Alex Marquez initially stayed out of the Ducati duel at Mugello, but then got involved after all – he describes how he experienced the turbulent scenes
“Yes, well, I’m really happy with second place,” said Alex Marquez after the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello. Once again, he lived up to his reputation as “Mr. P2.” He finished second for the fifth time this season, adding to his eight second places in sprints.
“Marc was simply better than us,” Alex admits without envy. “Even before the weekend, I knew that this track would be a good opportunity to take points away from him. But he was stronger.”
“It was still a good result for our championship because we finished ahead of ‘Pecco’ and now have more points in the overall standings. We are now in a strong second place in the World Championship – but we have to stay focused. Overall, it was a very positive weekend for us.“
When Ducati teammates Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia were battling it out in the early stages of the race, Alex Marquez initially stayed out of it, but then got involved and took the lead at one point.
”I got off to a really good start and tried to manage my tires in the same way as Marc. When I saw that he was battling pretty hard with ‘Pecco’, I decided to stay out of it to save energy.”
There was one dicey situation when Bagnaia’s front wheel hit Marc Marquez’s rear wheel. Alex Marquez was right behind them, but he was able to swerve and pass Bagnaia on the left.
“That was very close,” Alex Marquez emphasized about the situation, “and above all, it was quite risky. I didn’t expect that collision between ‘Pecco’ and Marc. At that moment, ‘Pecco’ suddenly slowed down a lot, and I just thought: Stand up and swerve!”
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“I was just able to save the situation and overtake him at that point. Luckily, nothing happened – that’s the most important thing.“ In the end, the Gresini rider got involved in the duel and took the lead.
”When I noticed that the pace was quite slow during the overtaking maneuvers and an opportunity arose, I said to myself: Now you have to attack,” said Alex Marquez. “When I overtook ‘Pecco’ in turn 3, it was clear: now you have to ride at your pace.”
“I knew that I might pay for it in the final laps. But at that moment, that was my strategy – push and ride at the front, also because of the temperature in the front tire. And I executed it well.”
Does Alex Marquez fight differently against his brother?
At first, Alex Marquez was able to pull away from his brother a little, but in the end Marc Marquez was faster, overtook him and rode confidently to victory. After the race, Alex was asked whether he treats Marc differently in a duel than, for example, Bagnaia.
“No, no,” he dismissed. “It depends more on the moment in the race. Until I attacked, there wasn’t really a clear opportunity for me. But when ‘Pecco’ made a mistake in the last corner, I was able to take advantage of the momentum.”
“For some reason, I find it difficult to overtake them. At that moment, I said to myself: Now is the opportunity – if you get a chance, you have to take it. ‘Pecco’ was still a little better in turn 1, but I regained the position in turn 3.”
“It was a clear overtaking maneuver. Until then, however, it was just a battle that put strain on the tires and cost energy – without any added value. The strategy depends on the opponent,” said Alex Marquez.
Bagnaia ultimately had no chance against the Marquez brothers. Pedro Acosta said in Mugello that they are currently riding on their own level and that Bagnaia is the first “normal” rider behind them in the pecking order.
Does Alex Marquez see himself and Marc a step above the rest? “I just see myself as Alex Marquez – as always. Sure, I’ve improved this year. But first of all, thank you to Pedro for the compliment.“
”It’s always nice when a very good rider says something like that about you. I just try to do my job as well as possible and always give 100 percent. I don’t see it as something magical – I’m still the same person.”
“I work hard, I want to do things well. And I have a good package – all the ingredients for a strong season are there.” In the World Championship, his gap to Marc has grown to 40 points, but his lead over Bagnaia has increased to 70 points.
