ALEX MARQUEZ secured a commanding victory at the Catalunya MotoGP, defeating his brother Marc to end his seven-race winning streak.
The 29-year-old Gresini Ducati rider finished 1.740 seconds ahead of his older sibling, preventing him from clinching the world championship at the next round in Misano.
Marc Marquez remains the championship leader with 487 points, while Alex now sits second with 305 points after his second career win.
Enea Bastianini completed the podium a further 5.562 seconds behind on his KTM machine.
Alex expressed satisfaction after overcoming his disappointment from Saturday’s Sprint race crash.
“Today I had to pull that thorn out — maybe without that mistake yesterday, I would have had it today, so maybe it served for something,“ he explained.
The winner described his strategy as one of self-control, managing his pace to preserve tyre life throughout the race.
Marc acknowledged his brother’s superior performance while expressing contentment with his own result.
“I gave everything. I had the perfect race. I led on the first laps,“ the championship leader stated.
The 32-year-old admitted struggling in the closing stages but expressed happiness for his brother’s achievement.
Alex recovered brilliantly after his brother initially took the lead from third on the grid into the first corner.
He reclaimed the position on lap four and gradually built an unassailable advantage over the following laps.
The Marquez brothers demonstrated superior pace throughout, finishing over four seconds clear of third-placed Bastianini.
Their dominant performance thrilled the packed Circuit de Barcelona crowd, with the brothers celebrating together on the podium.
Marc must now wait until at least the Japanese Grand Prix on September 28 to secure his seventh world championship title.
Francesco Bagnaia recovered impressively from 21st on the grid to finish seventh after his worst qualifying performance since 2022. – AFP
