Written by Isha Reshmi Mohan
The Thai Grand Prix 2025 has officially come to an end, with Marc Márquez securing victory in every session - taking pole position in qualifying, winning the sprint race, and claiming the main race earlier today.
The spotlight was once again on the rivalry between the Márquez brothers, as Alex Márquez also made history alongside Marc as they became the first siblings to have a 1-2 race start.
With this result, nearly all the questions at the post-race press conference focused on the brothers' emotions, especially with their father present at the Grand Prix to witness their success.
Marc led the race until Lap 7, Turn 3, when he ‘lost’ the position to his brother. Alex admitted he was unsure of what had happened, initially assuming there was an issue with the track since he was at the apex at that moment.
He then wondered if it was a tyre issue, as he had been experiencing something similar.
The Gresini rider believed he made a mistake with expecting Marc to stay low in an attempt to avoid errors in the race while he could take off.
While Alex wasn’t entirely wrong in his assumption, the reality was that Marc had let it happen to avoid putting additional pressure on his tyres.
Marc explained that the start of the race was smooth and fast, but after a few laps, he realized his tyre pressure was too low and not within the ‘correct range’.
He tried braking harder for two laps to see if it would help him recover. When that didn’t work, he decided to wait for Alex while mentally counting the remaining laps. He concluded that he had a margin of three laps and made the decision to attack when the timing felt right, ultimately securing his victory.
Before reclaiming the lead from Alex, Marc's front tyre visibly locked up a bit. When asked about it, he explained that he had tried his best to control it using the rear brake but admitted that his precision wasn’t as refined as his teammate Francesco Bagnaia’s.
When asked about his experience with the new bike compared to last year, Marc praised the family-like atmosphere at Gresini but acknowledged that when the opportunity to join the Factory team comes up, offering more resources and facilities - he had to take it and with that he’s having a good time with the Factory bike.
Throughout the press conference, he repeatedly emphasized that he sees himself as a ‘newcomer’ and is still in the process of building relationships within the team. However, he expressed his praises to the “human” team, appreciating their efforts in adapting the bike’s improvements to suit the rider.
Marc also seemed confident in competing for the first win in Thailand after his test sessions in Sepang.
Marc said: “I knew here in Thailand it was a good chance to fight for the victory because in Malaysia I feel good. If in Malaysia I feel good, that means I am in a good shape. So, in Malaysia I was very close to the level of these two guys (Alex and Pecco)…”
This victory marks Marc’s first win in an opening race in over 10 years. Another widely shared statistic on social media is that his last time leading the championship was exactly 93 GP’s ago.
When asked how hard he was willing to go against Alex, given their sibling relationship and the possibility of things getting personal afterward, Marc joked that it would be tough if something happened since they have to eat lunch together back at home.
On a more serious note, he emphasized that, in the end, it’s still a competition. Regardless of whether you’re overtaking a teammate or an opponent, the goal is to do it cleanly and without mistakes.
However, he acknowledged that there are moments when things can get out of hand. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case in today’s race.
Alex also delivered a fantastic performance, holding his position despite his doubts the day before, when he assumed Pecco would likely take it from him.
Although he currently sits in second place behind his brother, with strong results and points to his name, he reiterated that he is aware his team is still not on the same level as the factory bikes.
What was once expected to be a rivalry between the Ducati Factory duo could now see Alex joining the battle, keeping the fight for the top within the Ducati camp.
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