After the first three MotoGP weekends of 2025, speculation has arisen about whether Alex Marquez has a mental hurdle when it comes to battling his older brother, Marc. While Marc is a six-time MotoGP champion, Alex has yet to secure his first premier-class victory.
Despite this, Alex has been the most consistent rider of the season so far, securing podium finishes in every race without making a single mistake. However, he has yet to defeat Marc in a direct head-to-head battle. As Ducati’s factory rider, Marc continues to be the dominant force, with Alex frequently praising him when asked about their rivalry.
Ahead of the Americas Grand Prix, Alex was questioned about any potential mental challenge he faces against his brother. His response was both lighthearted and telling: “I’m the younger one. Since I was born, I’ve been used to suffering those mental games.”
Three days later, Alex left Austin as the championship leader, holding a one-point advantage over Marc, who crashed while leading the race.
Despite this newfound consistency and performance aboard his Gresini Ducati, Alex occasionally appears deferential to his brother. In Texas, for instance, he stated that he would be happy to finish second at every race if it meant securing the championship through consistency. While some may interpret this as a lack of ambition, his steady accumulation of points is proving its value in the standings.
However, the constant comparisons between the two brothers fuel endless psychological analysis. Yet, Marc himself rejects the notion that Alex struggles with a mental block when racing against him.
“If Alex had any kind of mental block, he wouldn’t have been able to lead in Thailand or Argentina with me right behind him, without making a single mistake,” Marc told Motorsport.com. “Not once. He never lost focus for a second.”
Marc also dismissed any idea of hero worship between them. “Out of all the riders on the grid, Alex respects me the least—not in a bad way, but because he knows me best. He has seen me suffer at home, he knows I am flesh and blood,” Marc explained.
Given their close training routines, the brothers are highly aware of each other’s strengths at any given moment. Based on Alex’s form in the early races, Marc is convinced that it’s only a matter of time before his younger sibling finishes ahead of him.
“My brother is a hard worker,” Marc added. “He’s in a great rhythm. He will beat me in more than one race, more than two, and more than three. He isn’t a Moto2 and Moto3 world champion by chance. And all these podiums aren’t coincidences either. He has everything in place. And when it happens, he will be incredibly fast.”
Marc revealed that even at the end of 2024, he had already noticed Alex’s growing strength, particularly in the final races in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Barcelona. “He was already faster than me,” Marc admitted.
As MotoGP 2025 unfolds, it’s clear that Alex is no longer just Marc’s younger brother—he is a legitimate championship contender in his own right.
