The Japan Times - Brothers in arms as Marc Marquez chases treble in Texas

Six-time elite class world champion Marc, on a factory Ducati, has a perfect four wins this season after romping to victory in the sprint races and Sunday showpieces in Thailand and Argentina.

Younger brother Alex, on a satellite Ducati, has been second on all four occasions.

Marc Marquez, at 32 and four years older than Alex, is also chasing a seventh world elite class title in this 22-race season.

That would take him level with Italian icon Valentino Rossi who retired with seven in 2021 and just one behind the all-time mark of eight held by Giacomo Agostini.

"We're coming to Austin on the heels of two near-perfect weekends," said Marc Marquez.

"Austin is a track where I've always been fast."

He added: "It's a physically demanding circuit, but I've won a lot there."

Marquez has already won seven times at Austin's Circuit of the Americas, sweeping six in a row between 2013 and 2018 and again in 2021.

The younger Marquez is comfortably enjoying his best season in MotoGP where he led in Thailand and pushed his sibling hard in Argentina.

He has led more laps than Marc has on the two Sundays of racing so far.

"It was another great Sunday (in Argentina), maybe the first one in which I really thought I could win," said Gresini Racing's Alex, who is 16 points off the lead.

"I knew where I was faster and where I was losing to Marc, but it didn't go as planned and we know we gave our best.

"Four second-place finishes in the first four races are easier said than done and never in my wildest dreams I would have imagined that."

- Bagnaia playing catch-up -

In contrast to the Marquez brothers' early season dominance, it has been a darker time for two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia, who is Marc Marquez's teammate at the factory Ducati team.

The 28-year-old Italian has yet to mount a challenge on the track and currently sits third in the championship, already 31 points behind the leader.

Bagnaia was third in both events in Thailand before a third in the Argentine sprint was followed by a fourth-place finish in the main race.

The Turin native has also never won the Grand Prix of the Americas showpiece since its debut at the Austin circuit in 2013.

"In 2023, I won the sprint race, but last year I struggled more," admitted Bagnaia.

Reigning world champion Jorge Martin of Spain will be absent again this weekend.

Injured during the off-season, he has yet to compete in the championship this year after switching to Aprilia.

His return to Qatar in mid-April is still uncertain, which is a significant handicap for the Italian team.

KTM, for their part, are also having a difficult start to the season.

None of their riders have yet managed to reach the podium and 20-year-old Pedro Acosta, considered one of MotoGP's brightest prospects, has just a sixth-place sprint finish in Thailand to show for his efforts.

K.Nakajima--JT