EXCLUSIVE - Gresini’s Michele Masini explains lasting impact of Marc Marquez

Gresini’s 2025 success with Alex Marquez has been aided by the lasting impression left by older brother Marc, according to Sporting Director Michele Masini.

After several years of diminishing returns as a Repsol Honda rider, the eight-time world champion made a dramatic career reset by joining Alex at Gresini last season.

The gamble paid dividends, with Marc Marquez rediscovering his love of racing, returning to the top step of the podium and being snapped up by the factory Ducati team for 2025.

But the current title leader also helped sharpen Gresini into a team now sitting second in the world championship with surprise of the season Alex.

Marc Marquez “helped all of us to improve”

“His experience is unique,” Masini told Crash.net of Marc’s impact.

“Because as a rider who has won so many races, he is really demanding, but he knows immediately what he needs.

“He doesn’t talk around [indirectly] to solve a problem. He knows immediately where the problem is, then focuses precisely on what we can do, with the engineers, to solve that problem.

“He also has a really clear vision of the whole Grand Prix weekend and what he wants to do in each part of it.

“That comes from his experience, which you can only get from winning a huge number of races like he did during his career.”

Masini confirmed that the team took Marc’s insight and methodology forward into 2025.

“It helped all of us to improve,” he said.

That included younger brother Alex, who had been due to spend his rookie MotoGP season as Marc’s Repsol Honda team-mate in 2020, only for the #93 to be injured at round one.

Although last year was an often-frustrating time for Alex on the GP23, according to Masini, Marc’s presence in the same garage proved a valuable experience.

“Everybody says, ‘being in the shadow’, or ‘the little brother’ of an eight-time world champion,” Masini said of Alex, dismissing the stereotype.

“For sure, it’s really tough to compete in a team where on the other side you have Marc Marquez, even if he’s your brother.

“But in the end, [what Alex could see from Marc] is that it’s all about how to solve your problems.

“Because at Gresini we share everything. So after the practices, we talk all together, with the riders and the engineers.

“This is one of the things that maybe some factories didn't have inside their garage, because they are kind of a split garage. But we use this support to grow both riders.”

Personality-wise, both brothers, "love to make people laugh, to create an atmosphere that, when you have free time, is enjoyable.

“But when things become serious, they are serious.

“And they are super professional in this job because they live for racing. Also at home, they are always focused on improving.”

With Alex enjoying his strongest-ever MotoGP season, Masini says the team’s goal is simple: stay calm and keep building, then see where they stand as the championship enters its crucial final rounds.

“The first goal is to keep the same mentality as now,” he said.

“Try to take the best from every GP. Try to be constant, because also the others have made mistakes.

“Then we’ll see if in the last couple of races, we can think bigger than now... Why not?”

While Alex holds second in the riders’ standings between Ducati Lenovo riders Marc and Francesco Bagnaia, rookie team-mate Fermin Aldeguer has also contributed to Gresini holding second place in the teams’ championship.