Alex Marquez claims KTM have been ‘undervalued’ as he gets set to leave Gresini
· Yahoo Sports
Alex Marquez has come to KTM’s defence as he gets ready to swap Gresini for the Austrian team, a move expected to be made official once the new commercial agreements are in place.
The Spaniard finished second in the 2025 championship while riding for the satellite Ducati team, picking up his first three career wins along the way. While he built a good relationship with Gresini, the chance to join a factory outfit was always going to be hard to turn down.
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This week also brought news that Marquez will be earning €1 million at KTM – around £870,000. That’s more than double what he was reportedly making at Gresini, which was about €400k (just under £350k).
Alex Marquez defends KTM’s reputation amid financial recovery
Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images“In the end, everyone lost faith in KTM or disrespected them a lot last year when they had their financial problems, but in 2023 all the riders were at the front and it was the second-best bike by far, after the Ducati,” Marquez told AS.
KTM remained competitive on track despite their off-track issues. Pedro Acosta finished fourth in the standings, matching KTM’s best result in MotoGP. And this season Acosta leads the championship after winning the Thailand Sprint and finishing second in the Grand Prix.
Marquez added: “I think last year’s setback has really hurt their image and people have undervalued them a lot, but I think they have great potential.”
Fermin Aldeguer set for Gresini exit as he heads to VR46
Gresini now face the challenge of replacing both riders for 2027, with Fermin Aldeguer set to join VR46 in what amounts to a step up within the Ducati ranks.
The team is currently priced out of renewing its deal with Ducati but remains hopeful of reaching an agreement once finances are settled.
Aldeguer is expected to receive upgrade parity with factory riders next year, something he hasn’t had during his time at Gresini.
On a positive note, Nadia Padovani’s side will be back to full strength in Brazil, as Aldeguer returns from a broken femur. Michele Pirro had filled in during the Thailand round.
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