MotoGP: Alex Marquez wins Spanish Grand Prix to halt Marco Bezzecchi’s winning streak

Alex Marquez claimed a comfortable victory in the Spanish Grand Prix to halt overall leader Marco Bezzecchi’s winning streak in MotoGP.

Marquez, who turned 30 on Thursday, claimed his first MotoGP victory at the same Jerez circuit last year.

And the local fans celebrated another Spanish win as the Ducati-Gresini rider triumphed from fifth on the grid, finishing 1.903 seconds ahead of Aprilia’s Bezzecchi.

Sunday’s race was far less dramatic than Saturday’s chaotic, rain-lashed sprint, which was won by Alex’s older brother Marc Marquez.

Bezzecchi and the Marquez brothers were among those who crashed, but reigning champion Marc managed to clinch victory after some quick thinking to change to a bike with wet tyres.

Although Marc started on pole on Sunday, Alex closed the gap at the start of the second lap and went up the inside of his brother on turn six to take the lead, before Marc lost the front of his Ducati five turns later and crashed out.

Alex Marquez then proved too quick for Bezzecchi, while Fabio di Giannantonio completed the podium, with Jorge Martin in fourth.

Bezzecchi had won the previous five races – the first three this year and final two of last season – since Alex Marquez won in Malaysia six months ago.

After Sunday’s result, Bezzecchi has stretched his overall lead to 11 points over Martin, with Di Giannantonio climbing to third and Marc Marquez 44 points adrift in fifth.

Alex now stands seventh overall, with his previous best finish this year being a sixth place.

“We struggled a lot at the beginning of the year,” he said. “Today, it was clear – go from the first lap, pushing, trying to take the lead.

“From that moment, I knew that the rhythm was really good until the end.”