Alex Marquez seeks “Plan B” for 2025 | warns Ducati not to lose Marc Marquez
“I am working on more options to have a Plan B"
Alex Marquez admits he is searching for a Plan B amid Ducati’s huge rider decisions for next season.
The Gresini rider wants to stay put in his current team but, with a huge reshuffle plausible, he is working to guarantee his place in the 2025 MotoGP rider line-up.
Alex’s brother Marc is at the centre of silly season but Alex himself has barely been mentioned, even though his Gresini contract expires this season.
“Normally things go from the top guys,” Alex said about the rider market, referencing Ducati’s decision over their 2025 factory line-up.
“Everybody is waiting. Marc, Jorge, Enea…
“We need to wait. I speak with Nadia and Gresini. I am calm with what they are saying to me.
“I am working on more options to have a Plan B because you never know what will happen with this situation.
“My preference is to continue with Gresini.”
Alex was asked about Ducati’s call, whether to replace Enea Bastianini with Marc Marquez or Jorge Martin.
His warning was that whoever is overlooked could haunt Ducati riding a rival’s bike.
“My opinion is not fair,” he said. “I would take my brother!
“It’s a difficult decision. I think Ducati need to be quite calm because whatever decision they take will be a good one.
“It’s not like they are playing with their future. This one, the other, the other… they are all good ones.
“The rider they will lose is a problem for them. Because he will go to another manufacturer and will be fast.”
“Marc Marquez is more relaxed because he is fast"
The smile that has returned to the face of his illustrious brother Marc is because he is a less-pressurised satellite team atmosphere, it was suggested to Alex.
But he replied: “The atmosphere on the team can be more relaxed but the pressure is still there.
“Who wasn’t saying, at the start, where Marc would be after the first race? This is pressure.
“He is more relaxed because he is fast.
“You can be in a satellite team but, if you are not fast, the smile will not come.
“He is really good at Gresini. His decision has weight because I have said to him that he is comfortable here.”
This weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP brings Alex back to familiar surroundings, but to a track where he is yet to excel in the premier class.
“I have been fast here in Moto3 and Moto2,” he said. “In MotoGP I have never had the best weekend here.
“With Honda this was a track where we suffered with the grip.
“The set-up and the setting [on the Ducati] has changed a lot [from last year].
“It’s a flow track with not a lot of braking points. You need to always have speed. It depends on the bike - if you have a bike which turns a lot, you will have more grip.
“It is something that Aprilia have here. They have good turning on the first corners. They have speed so don’t stress about the grip.
“We are good in corners where we use the front brake really deep. If we flow more, we suffer more. We pick up, but a little too late. Aprilia can turn the bike, are on a better line.”