Morbidelli raises eyebrows over Marquez teamwork: “We will have to talk about it”

Franco Morbidelli has praised the teamwork between Marc and Alex Marquez as a strategy worth replicating.

Franco Morbidelli has admitted that the teamwork between Marc and Alex Marquez needs to be looked at as a strategy worth replicating ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend at Jerez.

The Italian rider has had a strong start to his season so far with two podium finishes, and he's looking to extend his success into the fifth round of the 2025 MotoGP championship.

The Marquez brothers come off the back of yet another dominant performance in Argentina. Marc Marquez finished first, with Alex Marquez 1.362 seconds behind him. The two, albeit the other way around, have once again proven their pace in FP1 at Jerez, despite the younger brother crashing earlier in the session.

The apparent cooperation is now being questioned by the riders of the grid, who are willing to replicate their strategy.

"With the Academy guys we are not blood brothers but we helped each other a lot and still do in training," Morbidelli said. "During the race weekends, actually, Marc and Alex seem to be pulling and trailing each other. This attitude can help, so if the competition does it, it should be replicated because it can prove useful. We will have to talk about it."

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Currently sat fourth in the riders' standings, the VR46 rider has been consistent this season, but hopes to become a title contender, especially after a very strong showing in Argentina. Qatar also looked strong, but a poor tyre strategy put him on the backfoot.

"I double-checked the data and I can say that the tyre management was wrong because actually in the first half of the race, when I started, I wasn't wearing them out so much, on the contrary, I was riding very well. When Marquez, who together with Vinales was riding very strong, arrived, I began to have some doubts.

"Marc was probably simply faster at that moment, as the information available tells us that my consumption was optimal, in fact lower than the others. Overall, however, I was not able to administer perfectly and I will try to improve."

The Italian-Brazilian rider has measured expectations going into the weekend, however, admitting that he will need to do the "perfect job" to capitalise on his performance.

"We need to keep our feet on the ground and think that our rivals are fierce. Fighting for the top five positions, which is our ambition, is very difficult and to achieve it, we will have to do a perfect job, however, we must continue to do what we know, to our best."

With MotoGP returning to Europe for the first time this season, FP1 at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto saw Morbidelli finish 10th on the timesheet, ahead of his team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio by approximately two-tenths.