Did Ducati use team orders in Australian GP sprint? Alex Marquez explains strategy

Alex Marquez has defended his decision not to overtake Marc Marquez in the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix sprint, because it was “too risky”.

Marc Marquez claimed a significant victory in Saturday’s 13-lap sprint at Phillip Island to move 10 points clear in the standings.

A crash for chief title rival Jorge Martin also left the Aprilia rider with a wrist fracture, which has ruled him out of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

But before his crash, Martin faced intense pressure from a charging Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati, who was running just behind in third at the time on lap eight.

“If the risk is too high, I will not attack”

Alex Marquez had clear speed to fight for the win in the closing stages of the Phillip Island sprint, but ultimately never showed a wheel to his older brother Marc Marquez.

This led to criticism on social media that Alex Marquez is now riding for Marc Marquez’s best interests, while also raising the topic of potential Ducati team orders.

However, Alex Marquez says, given his position in the championship standings compared to his brother’s, he wasn’t willing to risk a collision “for a sprint win”.

“So, after overtaking [Pedro] Acosta again, I was just trying to close the gap to Martin and Marc,” he told the official MotoGP world feed.

“I was able to do it, but [I was] too much on the limit. So, after Jorge’s crash, I arrived in the end with the speed to try to attack Marc.

“But it was too risky, and he is playing for a championship, and I will never make that risk for a sprint win.

“I just decided in that moment to keep the pace and try to be there because it was too on the limit.

“If the risk is high, I will take zero risk to make an overtake on him.

“He’s my brother, but we also share a manufacturer and all that.

“So, just that: if the risk is too high, I will not attack him.

“At the beginning of the race, when I attacked Jorge, my idea was also to attack Marc and put my pace [down].

“But then Jorge attacked me again, so I wasn’t able to do more. This will be our plan and I will be like this.”

Alex Marquez qualified second behind Marc Marquez on Saturday morning at Phillip Island.

With Martin out of Sunday’s race now, Alex Marquez’s hopes of a win have been boosted, with Marc Marquez unlikely to put up much resistance if the Gresini rider shows similar pace to the sprint.