Alex Marquez takes Jerez victory as Marc crashes out earlyWhile Alex Marquez celebrated a huge win at Jerez, his brother Marc Marquez crashed out of the Spanish Grand Prix within the opening three laps.

Marc started well from pole and looked set for another strong weekend, but Marco Bezzecchi quickly jumped into second to apply some early pressure. By the end of the first lap, Alex had moved ahead of Bezzecchi to take over second place.

Jorge Martin also made a strong start from tenth on the grid, climbing into fourth by the end of the opening lap and adding to what was already shaping up to be an exciting race.

Alex then moved past his brother to take the lead on lap two, with fans clearly divided over who they wanted to see come out on top in this home race battle.

But any hopes of a back-and-forth contest were cut short when Marc crashed out just a lap later, marking his second straight DNF at Jerez.

The crash left Alex Marquez leading from Bezzecchi, with Di Giannantonio, Martin, and Zarco rounding out the top five. Bezzecchi immediately set about chasing down Alex for the lead.

Further back, Enea Bastianini and Ai Ogura were both fighting hard inside the top eight as they looked for openings into the top five.

Pedro Acosta and Francesco Bagnaia were scrapping just outside that group before technical trouble forced Bagnaia to retire early.

Lorenzo Savadori became another casualty when he retired later in the race, adding to what was already a tough day for several teams.

In many ways it felt like destiny played its part in helping Alex secure his spot at home. His brother’s crash opened up an opportunity that he didn’t let slip away from him. The Spaniard managed things brilliantly once in front before crossing in P1 for Gresini Racing MotoGP Team.