{"id":126976,"date":"2025-09-08T04:21:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T04:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/126976\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T04:21:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T04:21:10","slug":"grand-prix-of-catalunya-analysis-alex-marquez-marc-marquez-enea-bastianini-jack-miller-guenther-steiner-max-verstappen-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/126976\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Prix of Catalunya, analysis, Alex Marquez, Marc Marquez, Enea Bastianini, Jack Miller, Guenther Steiner, Max Verstappen, Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calling Alex Marquez\u2019s victory over Marc Marquez in the Grand Prix of Catalunya<\/a> as being against the run of play doesn\u2019t begin to describe it. <\/p>\n

Equally \u2013 and somewhat paradoxically \u2013 it wasn\u2019t a shock. <\/p>\n

Every MotoGP qualifying, practice and race LIVE and ad-break free from lights out to the chequered flag. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today ><\/a><\/p>\n

Before Sunday\u2019s 24-lap battle, the Marquez siblings had finished first and second in the same race \u2013 sprint or Grand Prix \u2013 16 previous times this season. On 15 of those occasions, it was Marc first, Alex second. <\/p>\n

That Marc Marquez held sway in the stats against a rider he grew up sharing a bedroom with in Cervera, about 100 kilometres from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, is little surprise given the chasm that\u2019s emerged between the six-time MotoGP world champion and everyone else this season, his first on a factory Ducati. <\/p>\n

MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CATALUNYA RACE REPORT<\/a> Alex Marquez snaps big brother\u2019s blitz to keep championship alive<\/p>\n

MILLER STAYS<\/a> The five reasons why Aussie\u2019s career hasn\u2019t reached the finish line \u2026 yet<\/p>\n

The 32-year-old came into Sunday\u2019s Grand Prix on a 15-race run, comfortably the longest streak of success since MotoGP adopted the sprint race format for the 2023 season. <\/p>\n

If he\u2019d finished ahead of his sibling, he\u2019d have his first chance to win the world championship that\u2019s eluded him since 2019 at next weekend\u2019s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, the seventh-last round of 22 this season. <\/p>\n

The key word in that sentence? \u2018If\u2019. <\/p>\n

For once, Marc Marquez wasn\u2019t the favourite to win on Sunday, and he knew it. The circuit characteristics at the track on the outskirts of Barcelona \u2013 a place where Marquez had, by his standards, struggled over the years \u2013 weren\u2019t to his liking before his series of right arm operations since his Spanish Grand Prix accident of 2020, and certainly haven\u2019t been since. <\/p>\n

Marquez won in Barcelona in 2014 \u2013 part of a 10-race winning run to begin that season \u2013 and again in 2019, when he finished all but one race that season in first or second place. Since then, the circuit\u2019s fast right-handed corners are a rare place where he merely looks mortal, and little brother held the edge. <\/p>\n

Alex Marquez qualified on pole on Saturday and \u2013 after fluffing his lines with a late crash from the lead of Saturday\u2019s sprint race at Turn 10 to enable Marc to extend his winning run<\/a> \u2013 made amends 24 hours later. It was tense, and it was close \u2013 from lap four when Alex took the lead until lap 20, the gap was no more than half a second \u2013 but, this time, it was a day for Marc to know when he was beaten. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s super-strong in my weak points,\u201d Marc Marquez said after the race, explaining where his sibling held sway. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying to compensate on the left corners, but that is just three corners on the left side where I was able to recover some gap.<\/p>\n

\u201cI already expect on Thursday that Alex will be the rider to beat \u2026 he\u2019s second in the championship and he\u2019s riding in a very good way, especially here in Catalunya. He won in Moto3, he won two times in Moto2 \u2026 I tried, I tried everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the limit in the last laps, but with four or five laps [remaining] I did a mistake in Turn 7, another in Turn 10, and I give up. It\u2019s true today that Alex is faster than us. Even yesterday, but he crashed. But I\u2019m happy, because in a circuit where we struggle a bit more than usual, we were close to the top guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that \u2018top guy\u2019? As Alex Marquez completed his in-lap back to the pits after his second MotoGP victory, he stopped at the same Turn 10 gravel trap he found himself sliding into the day before, got off his Ducati and theatrically rolled through it. With a few choice words and gestures to make things right. <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought before the race that if I win, I need to [do] that,\u201d he laughed afterwards. <\/p>\n

\u201cI did the two middle fingers, double, because yesterday was so painful. I hate that corner, I needed to do the revenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy but still, the mistake from yesterday is painful. But [today] was the best way to forget that. It\u2019s true that we did a mistake and it cost a lot of points, but it was the best way to not make the [same] mistake today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marc Marquez ramped up the pressure on younger brother Alex, but the race leader held his nerve. (Photo by Josep LAGO \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n

\u2018IT\u2019S NEVER EASY\u2019: ALEX SOAKS UP PRESSURE, THEN STRIKES<\/p>\n

Alex Marquez knew from the telemetry where he was faster than his brother on the 14-turn Barcelona layout, and had a plan of how to best execute his race at a track that\u2019s one of the trickiest to master thanks to its old, worn asphalt that offers little traction for MotoGP machines to put their power down without spinning the rear tyre into oblivion. <\/p>\n

After the switchback right\/left corner combination to begin the lap, the long tyre-torturing third and fourth turns \u2013 both right-handers \u2013 require a delicate touch to control tyre spin and a firm right hand to keep the speed constant, and it was the ace in Alex Marquez\u2019s pack. <\/p>\n

MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n

SPRINT REPORT<\/a> Marquez streak continues after brother\u2019s blunder<\/p>\n

ONE MORE YEAR<\/a> Miller inks deal with Yamaha as contracted teammate let go<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn 4 \u2026 the three right corners I was flying,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI saw it on the data in [qualifying] and I saw I was fast. In that sector I was feeling really good, the feeling with the bike was amazing. The corner speed was so, so high. That is where I did the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Marc breathing down his neck for 16 straight laps, the race for Alex became one of holding his nerve, limiting mistakes and sticking with his pre-race plan on when to pull the pin, mindful of Grands Prix in Thailand and Argentina earlier this season when Marc sat behind him and then breezed by in the latter stages to end up victorious. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was really concentrated on the lines and I did no mistakes today,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith seven [laps] to the end I say \u2018OK Alex, if you have something more, try to show it\u2019. It\u2019s not easy to control Marc for 24 laps behind you. You are never relaxed when Marc is behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Thailand I was completely conscious that he was playing with us \u2026 maybe not playing, but he was waiting in that moment. Different situations, but today we had the best opportunity to try to beat Marc.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, when Marc (second) and Alex (third) finished on the podium in Germany for the first time in their five years together on the MotoGP grid, it was the first time siblings had stood on the same rostrum since Japanese brothers Nobuatsu and Takuma Aoki did likewise in Imola in 1997. <\/p>\n

In 15 Grands Prix in 2025, the Marquez brothers have now managed six Grands Prix and 11 sprints where they\u2019ve sprayed celebratory champagne together. It\u2019s becoming par for the course, but something neither brother is prepared to take for granted. <\/p>\n

\u201cToday, to be 1-2, two brothers fighting for the victory in MotoGP until the last lap \u2026 it\u2019s something that, when you stop to think about it, it\u2019s crazy \u2026 it\u2019s not normal,\u201d Alex said. <\/p>\n

Marc, who crashed out of victory contention and finished 12th at Jerez in round five when Alex took his maiden Grand Prix win in April, concurred. <\/p>\n

\u201cHome GP, we are living 100km from here, first and second \u2026 I say in Jerez that I was sad not to be on the podium with him. But, amazing feeling for the family and all of our friends.\u201d <\/p>\n

Having his first chance to seal the title delayed until the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of September was, in the circumstances, something he was prepared to live with. <\/p>\n

\u201cToday it\u2019s true that I was maybe able to go all-in, but it\u2019s not the time to do it,\u201d Marc Marquez said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to keep the same concentration. There would be a day to accept when somebody is faster than me, and today little brother was faster than me. That sentence I kept saying in my head. It was a bit easier to accept. It\u2019s never easy, but Alex deserved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For just the second time this season, Alex took Marquez family honours on a podium with older brother Marc. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

MILLER BOUNCES BACK AFTER BEING BOUNCED OFF<\/p>\n

Jack Miller was positive after a race that \u2013 on paper \u2013 didn\u2019t appear to be particularly noteworthy in Barcelona, the Australian starting and finishing in 14th place for Yamaha, ending up 24.351secs behind Alex Marquez at the chequered flag. <\/p>\n

Given where Miller ended up on the first lap, he had reason to be. <\/p>\n

Miller was more than three seconds adrift of the pack in 24th and last place after the opening lap, punted into the gravel trap at Turn 4 in the manic early stages after an incident triggered by Brad Binder (KTM) left him with nowhere to go. <\/p>\n

Already 8.2secs off the lead after one lap, Miller\u2019s comeback featured the ninth-fastest lap of the race (a 1min 40.301sec lap on lap two) and a penultimate-lap pass of Ducati\u2019s Fermin Aldeguer to claim 14th place and earn two world championship points. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll in all it was not a terrible day,\u201d Miller said. <\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately I got hit at Turn 4 and took a trip through the gravel, and then just had to work my way up from dead-last. I was hard on the inside of [Aprilia\u2019s Jorge] Martin and when I copped a hit, I was tangled with the back-end of Martin\u2019s bike and it was exit stage-left into the gravel, and that was it. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe pace was decent and the bike was working alright. I feel like we made a step with the bike this weekend, just in general with our base setting. Fine-tuning it more than big changes, so I\u2019m happy with the way the bike was performing and I think we have a good strategy for the next couple of Grands Prix.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller, in his first race after being confirmed for the Pramac Yamaha team for 2026<\/a> in the lead-up to the Barcelona weekend, was buoyed by the performance of Yamaha stablemate Fabio Quartararo, who qualified second, finished second in Saturday\u2019s sprint after Alex Marquez\u2019s late crash, and was fifth in Sunday\u2019s Grand Prix at a circuit where Yamaha was predicted to struggle. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s able to let the bike roll a little bit more, he\u2019s able to carry the corner speed but still get a good exit,\u201d Miller said when asked how Quartararo was making the difference. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, my difficulty here has been the last two corners to either have corner speed or a good exit, I can\u2019t put the two together. He\u2019s able to put the two together, and he\u2019s able to do that for the majority of the track. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s able to carry the speed, but not over-spin the bike on the exit [of the corners]. He\u2019s doing amazing things on a dinosaur, and I take my hat off to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller gained 10 places after his opening-lap disaster to end up where he started in 14th. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

F1 CHAMP\u2019S MOTOGP LINK AS STEINER CELEBRATES<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen is the latest Formula 1 name to be linked to MotoGP, with Sky Sports Italy reporting in the lead-in to Sunday\u2019s race in Barcelona that the four-time F1 champion is looking to invest in a MotoGP team. <\/p>\n

On Friday in Catalunya, former Haas F1 team principal and Drive to Survive cult figure Guenther Steiner was announced as taking over the Tech3 team from 2026; Herve Poncharal\u2019s team, which has been in MotoGP since 2001, took its first podium finish of the season on Sunday when Italian rider Enea Bastianini finished in third place. <\/p>\n

The report on skysport.it said: \u201cMax Verstappen, through his entourage and his father Jos, is reportedly knocking on the doors of Honda and Aprilia to indirectly gauge the willingness of their respective satellite teams, LCR and Trackhouse, to sell 100 per cent of their shares.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further reporting from the-race.com indicated that while Verstappen\u2019s inner circle is interested in MotoGP, that interest is still more conceptual than being advanced to the point of talking to specific teams.<\/p>\n

Verstappen\u2019s name being linked to MotoGP and Steiner\u2019s investment comes after Formula 1 owners Liberty Media became MotoGP\u2019s majority owners in July<\/a> after acquiring 84 per cent of MotoGP from rights holder Dorna in July for 4.3 billion Euros (A$7.7 billion). <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always loved MotoGP \u2026 I\u2019ve never had time to enjoy it because I was always working,\u201d Steiner said after the purchase of Tech3 was made public on the eve of the Catalan round. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot to learn, I\u2019m very conscious of that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Bastianini\u2019s podium \u2013 his first since crossing from Ducati at the end of last season after he was replaced by Marc Marquez \u2013 came one race after he\u2019d crashed at the Hungarian Grand Prix and miraculously avoided injury when he slid across the track in front of the majority of the pack on the opening lap. <\/p>\n

\u201cEnea was on fire,\u201d Poncharal said after the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was really cross with what happened in Hungary and he wanted revenge. I think today he showed he has mastered the [KTM] RC16 quite well now, and now we get to count on him for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Guenther is a lucky bastard. He\u2019s just come in, got a podium \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Calling Alex Marquez\u2019s victory over Marc Marquez in the Grand Prix of Catalunya as being against the run…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[2620,2095,12910,1724,64,63,88839,937,49522,36380,88847,84722,88835,88829,11301,2057,16230,88827,13038,5717,2105,14211,88832,3552,41537,939,88842,3555,88838,33126,88837,4280,16268,825,88845,84709,88826,806,805,803,804,36519,36328,12022,36383,43359,88834,88833,88828,88836,11298,2812,3595,2020,85,88840,16273,7482,88846,88841,13773,3725,88843,88844,88830,88831,2062,34750,2086,88825,3561],"class_list":["post-126976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-america","tag-argentina","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-starting","tag-barcelona","tag-chequered-flag","tag-choice-words","tag-circuit-characteristics","tag-contracted-teammate-let","tag-corner-speed","tag-david-ramos","tag-eastern-europe","tag-europe","tag-fabio-quartararo","tag-family-honours","tag-finish-line","tag-germany","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-grands-prix","tag-gravel-trap","tag-guenther-steiner","tag-herve-poncharal","tag-hungary","tag-inner-circle","tag-jack-miller","tag-japanese-brothers","tag-jos","tag-majority-owners","tag-marc-marquez","tag-matt-clayton","tag-max-verstappen","tag-miller-bounces","tag-miller-inks","tag-miller-stays","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-opening-lap","tag-podium-finish","tag-province-of-barcelona","tag-race-leader","tag-race-winner","tag-respective-satellite-teams","tag-right-arm-operations","tag-right-left-corner-combination","tag-seventh-last-round","tag-south-america","tag-south-eastern-asia","tag-southern-europe","tag-spain","tag-sports","tag-sprint-race-format","tag-sprint-report","tag-sweet-revenge","tag-switchback-right-left-corner","tag-takuma-aoki","tag-team-principal","tag-thailand","tag-time-siblings","tag-top-guy","tag-tyre-spin","tag-victory-contention","tag-western-europe","tag-winning-run","tag-world-championship","tag-world-championship-points","tag-yamaha"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}