Gresini rider Alex Marquez has described the Thai MotoGP weekend as “super special” after securing a treble of 1-2 finishes with brother Marc Marquez.
The pair have become the first set of brothers to hold the top-two positions in the MotoGP championship standings after dominating the weekend at the Chang International Circuit.
Despite qualifying and finishing second in the Sprint, Marquez admitted he didn’t expect to finish ahead of Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia in Sunday’s grand prix.
“I’m super, super happy all weekend overall,” Marquez told TNT Sports after the race.
“I said yesterday Sunday is still ahead of us so it will be an important day, and we did it. 1-2, 1-2 which is something amazing, a super special weekend for all the family.
“I thought before the start of the race that Marc [Marquez] for sure had something more than me, but Pecco [Bagnaia] too. For that reason, I tried to attack, to put some metres there in the first lap and try to push.
“Maybe I use a little bit too much energy there, but when I was leading for many many laps I was using all my energy , not my one but the tyre’s, and I got to the end on the limit.
“These are the races that give you the experience of MotoGP, leading and having the pace so I’m super happy.”
Alex Marquez: ‘not possible’ to beat Marc in Thai GP
Marquez led over half of the season opening grand prix after overtaking Marc Marquez on lap seven, but was unable to see it through to the chequered flag.
It was later revealed that the factory Ducati rider elected to drop behind his brother to avoid a tyre pressure penalty.
The Gresini rider admitted he thought he had an opportunity to take his first career win, but realised that Marquez was saving energy.
“I was just trying not to override, trying not to make mistakes, just trying to ride the bike. This was my main objective, not make a mistake, try to be smooth in every corner.
“In one moment I thought I may have the opportunity to win because I thought Marc maybe was struggling with the front tyre, but he saved it.
“When he overtook me after two corners I realised it wasn’t possible, but I was able to keep Pecco behind so I’m happy for that.”
Despite his progression over the weekend, the Gresini rider still believes he is “one step” behind the factory Ducati duo but hopes he can get a win later in the campaign.
“If we have the opportunity I will try for sure like I did today, but we are still one step back compared to Marc and Pecco,” Marquez confirmed.
“They are more consistent than us so the experience from today will be the key to us for the future.
“We will try to keep working and we can do great things for the season.”
READ MORE – Marc Marquez: Thai MotoGP weekend ‘the best of my life’
