Alex Márquez Returns to Podium with Second Place at Sachsenring Sprint

Alex Márquez returned to the MotoGP podium on 13 Jul 2026, finishing second in the Sachsenring Sprint behind his brother Marc Márquez. It was his first podium since suffering a cervical fracture and broken collarbone at the Catalan Grand Prix.

Alex Márquez started second on the grid and held position for all 15 laps, finishing just 0.312 seconds behind Marc Márquez. Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the front-row sweep, matching qualifying order. The race featured a staggered grid for the first time, but Alex maintained consistent pace, closing gaps in right-hand corners while Marc pulled clear in left-hand sections.

This result ends a five-week ordeal that began with his crash in Barcelona. He missed Mugello and Balaton Park entirely, then returned at Assen with a fifth-place finish after a violent early ejection. His second-place finish at Sachsenring proves he’s regaining competitiveness despite still riding in "safety mode" due to lingering physical tension and incomplete recovery.

"I tried to give my best on every lap and in every corner," Alex said. "I just wanted to survive because it was quite slippery." He admitted he wasn’t pushing at 100%, citing physical tightness: "I still need to stay in safe mode a bit and I’m not riding quite right because I’m still a bit too tense." Still, he called it "the result I needed" after the Barcelona crash.

He remains ninth in the championship with 87 points heading into the summer break. With no races until the Austrian Grand Prix on 30 Jul, the break offers critical time for rehabilitation. His next test will be whether he can shed the safety mode and challenge for wins when racing resumes.

Alex’s podium was the only one for Gresini Racing this season, as he’s now the team’s sole remaining rider. His performance under physical constraint signals resilience: and a quiet, determined fight back to form.