For the first time, two brothers top the podium in a motorcycling competition

The Márquez brothers, Marc and Álex, have made history in motorcycling sports as they occupied the first and second places in the podium on Sunday in Buriram, Thailand. A perfect start for the older of the brothers, Marc, winner of MotoGP six times, and now positioned as the favourite to win a ninth World Champion overall (counting the ones in 125cc and Moto2). A remarkable comeback for a rider who seemed to have lost his competitive edge since 2019.

Sunday's race ended the same way as the sprint of Saturday, with Marc first, followed by Álex, with Francesco Bagnaia (two times World Champion and Márquez teammate at Ducati - but rival in the race for the title).

Despite the predictable ending, the race had a few plot twists, including a moment when Marc slowed down and seemingly let himself be passed by Álex. It turns out it was a tactical move: he had to increase the pressure in his tyres for a certain percentage of laps, and for that he needed to have a driver in front of him, to give the front tyre more warm air. And with just four laps until the end, Marc took the lead again.

This was the first time in MotoGP history (previously known as 500cc) that two brothers were first and second in the podium. Only two times before two brothers were in the same podium: in 2024, with the Márquez brothers, and in 1997, with the Japanese drivers Nobuatsu and Takuma Aoki (who were second and third, behind Mick Doohan in the Italian GP in Imola).

After one weekend, Marc Márquez wins the first 37 points at stake (25 for winning the race, 13 for winning the sprint) followed by Álex Márquez with 29 points and Francesco Bagnaia with 23. Japanese driver Ai Ogura is fifth, and he is already the best rookie in MotoGP since 2013... with Marc.