Why Catalunya is perfect place for Alex Marquez after French MotoGP “disaster”

MotoGP returns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend, the perfect place for Alex Marquez to try to bounce back after a “disaster” race.

Marquez’s French MotoGP last weekend (8–10 May) was poor almost from the beginning, qualifying 10th after crashing in Q2, then picking up only two points from the two races thanks to an eighth in the Sprint which was followed by a crash on Sunday.

This, of course, came two weeks after Marquez’s victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he was exceptional, a second victory at Jerez in as many editions of the MotoGP race there.

The Gresini Racing rider was also victorious at Barcelona last year, the Spaniard putting in arguably his greatest ever performance to out-pace his brother, Marc Marquez, in the full-distance race last September.

The Catalan Grand Prix is much earlier in the year in 2026, but Marquez has long had an affinity for the track, one he feels suits his style not only for the layout but also for its low-grip surface.

“Le Mans for us was a disaster, especially from my side,” Alex Marquez explained, speaking in the pre-event press conference in Barcelona.

“The bike, I think, was ready to fight with these two guys we have here [Bezzecchi and Martin], but I did too many mistakes in the key moments of the weekend, especially the qualifying, and later on I was not able to make a good lap. 

“But we come to a track that suits quite well my riding style, that I always find the flow, so this gives to me– not confidence, but like calm, and we need to be really on the point. 

“I know that if I do my work in the best way, I can be fast and I can fight at least for the podium, so I will try my best from the first moment. 

“It will be quite cold tomorrow and also maybe some rain, so we need to be prepared for everything.”

Asked what about the Barcelona track makes him excel there, Marquez said: “Not many brake points, it’s more [about] flowing, more about traction that I’m quite good in that moment and I can make more the difference in that point. 

“So, it’s why I’m fast and, after all, we did many laps here on the [junior] categories and this gives to you some secrets.”

He added: “For some reason, also in Moto2 I was really good on the traction area, and I think that here the low grip helps me to make the difference and to make that gap compared to the other ones. 

“I’m struggling a little bit more on the braking and entry, so for that reason [proficiency in traction] here I’m really fast, just that: I’m able to have the flow, to keep the speed, and I think this really helps for my riding style.”