoming the underdog story of 2025. Fans, especially in Spain, are rallying behind him. In Jerez, chants of “Alex, Alex!” joined the usual “Marc, Marc!” – something unheard of just a short time ago. Alex’s polite, hardworking persona and the perseverance he’s shown through years of adversity have earned him respect. Now, with a victory on his résumé, he’s earning something even more potent: belief – from fans and from himself – that he can aim for the very top.

He’ll be cautious not to let expectations skyrocket. In his own words, he’s “celebrating this victory and nothing more” autosport.com , trying to keep focus on one race at a time. But it’s hard not to look at the points table and dream a little. Alex leads Marc by a single point autosport.com . The sibling duo sit above a field of champions. And behind them, other contenders (Bagnaia, Quartararo, perhaps a resurging Joan Mir or Maverick Viñales) are gearing up to insert themselves in the fight. It’s shaping up to be a classic season, and Alex Márquez has placed himself squarely in the center of it.

In the coming races, Alex will face new pressures – media attention, the weight of the red plate (championship leader’s status), and the inevitable development war as rivals try to out-evolve the satellite Ducati he rides. But if Jerez is any indication, he has the maturity and speed to handle it. As a two-time world champion in lower classes, he knows how to close out a title campaign, even if MotoGP is a tougher arena. And crucially, he has Marc in his corner as a mentor, even while being an opponent on track. That unique fraternal dynamic could be a secret weapon for both: they will push each other to new heights.

Alex Márquez’s journey from understudy to race winner is already one of the highlights of 2025. Should he continue this trajectory, we may be witnessing the emergence of a new MotoGP superstar in his own right. His home triumph in Jerez will forever be the moment that lit the spark. Now, the MotoGP world waits to see how far that flame can grow. One thing is certain – Alex Márquez is no longer just “Marc’s younger brother.” He is a Grand Prix winner and a championship leader, writing his own legacy one race at a time, and doing it with the grit and grace that have brought him this far. As he stood on the Jerez podium, trophy in hand and eyes wet with tears, the significance was clear: Alex Márquez has arrived.