Marc Marquez admitted he had been mentally preparing for the day his winning streak would finally end in MotoGP. The factory Ducati rider’s run of nearly 100 days without defeat came to a close at the Catalan Grand Prix, where he finished 1.7 seconds behind his younger brother Alex Marquez.
After a poor showing at Silverstone in May, Marc rediscovered his form over the summer with a string of dominant performances across Europe. His unbeaten run stretched to 15 races, even benefitting from Alex’s crash in the Barcelona sprint. The streak evoked memories of his Honda dominance in 2019, but on Sunday, Marc conceded he had no answer for Alex’s pace.
Speaking after the race, the six-time MotoGP champion said he had long accepted defeat was inevitable. Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi had even warned him that Sunday could be the day. “I was telling you since Austria that one day somebody will be faster than me, and I will need to accept it,” Marc said. “I tried, but sometimes you try and you can’t. Today Alex was faster.”
Marc also highlighted that Alex’s past success in Barcelona made him the clear favorite. “I already expected on Thursday that Alex would be the rider to beat. He has always been strong here,” he noted. Despite mistakes in the final laps, Marc insisted that remaining competitive at a difficult track was crucial for his championship hopes.
Alex Marquez’s victory reduced the gap in the standings to 182 points, ensuring the title fight remains alive until at least the Japanese Grand Prix on September 28.
