Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez achieved this weekend a dream that both have undoubtedly had since childhood: to stand on a MotoGP podium together. The two riders from Cervera are already doing something this year that many would dream of with their brother, sharing a garage in the premier class after the failed attempt in 2020 due to the injury of the #93. But this Sunday at the Sachsenring they both took another step forward.
Marc finished second in a very difficult weekend, despite the track being the one where he has won eight times: with a broken finger and a bad contusion to his rib cage after two crashes on Friday, and starting 13th after Stefan Bradl ruined his lap in Q1, the multiple champion moved up 11 places in a race that was also chaotic, as Franco Morbidelli touched him shortly after the halfway point, when he closed his trajectory and blew off his windshield.
On the other side of the garage, Alex, after also crashing on Saturday and arriving in pain for the main day of the weekend, completed his best race of the season, with the GP23 starting to make some progress after the updates in Jerez. During the race he almost managed to pass Pecco Bagnaia and, when it seemed he was about to lose the podium to his brother, Jorge Martin’s crash ensured him third place, his first top-three finish of the season.
In this way, the two Gresini Racing riders gave the Faenza team a spectacular day at the Sachsenring. And a question immediately arose: were they the first brothers to share a podium in the premier class? The answer is no, but both still made history, given that this had not happened for almost 30 years, 27 to be precise.
Doohan and the Aokis on the podium at Imola 1997
The last pair of brothers to stand on the podium in the premier class were the Aokis, the Japanese duo Nubautsu and Takuma, at the 1997 Gran Premio Città di Imola, held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, ironically, in the month of July (between the 4th and the 6th).
In that case, the two brothers (actually three, counting Haruchika, who was a double 125cc champion in 1995 and 1996) were riding the same bike, a Honda. Nobuatsu finished second in that race, 8.6 seconds behind the winner, Mick Doohan in his heyday, and Takuma was third, 20 seconds behind, ahead of Spaniard Carlos Checa, who followed in a top five full of HRC bikes (fifth Tadayuki Okada).
Thus, the Marquez brothers broke the 27-year-old record on Sunday, although they were not the only brothers to have raced in the championship during that period. Without going any further, the Espargaró brothers were the most recent example until Pol’s farewell in 2023 and Aleix’s retirement at the end of the year. Previously, of course, Valentino Rossi and his brother Luca Marini also shared the grid.
#MotoGP #Marquez #Double #Years #Brothers #Return #Podium
