Marc Márquez Arrives at His Kingdom of Aragón

Marc Márquez arrives as the undisputed favourite at the Aragón Grand Prix, a circuit where he has accumulated seven victories in the premier class. The most special of all was last year, when he broke a 1,043-day winless streak in MotoGP. That unforgettable weekend in 2024, where he dominated and unleashed a frenzy in Alcañiz, not only restarted his victory count after nearly three years but also marked a symbolic end to a period of suffering and scars, paving the way for his return to reign.

This season, Márquez arrives at the Motorland Aragón circuit, dressed in Ducati red, leading the championship with confidence. He has dominated the start of the MotoGP season, with his brother Álex trailing by 24 points. His current teammate, Pecco Bagnaia, is much further behind, 72 points adrift and in a deep crisis. It will be difficult, very difficult, for his rivals to close the gap on a track that suits him perfectly, with low grip on the asphalt and a counter-clockwise layout. In other words, a circuit with a majority of left-hand corners, his favourites, where the Cervera native has always made a difference.

"We arrive at a grand prix marked in green. It's clear. When I arrive at a bad circuit, I say it, and when I arrive at a favourable one, I say it too. The intention is to fight for victory, but then you have to do it, you have to feel good and see where the rivals are," said the rider from Lleida at the official press conference. Márquez knows what it's like to arrive this year as the absolute favourite and fail, as happened in Austin, another of the '93's sacred grounds, where he ended up on the ground on Sunday. This makes him more alert than ever, "much more because this year I've made few mistakes, but all on Sundays, and that's what I have to change."

In the Aragón paddock, everyone points to Marc Márquez as the rival to beat, starting with the one who knows him best, his brother Álex, his main rival in the championship fight. "In theory, Marc should leave here with more advantage, but these are races. He should have left Austin with more points and failed," he commented. Aragón has also been a friendly track for the younger Márquez, where he has been on the podium in all three categories and almost won in his first year in MotoGP.

While the Márquez brothers are having a dream year, 2025 is proving frustrating for Bagnaia. The Italian rider is struggling to feel comfortable with his current Ducati, and the last few races have been a nightmare for him. In the last two grands prix, he has only managed to score four points, amid crashes and lack of feeling. The Turin native, always analytical, plays the patience card at Motorland: "We have to take the positives from everything and work because the results will come sooner or later. We know that this year we have to think outside the usual schemes because the bike doesn't behave as we expected, as it usually does, so we need to work in another direction."

Outside the orbit of Ducati, the bike currently setting the pace in MotoGP, other manufacturers are emerging. It had been a long time since the Italian machine went two races without winning. In Le Mans, Honda won with Johann Zarco, and in Silverstone, Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi found a victory that seemed destined for Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo.

Democracy seems to be returning to the premier class of MotoGP, although now there is one brand slightly left behind, KTM, which does not make another of those special riders, Pedro Acosta, very happy. He is already showing signs of running out of patience: "I have a contract until 2027, but my patience ran out in February. If for one reason or another things can't happen, it's not that I don't want them to, it's that they can't happen. So, many times you have to accept the situation and move forward with what you have, even if you're limited." The situation of the Murcian contrasts with that of Maverick Viñales, who in recent races has established himself as KTM's fastest rider.

Moto2 is now the closest category, with only three points separating leader Manu González and Arón Canet, in a head-to-head battle that promises excitement every weekend. Meanwhile, in Moto3, there is an even clearer dominator than Márquez, in the figure of José Antonio Rueda. The Sevillian has won five of the seven races this season, leading the second-placed Ángel Piqueras by 54 points, and arrives at the circuit where he claimed his first world championship victory.