Alex Marquez: “A teammate is the first you want to beat! I gave Marc my opinion”

Eight-time world champion Marc’s confirmation that he will swap Repsol Honda for Gresini Ducati in 2024 has caused a major buzz in the paddock at this weekend’s Indonesian MotoGP.

And a key chapter in the story will be his teammate next year, his brother Alex who made a successful jump a year ago from LCR Honda to Gresini.

Asked if Marc would become a rival, Alex responded at Mandalika: “Everybody will be my rival, not just Marc. 

“With a teammate you always have a special thing, he’s the first you want to beat on the track, it will be like this, it’s true. 

“If we beat him, we will be on the top! It will be a normal relationship. 

“We already shared a box, not for long. It didn’t end in the best way, with his injury. We have a second opportunity to enjoy it together.”

Alex revealed his own role in the bombshell move that has rocked MotoGP: “It will be interesting to see him on a Ducati bike. 

“I was expecting a fast teammate but not like that! It will be fascinating. 

“I’m happy for the team, they deserve it, and also for Marc because he deserves it to enjoy it again on the bike. 

“I won’t say that he didn’t ask for my opinion. But I gave my opinion as a brother, not as a Gresini Ducati rider. 

“As a brother because I know what [he’s been through] since 2020. He is suffering even now. 

“It’s time to make a change, it’s his decision, and for me it is positive. 

“I have a fast teammate, an eight-time world champion, and I can learn a lot from that situation. It will increase my level to learn from the best rider on the grid.”

• Marc Marquez reveals: "One year off was a possibility | Gresini took a gamble"

Several Ducati riders, including title rivals Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, have debated whether Marc will immediately become a championship contender next season with a better machine.

“It’s too early to say that,” Alex insisted. “Normally we see the stories of the Ducati riders when they arrive, it’s quite easy to adapt to the bike, also in my case. 

“But he’s been riding the same bike for 11 years, there are many things he must change. But he has an incredible talent. 

“He will be fast from the first moment. But to fight for a championship? It’s too early. Step by step. We still have the whole winter in front, all of preseason.”

The Marquez brothers have also maintained that, away from the paddock, they do not discuss MotoGP at home in Spain. Next year, that might change…

“We said many times, at home we don’t speak about races,” Alex smiled.

“This year less because we have different bikes. Next year yes, because we can speak about the bike, about what he did, what I did. It will be an easier life for us.”

Alex is returning to action this weekend in Indonesia after fracturing a rib.

“I’m really happy to be here again, I miss the team and the atmosphere of MotoGP,” he said after being passed fit to compete. 

“It’s not easy to see the races at home on TV. I arrive on the limit in my physical condition. 

“I’ll try to be realistic in every moment. How is the pain? I’ll speak with the doctors and if the pain is too high, I will stop. I won’t put any objective on positions. I will go from practice to practice.”