Alex Marquez shakes up the market: "My manager will handle it

Alex Marquez ended the 2025 MotoGP season as vice world champion. He claimed three race wins and nine race podiums, plus three victories and twelve podiums in the Sprints. He earned a factory Ducati for the next World Championship and put himself in a favorable position to secure a top seat for 2027. Gresini Racing knows that starting next year it will have to part with the rider from Cervera, with KTM and Yamaha already on his trail.

In recent days, the MotoGP rider market has exploded, with news that is still not official. At the moment, managers must keep their lips sealed until the first definitive moves are made. The big announcement awaited is from Ducati, first regarding Marc Marquez, then Pecco Bagnaia. The former will continue his career in red, while the latter will have to choose an alternative after a difficult 2025 season. At that point, a domino effect packed with twists could be unleashed...

In the meantime, Alex Marquez prefers to delegate certain matters to his manager, Jaime Martinez. His focus is on the first test in Sepang and the upcoming championship, where he’ll have a big opportunity to mount an assault on the world title. "As always, I’m motivated. It’s a new year, new opportunities. We need to be at the top, like last year, without forgetting what our goal is," he told MotoGP.com. "We’re trying to improve our weak points to become stronger."

The key strength will undoubtedly be the Desmosedici GP26, on par with Marc Marquez, Bagnaia, and Di Giannantonio. "This gives me more confidence, more maturity to tackle things. We have all the ingredients to let everything simmer," added Alex Marquez. "It’s up to Ducati to improve the bike, because other manufacturers were making progress. In the preseason we’ll see what they bring and we’ll try to improve."

After Marc’s injury at Mandalika, the competition closed in, showing that their prototypes have moved closer to Ducati. "Last year Aprilia and KTM improved, especially with Bezzecchi and Acosta. It will be interesting to see what the manufacturers do in this final year. I trust Ducati to make improvements, given that they’ve already made gains in some areas."

Rider market? Alex Marquez sends a clear message, even if his fate is now sealed. "It’s normal to want to ride for a factory team, but that’s a job for my manager. I’m focused on my work. It’s true that in recent days we’ve had a lot of ‘big news,’ but everyone’s trying to be right and say: ‘I said it first.’ That’s the job of managers and journalists. I have to do my job on track."