Spain vs Italy, Marc Marquez: "We're stronger." Luca Marini responds

Italy versus Spain, an endless showdown. In this historical phase of MotoGP, the superiority of Spanish riders is a fact. But even in the lower classes of the World Championship, the top positions in the standings are occupied by Spaniards. Luca Marini, a VR46 Academy protégé, offers a clear explanation.

We are in the final phase of the 2026 season and Spain’s dominance is more than evident. In MotoGP, Marc Marquez (the reigning champion) and Jorge Martin are tied at the top of the standings. Keep in mind that at Misano the top six positions were all held by riders of the same nationality. In Moto3, Maximo Quiles leads the category with a total of 281 points, followed by fellow Spaniards Almansa, Carpe, and Uriarte. The same is happening in Moto2. With a total of 14 Spanish riders out of 28 on the grid, and excluding David Alonso, who races under the Colombian flag, Manu Gonzalez leads the middle class, followed by Izan Guevara and Ivan Ortolá.

Iberian dominance took hold at the end of the 1960s, with Angel Nieto winning the first of his thirteen world titles. Since then, the likes of Garriga, Pons, and “Aspar” have debuted, although none managed to win in the premier class. In 1999, Alex Crivillé triumphed in what was then called the 500 class. At the same time, Dorna acquired MotoGP rights, and youth championships gained ground in Spain, producing future talents. See Pedrosa, Espargaró, Lorenzo, Marquez, and many others. “It seems that, looking at the coming years, the strongest riders are those carrying the Spanish flag,” Marc Marquez stated bluntly during the Misano weekend.

Spanish motorcycling made history again at the San Marino Grand Prix, held last weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Marc Marquez, Manu Gonzalez, and Maximo Quiles stood on the top step of the podium in MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 respectively. This marks the 50th treble in the World Championship under the Iberian flag. The first dates back to 2003, with Sete Gibernau, Toni Elias, and Dani Pedrosa winning at Le Mans.

The Italy–Spain duel returned to the forefront after the Misano weekend, sparking debate in the MotoGP paddock. Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez, Pedro Acosta, Fermin Aldeguer, Jorge Martin, and Raul Fernandez locked out the top six—an absolute display of Spanish motorcycling dominance that did not go unnoticed.

Luca Marini, who finished the race in ninth place, analyzed the situation. “It hurts, obviously,” admitted Valentino Rossi’s brother. But he immediately clarified that Spanish motorcycling has been laying very solid foundations for years. “In Spain there are many structures that help young riders grow quickly and well.” And this is then reflected in the results we see in MotoGP.

For the Honda rider, the key lies in how the program is managed starting from the youth categories. “Spain is very well organized from this point of view and manages to train a great many young riders… They deserve it.” Marini also raised another issue he considers fundamental: money.

For an Italian family, it is becoming increasingly difficult to support a young rider’s racing career. “Racing in Italy is really expensive. With the current economic situation, it’s not easy for a family to cover all the costs needed to bring a young rider to the World Championship.”

In his view, many potential talents are being left behind before they even have a real chance to reach Moto3. Despite everything, Italy is not in deep crisis. After Pecco’s two titles in MotoGP, there is now Marco Bezzecchi to keep the tricolor’s hopes alive. “If Bezzecchi hadn’t crashed, he probably could have won the race,” Luca Marini emphasized. However, the outlook is not entirely bright… “Among the new generations there are many more Spaniards than Italians.” And at the moment, even within the VR46 Academy—which in any case is doing an outstanding job—the future talents are thin on the ground.

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