Marc Marquez managed to win the Qatar Grand Prix, but this particular victory didn’t come without some drama, especially involving a first-lap incident with his younger brother, Alex Marquez, at Turn 1.

Starting from pole position, Marc led into the opening corner but unexpectedly slowed down on the exit. That sudden change of pace caught Alex off guard, and the two brothers made contact. Both of their Ducati bikes suffered minor damage, and the clash pushed them out of position, allowing Franco Morbidelli to snatch the early lead.

While Marc quickly recovered and went on to control the race from the front, Alex wasn’t as lucky. He lost his rhythm, dropped two more positions, and things got worse when he tried to regain positions. On lap 3, Alex made contact with Fabio Di Giannantonio while attempting an overtake, sending both riders wide. That move earned him a long-lap penalty and ended his run of second-place finishes.

Before the race, only two points separated the Marquez brothers in the MotoGP standings. Now, Marc leads by 17 points, although Alex still holds on to second place overall.

Speaking after the race, Marc accepted responsibility for the incident with Alex:

“The contact with Alex was more my mistake than his,” Marc said. “I opened the throttle and felt the rear sliding, so I closed it again. He didn’t expect that, and that’s why we touched. That allowed Morbidelli to pass us. But luckily, we both stayed on the bikes.”
— Marc Marquez, post-race interview, Qatar GP 2025, for MotoGP.com