Marc Marquez says Alex would be “a bad brother” for making risky overtakes on him

Marc Marquez enters the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail on the brink of an eighth MotoGP title after a race win in Malaysia in which he battled his brother early on.

Championship leader Marc Marquez started second at the Malaysian MotoGP last weekend, but passed his pole-sitter brother into the first corner on lap one.

Alex Marquez was then passed by Pedro Acosta and finished third, beating Ai Ogura to the final podium spot in what turned out to be his last race before undergoing shoulder surgery that will keep him out of the Qatar race this weekend where Marc Marquez can clinch his 10th world title.

The Gresini Racing rider took flak in 2025 for a perceived lack of aggression when racing his brother compared to when racing other riders, and in recent weeks those accusations have returned to a degree, including at Sepang where two-time world champion Alex rode behind his brother for a number of laps in the first half of the race before the championship leader began pulling away.

“Alex [Marquez] has done a great job in this second part of the season, in the last few races,” said Marc Marquez on Thursday at Lusail, as reported by Motorsport.com.

“Especially considering how he was physically. 

“In Malaysia, he was thinking about his own interests and knew how to manage his risks. That's what brothers are for.”

The Ducati Lenovo Team rider added that it only makes sense that his brother is cautious when racing him at the moment.

“If your brother is playing for a world championship, you don't just throw your bike at him and see what happens,” the nine-time champion said.

“Even less so, because we both race for Ducati. 

“If you do that, then it means you're a bad brother; you should call him and apologize.”