Jerez, Spain - Alex Marquez delivered a masterful performance at the Spanish Grand Prix, clinching victory for the second year in a row on Sunday. The win marked a significant achievement in his 250th Grand Prix start. His elder brother and pole-sitter, Marc Marquez, crashed out dramatically on lap two.
Alex, who celebrated his 30th birthday recently, started fifth but rapidly advanced, overtaking his brother before extending his lead. Marc's pursuit of his 100th Grand Prix win ended abruptly at Turn 11, stunning the home crowd.
"Not many words to describe this moment, we struggled a lot at the beginning of the year," Alex stated after the race. "Today, for me, it was clear - go from the first lap, pushing, trying to take the lead. From that moment, I knew that the rhythm was really good until the end."
Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi finished second, unable to catch the charging Alex over the 25 laps. Fabio di Giannantonio secured third place, moving up the championship standings.
Marc's early exit leaves him 44 points behind Bezzecchi in the championship hunt. He had secured pole position earlier and won a chaotic sprint race on Saturday, but Sunday's dry conditions saw his race end prematurely.
Alex, described as unbeatable in dry conditions at Jerez with a new setup on his Ducati, executed a near-perfect race. After Marc took the initial lead, Alex moved past him with a decisive inside maneuver. Marc's race unravelled moments later with a front-end loss at Turn 11.
Behind the leaders, Di Giannantonio managed to split the Aprilias, pushing Jorge Martin to fourth.
Ducati experienced mixed fortunes, with Francesco Bagnaia retiring due to a technical issue, extending the factory team's podium drought. Alex Marquez, however, celebrated a dominant win, echoing his fan engagement from the previous year.