Attack, attack, attack: Alex Marquez dedicated his second place to Marco Simoncelli

Alex Márquez secured 9th on the grid after two crashes in Q2 on Saturday morning – meaning the Gresini rider’s chances of a podium finish were effectively nil. This assessment was further supported by the result of the sprint race: despite giving it his all, he could manage no better than 5th place. The younger brother had been almost five seconds slower than winner Marc the previous day.

On Grand Prix Sunday, the runner-up in the world championship rode with abandon. He had already moved up to fifth place after just one lap. One lap later, he had overtaken his team-mate Aldeguer, and by the end of lap 4, Alex Márquez had come back ahead of KTM speedster Pedro Acosta. Setting the fastest lap of the race, he then set off in pursuit of the lead. He also overtook Jorge Martin. Then it was all over. Although Alex managed to close the gap to 0.6 seconds, a serious challenge never materialised.

Teamwork: Die siegreichen Marquez-Brüder

Foto: Gold and Goose

After the 27-lap race, the runner-up was ecstatic: “After qualifying, I was actually sure I had no chance of a podium finish. But even in the warm-up, the feel and speed were there. I felt just as good straight away in the race – after a good start, I had everything I needed to attack – so I kept pushing hard.”

“AM73” continued: “I was able to push hard for a long time and my lap times remained very fast right up to the end. But really attacking Marc – that was incredibly difficult. His riding in the final sector was absolutely incredible. But I’m absolutely delighted with how it turned out, and that I was able to honour these special colours – this podium is dedicated to Marco Simoncelli.”

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18.09.2026 - 08:55

With his spectacularly successful comeback, the younger brother – along with Fermin Aldeguer, who finished fourth – also provided crucial support for the world champion – and Ducati. Marc Marquez took the lead in the championship for the first time in 2026 following the Misano GP. The icing on the cake: with this dream result for Ducati, the Bologna-based manufacturer also took the lead in the Constructors’ Championship!