Tobias Mühlbauer
Formula 1 & Motorcycle Department
MotoGP and Formula 1, that’s my thing. I turned my passion into my job at MSM and have been there for you ever since when engines roar.MORE
Team orders in qualifying? Alex Marquez explains
“My difference between fresh and used tires is smaller than that of the other drivers,” Marc explains his ongoing weakness on one lap. He got stuck in Q1 twice in a row. The Gresini duo tried everything in Barcelona to prevent this. Alex Marquez gave his brother a slipstream, but both failed. Fabio di Giannantonio and Raul Fernandez secured the Q2 places. The Marquez brothers only started from positions 13 and 14.
Despite the failure, the question arose whether such behavior would be seen more often. According to Alex Marquez, there were no team orders: “It wasn’t a matter of a ‘second rider’. I had more speed and it was clear to me that I didn’t need anyone in front of me to get a lap time. So I said to Marc: If you’d rather follow me than another rider, then just follow me.” His older brother confirmed: “I followed Alex because he offered me to. He said that he had nothing to lose and that it would be more beneficial for the team if I made it to Q2.”
Team peace at Gresini safe
Alex does not see his more successful brother as being favored within the team. With regard to qualifying, he denies such considerations: “I was faster than him in Q1, so there’s really nothing more to say about it.” For him, it was simply a matter of brotherly interaction. And this was mutual. “Marc helped me in Jerez,” recalled the younger of the two. Team peace in the Gresini household is therefore by no means in danger, even if the roles are clearly assigned in purely sporting terms. Marc scored 114 points, Alex 42.
MotoGP World Championship Standings 2024
© Motorsport Magazine