A new chapter in Alex Marquez’s career has just begun as he switches across to Gresini Ducati. After two seasons with Honda, the Spaniard has decided to change teams for the upcoming season and will ride a Desmosedici GP22 with the Italian outfit, alongside Fabio Di Giannantonio. But do you really know the two-time World Champion? Without further ado, here are ten things you might not know about Alex Marquez.’

1. 23 has always been his lucky number. The Cervera rider used to wear it on the fairing of his bike when he competed in the Spanish Championship, but as it was already an active number when he arrived in the World Championship in 2012, the younger Marquez brother was forced to replace it with another number and opted to go with 12. The same thing then happened when he moved up to Moto2™. By then 12 was also unavailable, so he took 73, a number derived from subtracting 23 (the day of his birth) from 96 (his birth year): 96 – 23 = 73.

2. Alex has always been very close to his older brother Marc. In 2020, they were going to fulfill their dream of riding for the same team in the premier class, but Marc's serious injury during the first race of the season deprived them of that opportunity. Nevertheless, they share training sessions, concerts, football matches... They enjoy the time they spend together and never miss a chance to joke around.

3. For the Catalan rider, the best moment of his career was November 9, 2014, the day he won his first World Championship crown and, a few hours later, a historic photograph was taken for the Marquez family, with both Alex and Marc posing on their bikes for the traditional Champions' photo. He admits to reliving that race in Valencia whenever he feels down.

4. Alex Marquez is currently the only active Grand Prix rider who has won the World Championship in both the Moto3™ and Moto2™ categories. The '73' admitted he was unaware of this fact: "I didn't know, I found out in a press conference. I got goosebumps knowing that."

5. Marquez has two Dachshunds named Stich and Shira, who often appear on both Alex and Marc's social media.

6. In addition to motorsports, the Spaniard is also interested in other sports such as cycling, tennis, and football. In fact, he is a big fan of FC Barcelona.

7. During the coronavirus lockdown, Alex discovered that's he quite handy with games consoles, and especially with the MotoGP™ game. In fact, he won the first #StayAtHomeGP and the fourth virtual race. In the other two races, he finished in the Top 3.

8. The eighth fact to highlight about Alex Marquez could be said to be inherited...or family-related. Just like his older brother, his favorite circuit is MotorLand Aragon. And the numbers prove it, as he has five podiums there in all categories, the latest in MotoGP™.

9. When he was younger, he greatly admired Dani Pedrosa: "When I started racing, he was the reference in 125cc and 250cc," Alex himself commented. Six years later, his brother Marc would team up with the '26'.

10. His closest circle calls him "Mauri".