Alex Marquez, the perfect strategist at Valencia: "When they told me that Aprilia

Triumph for Alex Marquez in the Valencia sprint, another confirmation of his strength in this 2025 MotoGP season.

Many might have expected a victory from Pedro Acosta or Marco Bezzecchi, but it was Alex Marquez who prevailed in the MotoGP sprint race at the Valencia Grand Prix. Nothing shocking—he had already shown great pace—but he was less favored than the two colleagues mentioned. He ran a perfect race, launching from the second slot on the grid and immediately overtaking poleman Bezzecchi. Then he set his rhythm, giving Acosta no chance to close in and attack. He and the BK8 Gresini Racing team are celebrating again, deservedly so.

Interviewed by DAZN España, the two-time world champion explained that he had a precise plan for tackling the race: "When they told me that both Aprilias, but especially Bezzecchi—who had been very strong all weekend—were using the soft front tire... The strategy was very clear: attack, leave them behind, and make their tire temperatures rise. That’s why I attacked well into Turn 1, closed the door at Turn 2, and from that moment on I tried to run my own race. I’m happy I made it to the end with good energy left in the tires."

Perfect strategy and management from Alex Marquez, who did everything right. He’s certainly not racing under particular pressure at this finale of the 2025 MotoGP season, but he still has a great desire to win and keep proving he’s a top rider. He accomplished his mission today, and he’ll try again on Sunday in the long race.

The Spanish rider has never managed the sprint race–long race double in his MotoGP career, and in Valencia he’d like to break that sort of curse: "It’s one of those goals that’s always there and never materializes. I missed it in Malaysia in 2023, and last weekend at Portimao... Montmeló was the most obvious chance. It’s true I didn’t expect to win here today, there were riders stronger than me, but we managed to put together an almost perfect race. We need to try to take a step forward in the warm-up and, from there, we’ll see what happens. I hope I can fight for the win."

Marquez admitted he wasn’t the strongest in today’s sprint, but by doing things the right way he defeated the most fancied rivals. A show of maturity that will also be useful looking ahead to 2026, when he will Ducati Factory in 2026 and try to challenge his brother Marc for the world title. Even though, racing for a satellite team, he’s not obligated to aim for that goal, he will still try to give the reigning champion a hard time.