DAVIDE TARDOZZI SAYS DUCATI NEVER TOLD ALEX MARQUEZ TO HOLD BACK AT MISANO

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi has moved to quash suggestions that Alex Marquez was ordered not to challenge Marc Marquez during their fight for victory at the 2026 San Marino Grand Prix at Misano.

The controversy followed a race that delivered a rare Ducati one-two in the premier class this season. Marc Marquez led Alex Marquez home to win the San Marino GP by 0.657s, with the pair finishing ahead of the rest of the field after a tense battle that included a key overtake by Marc. The result also had championship implications: Marc moved to the top of the riders’ standings for the first time this year, while he and Jorge Martin are now level on 274 points, with Marc holding the advantage due to having five Grand Prix wins.

Tardozzi addressed the specific claim that Alex had been told to avoid attacking his brother to protect Ducati’s broader interests. He rejected the idea outright, insisting Ducati do not hold conversations with Alex about not challenging Marc.

Speaking to TNT Sports 2 on 13 September, Tardozzi said: “No, no, no, no, no. We talk about Ducati, and that’s it.” He added that while there is no instruction between the brothers, Alex is fully aware of the margins involved and of what is at stake late in a race. Tardozzi suggested Alex may have judged an attack as too risky, explaining: “It’s obvious that Alex knows perfectly his brother. He knows that he has some tenths in his pocket at the end of the race, and he took, I think… but I think that Alex decided that trying to attack Marc was too dangerous, and the second place is important.”

The Ducati manager also pointed to the nature of championship racing, arguing that if any such decision were to be made, it would be driven by the situation in the final stages rather than by pre-agreed orders. “Absolutely not, [there are no conversations between the Marquez brothers]. Absolutely not,” he said. “I think that if something like that can happen, [it] will happen in the last race because it’s more important to win the championship than whatever [else].”

Tardozzi further clarified that Ducati’s communication with Alex is focused on attitude and approach rather than race-by-race instructions about specific rivals. “So far, our past [has been to] talk about our attitude, and I think that we never did in the past, and probably we will never do in the future,” he concluded.

Alex Marquez, for his part, also denied that he intentionally held back from putting Marc under pressure. The Gresini rider described how he avoids setting rigid plans during a race because circumstances can change quickly. “No, I don’t like to make plans because later on in races, unexpected things can come really, really easily,” he told TNT Sports 2.

He explained that the best approach is to stay responsive rather than locked into a predetermined script: “So, it’s better to be there, to be awake. And when you have a plan in your head and then something changes, it’s more difficult to react.”

Marquez acknowledged the shared Ducati connection while stressing that they race for different teams. “So, we know, and we are professionals, and we know that we are racing for Ducati, both but different teams, and we need to make our races,” he said. He added that the unpredictability of racing is part of what makes it effective: “But anyway, I think the unexpected plans are the best ones. So, these are the things that we try to do.”

The race itself fueled the debate because Alex appeared to have the pace to threaten. He followed Marc’s lead with a move on Jorge Martin into Turn 6 on lap 14, then closed rapidly on his brother, cutting the gap to less than a second in the closing stages. However, once Alex caught Marc, their contest effectively settled, and he accepted second place on the Misano podium.

The discussion also echoes earlier criticism from 2025, when Alex was accused of not overtaking Marc during the elder brother’s title push. After Misano, both Tardozzi and Alex insisted that no agreement exists to prevent attacks between the brothers, and that any outcome in their battles is determined by race dynamics rather than team directives.