The Márquez Alentà brothers are already preparing for the party they owe each other at the end of the month in Cervera. Marc, new world champion, does this between rehab and gym sessions after hurting his damn right arm in Indonesia. Álex, runner-up and the first of mortals, as his father says, enjoying the last two grand prizes on the course without pressure. This weekend at the Portuguese GP, and the following weekend, the return to Valencia after the injury, where they will take to the stage together dressed in formal clothes and share another unique moment. The photo for the room. November 22nd will be the day of the last fireworks in the streets of their hometown, where they will share with friends, family and fans the celebration of their unprecedented one-two finish at the summit of MotoGP.
“It’s a pride to see Marc and Álex as united, as always, now that they are at the top. It’s not easy knowing that they compete in a sport where only one can win and everyone is a rival. paddock from Portimão. “Sometimes they ask us how they got like this and we don’t have a clear answer. Of course we tried to educate them the best we know how, but like all parents, we will have made some mistakes. The most important thing is that their behavior is exemplary, on and off the field, and as a family we cannot ask for more”, he adds.
The Márquez brothers are not the first to share the glory among the elite of their sport, but their achievement transcends their achievements on asphalt. “The image of sportsmanship they have shown to the world is admirable. It is not easy to have a relationship as good as theirs when it comes to a rival for the title. Even though they are brothers, there are always moments of tension, because on the track there is a lot at stake and the adrenaline runs wild”, says Aleix Espargaró, who for many years shared the grid with his brother Pol. “Just getting to MotoGP is already extremely complicated, but to dominate as they both did this year is historic, a unique achievement. Even so, For me, the message of his achievement is clear: you should never forget what comes first, which is family”, concludes the driver, now a Honda tester.
“He’s as happy for me as I am for him, but we save our energy for the party in Cervera,” says the runner-up about his first meeting with Marc after finishing work at the Malaysian GP. “When you live in a moment like this, it’s hard to believe. It’s a strange feeling. We’ll realize what we’ve achieved in a few years, calm and with a beer in hand, watching the moment on TV on the sofa at home”, he adds.
The Márquez brothers scored six doubles on Sunday, with five wins for Marc and another for Álex. Overall for the season, the 93 achieved 11 victories in 17 Grands Prix contested, while the 73 unlocked its record and accumulated three victories in its sixth year in MotoGP. 14 victories with their surnames in a 22-race championship. “The truth is that we can’t ask for anything more. We enjoyed every moment of this season, with several pairs and podiums. And we have to know how to enjoy it, because it could be an unrepeatable moment in our lives”, says the youngest of the family.
Álex has said in the past the same thing that the Espargarós or Luca Marini, Honda rider and brother of Valentino Rossi, also say about the fact that they compete alongside their brothers: that many would like it. Marc also emphasized in this course that the benefits of this magnificent and exemplary fraternal relationship do not go in one direction. Both understand and complement each other delightfully, as José Luis Martínez and José Carrión, his assistants on the circuits and best friends outside of them, remember.
The little one was present in the most difficult moments of the older man’s injury and was the first to believe in the rebirth and recovery of this year’s seven-time MotoGP champion. “Any other rider would have thrown in the towel, but he never gave up. I was convinced that when he recovered from his injuries and had a minimally competitive bike, he would return to fighting for victories and titles”, recalled Álex in Japan. Marc, in turn, always firmly defended the talent and merits of a champion in the intermediate categories, capable of bearing the weight of being “brother of” throughout his life: “If he had another surname, he would be much more valued.
The Williams and the Schumachers, mirrors with nuances
The Márquez relationship is comparable to that shared by other sporting icons of his era, although perhaps free, for now, of notable friction on the track. The Schumachers, for example, also managed to win at the height of motorsport. Michael, a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, loved being a mechanic for Ralf, six years younger, as a child. And it is a tribute to the history of the Márquez family, as Álex started on motorcycles wanting to act as Marc’s technician.
The Schumachers, yes, had a slightly more tumultuous relationship when they grew up and met on the circuits. “Michael sometimes turns his brain off,” Ralf once said after an unlimited stint with his older brother in Monaco. “I wasn’t on a tour,” the man replied without hesitation. Kaiser. In 2001, at the Canadian GP, the two scored a double for history, a memory that the boy still has: “It was something incredible, a unique feeling for us and our parents. In total there were five doubles and 16 podiums together throughout their respective careers.
In tennis, the Williams sisters also competed countless times, duels in which they suffered psychologically due to the strange mix of emotions that accompanies the search for victory against someone you would like to see always win. “She’s your sister and you want her to lose… it’s something that’s not good for the soul”, acknowledged Serena, with 23 thousand dollars on her record, in her time. They faced each other in 31 matches as professionals, with a balance of 19-12 (9-3 in the tournament finals) in favor of the little guy in the saga. “The family factor was complex to manage. My younger sister was in front of me and of course I wanted her to win too”, recalled Venus, winner of 14 Grand Slams.
His recommendation to future parents, in fact, is that they enroll their children in different sports, as between children “there cannot be healthy competition”. In it paddockApparently, this thesis is not so clear. Marc and Álex, for example, never stopped enjoying competing together in anything: to see who is the fastest to reach the top on a bike, to see who wins the next game on the video game console. And of course, let’s see who wins the next race. In 2026 they will ride exactly the same bike and love the challenge.