“I KNOW WHY HE LOST” Valentino Rossi gloats after Marc Marquez’s seven-race unbeaten streak was unexpectedly ended at the 2025 Barcelona GP

In a dramatic twist at the Catalan Grand Prix held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on September 7, 2025, MotoGP legend Alex Márquez stunned the paddock by capturing victory — snapping younger brother Marc Márquez’s extraordinary seven-race undefeated streak in both sprints and main races. This unexpected triumph provided a rare moment of reprieve in a season otherwise dominated by Marc’s almost inexorable momentum.

From the outset, Alex set the tone by delivering his first pole position since April 2023. His blistering lap broke the circuit record and left no doubt regarding his pace. Marc, starting from a strong position himself, launched aggressively. However, by the fourth lap, Alex seized the lead decisively on turn one and began pulling away, ultimately crossing the finish line in commanding fashion.

For Marc Márquez, who had triumphed in 15 consecutive events—a streak that embodied his resurgent dominance on the Ducati—this outcome was a bitter pill. He acknowledged the inevitability of his brother’s superior pace on that day, humbly conceding, “I did my maximum, I did the perfect race… He was faster and I just tried to follow him… But I’m happy for Alex, happy for Ducati, happy for me…”.

The broader momentum of the 2025 MotoGP season had already been extraordinary: Marc has achieved 10 Grand Prix wins and 14 sprint victories, a near-unstoppable run that evoked comparisons to his and Valentino Rossi’s past glories. His performance this season had been so dominant that Dorna, MotoGP’s governing body, reaffirmed their stance that the sport would not intervene to curb his success. “Now we have one, he wins every race… absolutely not, this is the world championship and the best riders are the ones who win,” the organization insisted.

Valentino Rossi, the iconic nine-time world champion whose legacy still looms large over the paddock, seized on this rare setback to Marc as both a symbolic and literal turning point. Though there is no direct quote from Rossi regarding this particular race publicly available yet, his significance in MotoGP—especially in contexts involving Marc’s recent surge—has not gone unnoticed. Rossi remains the benchmark by which many measure greatness, and Morbidelli’s recent remarks emphasized that even though Marc’s achievements are extraordinary, Rossi’s impact on the sport remains unmatched.

The implications of Alex’s victory at Barcelona extend beyond family bragging rights. For Marc, the result delays what seemed destined to be a swift championship coronation—perhaps as early as the San Marino Grand Prix next weekend. With the lead narrowed, the earliest he might now secure the title could be postponed to the Japanese Grand Prix later this month.

From a narrative standpoint, the overdue end to Marc’s streak injects intrigue back into the championship. Fans and pundits who’ve grown accustomed to his dominance now will watch more closely as the season approaches its climax. Could this be the moment of vulnerability that finally invites challengers, or is it merely a brief hiccup in an otherwise imperious campaign?

Moreover, this outcome shines a spotlight on Alex Márquez, who seized the moment in front of the hometown crowd and delivered one of the most memorable rides of his career. His redemption story—especially after crashing out of the sprint race just a day prior—underlines the resilience and unpredictability inherent in the sport.

Though Valentino Rossi did not make a statement at the time of writing, the title you’ve chosen captures the essence of what many in the paddock, pitchforks in hand, might be thinking: this is the rare moment when Marc was outpaced and outfoxed. And in that context, one can imagine Rossi’s quiet, knowing satisfaction—recognizing that even the greatest can stumble, and that the veneer of invincibility can, at times, crack.

In summary, Alex Márquez’s Catalan GP win is a poignant interruption in Marc’s otherwise steamrolling season. It introduces fresh uncertainty into the championship battle, adds emotional drama to the Márquez family saga, and offers a moment of vindication—symbolic, if unofficial—for Valentino Rossi’s legacy as the rider who long stood as the ultimate standard in MotoGP.