The sixth round of the 2024 FIM Grand Prix World Championship took place from May 24-26 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.
The Gresini MotoGP Team fielded the Spanish brother duo for the season: Marc Marquez on the #93 bike and Alex Marquez on the #73.
On the first day of competition, Friday, May 24, Alex set a best lap time of 1 minute 39.113 seconds, securing 11th place, while Marc followed closely with a 1 minute 39.153-second lap, placing him 12th, both requiring participation in Q1.
During Saturday’s (May 25) MotoGP Q1 session, neither rider achieved an ideal time: Alex posted the third-fastest lap of 1 minute 38.53 seconds, and Marc clocked 1 minute 38.536 seconds, putting them fourth fastest. Consequently, both missed out on Q2 (the top two from Q1 progress to Q2 to battle for Sprint and main race grid positions within the top twelve). Alex started the sprint and main race from 13th, while Marc began from 14th position.
In the 12-lap MotoGP Sprint Race, spanning approximately 56 kilometers, both Gresini riders encountered difficulties early on: contact in the pack caused Marc’s Desmosedici GP23 to lose one wing, and Alex made a mistake in Turn 4, sending him to the back of the field.
Despite his damaged bike, Marc continued his strong performance from the previous two races, climbing to eighth after the first lap, then to sixth by Lap 6 and further to fourth by Lap 7. In a thrilling battle towards the end, he secured second place, just under a second behind the winner. This marked Marc’s fourth sprint race runner-up finish in the last five events.
Alex, who had started from the last position, finished in 14th place.
After the sprint race, Marc commented, “I have to say, we made important adjustments to the bike this morning, which made me feel more comfortable. However, I didn’t expect such a strong comeback. After France, I knew I had good pace, and here in Catalonia, I was in the right place to take advantage. It was a great race, but the temperatures will be higher on Sunday, which might make it harder for our Ducati, but we’ll give it a shot!”
Alex shared his thoughts: “Unfortunately, my race was compromised at Turn 4, and my chance for points ended soon after the start. I found myself at the back of the field and tried to regain my pace, but it was too difficult. Tomorrow will be a completely different story, and I have a chance to score points.”