Jerez, Spain — Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez captured his first MotoGP race victory on Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix, seizing the championship lead from his elder brother, Marc Marquez, who crashed early and finished 12th. After seven second-place finishes this season across sprints and races, Alex finally clinched a dream win on home soil in front of over 100,000 roaring fans. The Spaniard urged the crowd to raise the volume even as he negotiated the final corners of the last lap.
Fabio Quartararo finished second, earning Yamaha’s first podium since the 2023 Indonesian Grand Prix, while Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia came in third. Marc Marquez squeezed through the crowd to celebrate with Alex in the winner’s circle, as the Marquez brothers became the first siblings to both win races in MotoGP history.
But the day firmly belonged to Alex, who now leads Marc by one point in the championship standings. His victory was made even more special when the checkered flag was waved by Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz. “The best birthday present – amazing. The first one in Jerez is something amazing,” said Alex, who turned 29 on Wednesday. “I cannot ask for more. It was a race where I was clever in all the movements.”
The race began with polesitter Quartararo taking a clean start into turn one, while Marc Marquez dropped back to fourth. Early drama unfolded as Alex attempted an aggressive move to overtake multiple riders but braked too late and lost ground. Meanwhile, a collision between Marc and Bagnaia saw Marc crash at turn seven. He rejoined the race with a damaged bike in 22nd place, to groans from the packed stands.
Bagnaia’s struggles didn’t end there — Alex surged past him with a bold move to claim second and began hunting down Quartararo. On lap 11, Alex’s Ducati proved too strong for the Yamaha rider, drawing a deafening roar from the grandstands as he took the lead.
From there, Alex pulled away, while Quartararo fought off Bagnaia to secure second.
“Incredible. To be on the podium is super special — especially with the gap to Alex and keeping Pecco [Bagnaia] behind was so difficult,” said Quartararo, the 2021 world champion. “It’s been long years, but super happy to be back on the podium in Jerez.”
