Marco Bezzecchi
Alex Marquez came under fire once again at the Dutch Grand Prix for being cautious against his brother Marc. He followed him home in second in Saturday’s Sprint race.
Remarkably, it’s the ninth time this season that the Gresini rider has been runner-up in the shorter format. Marc has won out on all of those occasions.
MotoGP fans were livid with Alex Marquez for opting out of a late lunge, and he eventually crossed the line just three and a half tenths behind. After tangling with Pedro Acosta on Sunday and breaking his hand, he’s a doubt for the German GP.
Marc went on to win the race to claim another 37-point haul. But he used his media sessions afterwards to passionately defend his brother, telling TNT Sports that he was ‘angry’ about what he saw as disrespectful coverage.
Alex Marquez was called Marc Marquez’s ‘yapping little doggy’
Marquez explained that overtaking is difficult at the Dutch Grand Prix circuit if the rider ahead mounts a strong defence. He pointed out that Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi couldn’t take the lead from him on Sunday.
The younger brother is second in the championship, 68 points behind. While he could lose further ground if he’s absent at the Sachsenring, he’s still on course for by far his best-ever season, with P8 his best championship position to date.
According to Simon Patterson, speaking on The Race’s MotoGP podcast, Marquez was likely enraged by a comment on Italian TV on Saturday. Alex was described as his ‘yapping little doggy’, as if he were completely subservient.
Patterson said: “I think part of the reason why Marquez was so angry on Sunday has actually nothing, unlike what social media thinks, to do with me personally, and maybe considerably more to do with Italian TV, who called Alex ‘Marc’s yapping little doggy’ on Saturday.
“I think that might be more where the anger is coming from.”
Jorge Lorenzo has taken a completely different view of Alex Marquez in 2025
In the build-up to the race, Marquez had compared his brother to Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian, who won 15 races during his career, was his nearest challenger for three straight seasons during the Honda dynasty.
While some talk about him in disparaging terms, Jorge Lorenzo is hugely impressed with Alex Marquez. He thinks the Spanish GP winner is ‘without a doubt’ ready to step up to the Ducati factory team.
Should he maintain his current form, that will be the conversation in next year’s rider market. He doesn’t have to worry about keeping his seat; instead, he should be looking upwards.
Both siblings may understandably be reluctant to attempt risky moves when they go wheel-to-wheel. But if rivals feel they could execute a pass, they need to get ahead of Alex first.
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