Michael Schumacher’s brother hits out at ‘complete nonsense’ he’s heard about Alex Marquez amid Marc Marquez battle

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Alex Marquez has been passed fit to take part in this weekend’s German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. The Gresini rider was a doubt after undergoing surgery for a hand fracture sustained at Assen.

There’s a theory that Marquez was caught out when racing Pedro Acosta after so many battles with his brother. They were coming off yet another one-two finish in Saturday’s Sprint.

The younger sibling’s retirement in the Grand Prix, combined with Marc’s victory, saw the gap increase to 68 points. While the prospect of a genuine title battle has faded, second in the championship would still represent a successful season for Alex.

He’s undeniably taken a leap this year, having scored his first-ever Grand Prix win in Spain. He’s never previously finished higher than eighth in the standings.

Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez ‘know each other too well’ when racing

Some MotoGP fans have accused Alex of making life too easy for Marc in wheel-to-wheel battles this season. There have been multiple occasions where the Ducati factory rider has been able to pass down the inside without much perceptible resistance.

This criticism has extended to sections of the media, with Italian TV calling Alex Marc’s ‘yapping little dog’, a comment that predictably infuriated the six-time champion. He passionately defended his brother after winning the race.

While Marc has compared Alex to Andrea Dovizioso, a parallel can also be drawn with F1. Michael Schumacher won seven world championships, whereas Ralf Schumacher could only manage six Grand Prix victories.

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Speaking to Bild, Ralf suggested that the two riders had practised together so much that they knew all of each other’s tricks.

“That’s complete nonsense,” he said of the Alex Marquez criticism. He explains: “We, too, had practised so many overtaking manoeuvres on the go-kart track as children that I knew exactly when it was worth it and when it didn’t make sense. The two of them simply know each other too well.”

Marc Marquez could soon ask Ducati to emulate what Honda did five years ago

Jorge Lorenzo says Marquez Jr is ready to join Ducati, even though he isn’t advocating for Francesco Bagnaia to be replaced. Marc may sense an opportunity if his current teammate continues to struggle.

Honda agreed to sign Alex in 2020, but the partnership never really materialised as Marc sustained a season-ending injury at the opening round.

Five years on, Marc could push Ducati to sign Alex for the 2027 season. He may have gained some leverage by allowing Luigi Dall’Igna to dictate his salary.

Alex’s Gresini partner Fermin Aldeguer, who’s on a Ducati contract, will also hope to be in the conversation, though he needs to keep developing.