Alex Márquez had the speed to fight for victory in the Australian Grand Prix sprint, but chose not to attack Marc Márquez in the closing laps. The decision came after Jorge Martín crashed and prompted questions about whether Ducati had used a team strategy. Alex offered a different explanation: with the move already close to the limit, he was not prepared to risk a collision for the points offered by a sprint win.

Marc Márquez won the 13-lap sprint at Phillip Island and moved 10 points clear in the standings. Before his crash, Martín was ahead of Alex, who was applying pressure from third place on lap eight. The Aprilia rider then fell, suffered a wrist fracture and was ruled out of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

Alex had earlier overtaken Pedro Acosta again and was closing on the two riders in front. After Martín’s crash, he reached Marc with enough speed to consider a pass, but described the move as too risky. Instead, he maintained his pace rather than attempting an overtake on his older brother.

Alex’s reasoning

Alex Márquez said Marc is competing for the championship and that he would not jeopardise a race for the sake of a sprint victory. He also made clear that the decision was not based only on their family relationship. The two riders compete for the same manufacturer as well. His position was straightforward: when the risk of an overtake is high, he chooses not to attack.

The choice sparked social-media questions about whether Alex was protecting Marc’s interests and whether Ducati had issued team orders. Alex presented it as his own assessment of the risk at that moment. He had qualified second behind Marc on Saturday morning at Phillip Island. With Martín out of Sunday’s race, Alex’s prospects of winning were improved, while a similar pace could make it difficult for Marc to resist an attack.