Alex Marquez predicted his first MotoGP win: “I told my assistant... Everyone started getting nervous!”
Alex Marquez says he woke up on Sunday at Jerez knowing he would take his first MotoGP win - and even told his assistant before the race.
The Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez was already Alex Marquez’s favourite event of the season before he delivered a dream first MotoGP victory in front of 100,000 home fans earlier this year.
After opening the year with eight runner-up finishes from the first nine races, including to brother Marc in the Jerez Sprint, Alex said he woke up on Sunday sure he was finally going to win.
“For me, it was the best Grand Prix of the year,” reflected Alex Marquez, who went on to win three grands prix in 2025 and finish runner-up in the world championship behind Marc.
“Whenever I was asked about my favourite GP, even before I’d ever won, I always said the same: ‘Jerez’. It has always been the dream stage for any Spanish rider to take their first MotoGP victory, and I was lucky enough to do it there.
“In fact, there were so many signs throughout the weekend — I was fast, feeling good, it was the [personal sponsor] Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix… There were so many signs that even before the race, while I was getting changed, I told José [Carrión], my assistant: ‘I’m going to win today.’
“He got nervous, told the technician as I was heading to the grid, and everyone started getting nervous! But you see it, you visualise it happening…
"Of course, external factors can play a role, but when everything feels that clear, nothing can go wrong.
“That attitude is something you must put into practice especially during pre-season - that’s when you set the tone for your year, your level, your feeling on the bike.
“After pre-season, we were already getting strong results, often finishing second, and we even led the standings in Austin.
"Modesty, together with that constant desire to want a little bit more, is what I believe took me to that victory in Jerez.”
Alex worked his way forwards from fourth place, then took the lead from Fabio Quartararo on lap 11 of 25.
Meanwhile, Marc dropped out of the victory battle after an early mistake.
Alex followed up his Jerez victory with another home grand prix win, in Catalunya, then a third victory of the season at Sepang.
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