Alex Marquez on MotoGP fines: “45 minutes on Sunday at 190 beats per minute”

After Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez has also spoken out against the new financial penalties linked to MotoGP’s promotional obligations. At the end of the Indonesian Grand Prix, the Gresini rider broadened the discussion: the issue is not just money, but also the toll racing takes on riders.

The €5,000 fines for missing fan events were announced to the riders during the Mandalika weekend. We covered the story in The anti-Marquez rule: fines and sporting penalties on the way. Now three high-profile voices have spoken out against the same policy, although Alex’s support for Marc was hardly a surprise.

The world champion’s younger brother explained how the penalties work, applying both to missing the event and to not staying long enough: "Skip a Hero Walk and it’s €5,000; don’t stay for ten minutes and it’s another €5,000. I think they’re putting a bit too much pressure on the riders".

The promoter’s reasoning is clear: the riders are the championship’s main attraction. But the penalty turns a promotional activity into a mandatory obligation backed by threats, with no consideration for injuries, fatigue or extreme weather conditions. Speaking to Manuel Pecino of Motosan, Alex summed up his view: "They care a little less about the riders’ well-being".

The Ducati Gresini rider noted that the calendar is getting increasingly packed: "We have more races, more Sprints and more of everything". And the toll becomes clear towards the end of the season: "We finish the season with our energy running low, and, as if that weren’t enough, some races are held in extreme heat".

In Indonesia, the temperature and humidity put everyone’s body to the test. Alex Marquez gave an indication of the effort behind the TV spectacle: "On Sunday, we spent 45 minutes at 190 beats per minute".

Things didn’t go well on track either, with the rear tyre losing a lot of performance, especially towards the end. "It was a weekend of survival, as I already said on Saturday. We struggled a lot, especially at the beginning, and things got even more complicated from there. It was a long, hot and enjoyable race. We held on until the end, so that sums up the weekend".

The Spaniard had expected more from the medium tyre: Ducati usually struggles on the soft, but at Mandalika the opposite happened. He said the problems were similar to those at Silverstone, but the rear tyre construction used in Indonesia is not expected to return to the track.

With Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin separated by just two points, Alex sees a battle that is still anyone’s to win, but has a warning for his brother ahead of the next rounds: "It’s a tiebreaker, so everything will remain wide open until the end. It’s true that there are circuits coming up where Aprilia can be very strong, especially Australia, Qatar and Portimao. Marc will have to pull off some of his usual magic tricks".

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