Why “suffering” was more valuable to Alex Marquez than winning in MotoGP
Alex Marquez says he learned more in 2024 than in 2025
Gresini MotoGP rider Alex Marquez said he learned more while “suffering” in 2024 than during his successful 2025 campaign on the satellite Ducati.
The 29-year-old had a breakout season in MotoGP in 2025, as he stormed to a maiden victory and took three grands prix wins overall on a 2024-spec Ducati.
Regularly challenging runaway world champion Marc Marquez, particularly in the first half of the season, Alex Marquez ended the year as runner-up in the standings.
While it was a season in which Alex Marquez learned how to be a consistent frontrunner in MotoGP and how to cope with that pressure, he says his difficult 2024 campaign was more useful to him.
The GP23 he rode last year proved tough to adapt to, with Marquez scoring just one podium.
Speaking at the end of the 2025 campaign, he said this forced him to adapt his riding style, which ultimately allowed him to be more competitive last season on better machinery.
“Honestly speaking, the step I took was last year,” he explained.
“I said many times: when you are suffering, you learn more things.
“And you need to, in some modes, improve things and be there every day.
“So, if I need to say something, I learned more last year than this year.
“This year, the results are much better and all that.
“But I learned much more last year when I was suffering with the ’23 bike.
“So, in that year, I did a really good step in riding style, and I was able to improve many weak points.”
The younger Marquez brother’s form in 2025 on year-old machinery prompted Ducati to upgrade him to factory-spec machinery for next year.
He was 78 points behind Marc Marquez in the standings, albeit with the factory Ducati rider missing the final four rounds due to injury.
But Alex Marquez was still 114 points clear of third-placed Marco Bezzecchi and 179 ahead of Pecco Bagnaia on a factory GP25.
In total, Gresini scored four grand prix wins in 2025, with rookie Fermin Aldeguer taking a maiden triumph at the Indonesian Grand Prix.
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