MotoGP shares of Marquez brothers – Marc and Alex – sharing the podium in German GP for the first time since 1997 season.
With their second and third place finishes at the German GP, Marc and Alex become the first brothers to share a podium in the premier class since the Aokis at Imola 1997. The Liqui Moly German Grand Prix proved unforgettable, with talking points at every corner. Sunday saw the culmination of three frenetic days of action with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) taking the top step after Jorge Martin’s (Prima Pramac Racing) heartbreaking late crash. Another major point from the race was that after 30 thrilling laps around the Sachsenring, Marc and Alex Marquez, the Gresini Racing duo, made history as they fulfilled a dream.
For the first time in 27 years in the premier class, and for the first time in the MotoGP era, a pair of brothers managed to share the podium, with Marc finishing P2 ahead of Alex, who finished P3. It was no secret that both riders from Cervera dreamt of sharing the podium one day. They had already made history by winning races at the same Grand Prix and becoming World Champions in the same season (2014 and 2019) in different categories, but they had never shared the podium in the same class. As the weekend began, it seemed like the wait would go on.
Expectations were sky-high for the #93 in Germany. The Spanish rider has taken 11 victories, and had been undefeated entering into the weekend, and he entered the round as a favourite. However, the start of the weekend proved tumultuous. Marc crashed twice on Friday; the second crash during PR, a severe highside at Turn 11 causing a fracture in the index finger of his left hand and a strong rib contusion, resulting in a Q1 appearance, rubbing salt into the wounds.
Saturday wasn’t much easier for the eight-time World Champion. Despite feeling very sore, he tried his best to reach Q2, but an encounter with Stefan Bradl (Honda) on his final time attack placed him 13th on the starting grid. Despite this, he managed to climb up and score points in the Tissot Sprint with a commendable sixth place. On the other hand, the younger Marquez, Alex, had a somewhat calmer weekend until Q2.
The two-time World Champion, who had qualified directly, suffered a heavy fall in qualifying, forcing him to face race day in pain. Even so, Alex started in a better position than his brother, having qualified in fifth place. He struggled more in the Sprint, where he could only finish 9th. Given the pre-race formbook, the odds of Sunday at the Sachsenring ending as it did for the Marquez brothers were low to say the least, but with these heroic MotoGP riders, anything is possible.
Marc, who found further trouble during the race after a collision with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), which left him without a fairing, managed to climb nine positions to catch Alex, who was in P3. It was brother vs brother for the final podium positon, with it seemingly set that one would have to miss out. However, a late Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) crash, while leading, gave both brothers the chance to share the podium for the first time after the #93 made a late move on the #73. The sibling Gresini duo gave the Italian team its first double podium in MotoGP and wrote a new chapter in the history books – 27 years later.
The last pair of brothers to share a podium in the premier class were the Aoki brothers, Japanese rider Nobuatsu and Takuma, at the 1997 Grand Prix of the City of Imola GP. In that case, both brothers also rode the same bike, a Honda. Nobuatsu finished second in that race, behind Mick Doohan, and Takuma was third.
Marc Marquez: “Today’s result feels as good as a race win. To be on the podium with Alex is something incredible that may have never happened, but here we are. It’s been a very challenging weekend which we saved with a great comeback – and the feeling is almost impossible to explain. The holidays will be good ones thanks to this ‘double’. I was feeling better today, and we gave it a try, but in order to battle for the win we needed a different weekend. We’re still happy as it is.”
Alex Marquez: “Honestly, I didn’t think I had the pace to be so close to the front; our goal was the top seven, but then I felt fully comfortable in the race and I pushed to the limit. The battle with Morbidelli was a great one and then, in the final stages, I didn’t have enough left to fend off Marc’s return. Jorge’s crash allowed me to get on the podium and the joy is immense.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]
