Un campeonato soñado para Márquez que está manejando como los dioses. Por ahora en este 2025 ha logrado todo: el record de victorias, el invicto y la punta del campeonato, un rodillo rojo que aplasta a quien se interponga en su camino. Para mejor, el campeón vigente continúa ausente.
The red roller
Reading some posts after yesterday's MotoGP race in my country, specifically at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit in the province of Santiago del Estero, I came across this nickname used in one of those articles to mention Marc Márquez, the six-time champion of the category who has once again triumphed resoundingly, earning the most points available for the first two rounds of the championship. He won both races and both sprints, earning 74 points.
After such a start to the season, the "Red Roller" reference seemed appropriate to me. This is an element that tends to crush everything below it, and that's how Marc is seen in 2025: crushing everything in his path.
Yesterday's race had pleasant weather, with 26°C at the start of the race, well below what usually occurs at most circuits where the world championship is held. In Thailand, for example, the heat was much more noticeable than here, where temperatures are usually high for this time of year, but that wasn't the case this Sunday.
With first place in the standings, it was expected that Márquez would take the lead from the start, but that was the case, and just a few laps into the race, his brother Alex overtook him when the 93 went a little wide at Turn 1.
I was the one who got ahead of myself with the story here because I forgot to mention that the race had a very lively and colorful pre-race scene thanks to the crowd in the stands who, as usual, displayed the flags and colors of their favorite drivers. There was no shortage of room for tango, the traditional dance of my country, where a pair of professional dancers delighted the crowd, which was estimated at 209,000 people throughout the weekend—a lot considering how far this circuit is from Argentina's major urban centers.
As soon as the race started, Marco Bezzecchi collided with Fabio Quartararo's bike and ended up in the gravel, all at the first corner. I immediately remembered what happened in the F1 race a few hours earlier, but luckily it was only a warning; there were no major crashes or problems between bikes for almost the entire remainder of the race.
Returning to the race, Alex Márquez took the lead and held it for many laps, although he was never able to establish a significant gap over his brother, the main candidate for victory. In third place was Franco Morbidelli, who used a different tire strategy that paid off from the start. He relegated Márquez's teammate and two-time world champion Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia to fourth. He was somewhat overshadowed by Marc Márquez's outstanding performance. Not only was he overshadowed, but he was also uncomfortable and worried. He still couldn't find his way around the factory Ducati, and the gap with the Spaniard was noticeable.
And so the race unfolded, with the Márquez brothers gaining more and more ground lap after lap, but the younger one was unable to break away. Until lap 20, the number 93 pressed the accelerator and with five laps remaining, took the lead, stretching the advantage to the checkered flag.
Morbidelli was able to hold off Bagnaia's final charge and took the third step of the podium. Pecco finished fourth, and Fabio Di Giannantonio finished fifth, completing a Ducati quintet that demonstrates their absolute dominance in the category at this point. A Honda ridden by Johan Zarco only finished in sixth place, holding fifth place for a good stretch of the race, but he couldn't hold on until the end.
Speaking of the finish, the end of the race prompted an additional celebration for Marc Márquez, in addition to the joy of the victory. With this victory, he reached 90 victories, tying the record with motorcycling legend Ángel Nieto, who won 13 world championship titles before MotoGP.
A well-deserved finish for Márquez, who is riding like a god. So far, in 2025, he has achieved everything: the record for victories, the undefeated record, and the championship lead, a red steamroller that crushes anyone who stands in its way. Even better, the reigning champion remains absent.
