Marc Marquez admits Qatar MotoGP ‘first track I’m not faster than rivals at’

Marc Marquez admits the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix is “theoretically” the first race in 2025 where Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia “are better than me”.

The eight-time grand prix world champion has been the dominant rider in 2025 so far, winning five out of the first six races and at one point holding a 19-point lead in the championship.

The table has been reset after the Americas Grand Prix, however, after the factory Ducati rider crashed out of a commanding lead and dropped a point behind new standings leader Alex Marquez.

Marc Marquez hasn’t won a Qatar GP since 2014, which remains his only one in the premier class, while he hasn’t been on the podium at Lusail since 2019.

Ahead of this weekend’s race, he is wary of the greater threat posed by team-mate Pecco Bagnaia and Gresini’s Alex Marquez.

“It’s the first circuit that theoretically Alex and Pecco are better than me, by the historic results," he said on Thursday in Qatar.

“But let’s see what I can do. If here I am competitive, it will be a very good sign for me. If not, I’ll try to work to improve.”

A behind-the-scenes video following the Americas GP showed Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna telling Marc Marquez to “go home a bit pissed off but stay calm”.

Reflecting on his crash out of the lead at COTA, Marquez has already brushed it off as something that can happen and says it is not weighing on his mind as he knows exactly what caused it.

“This is racing. The good thing is that we crashed leading the race by two seconds and a half and I was riding in a very good way,” he added.

“Yeah, I did a mistake but I know why: I slowed down too much on that Turn 3 and then I jumped in too early on that Turn 4.

“But ok, it happened. The good thing is with that big mistake still we are second in the championship, just one point behind the leader.

“So, here it looks like everything restarts and let’s see what we can do during the weekend.”