In a practice session delayed by rain, the MotoGP riders faced a challenging track. With rain bringing a level playing field, there were some shocks at the Czechia track. Francesco Bagnaia failed to advance straight to Q2, making it a tale of two stories for Ducati.
Duality for Ducati
Marc Márquez set an unbeatable a time, making it a day of duality for the Italian team. His teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, was unable to set a competitive time and finds himself in Q1 tomorrow.
Álex Márquez, on the Ducati-powered Gresini bike, narrowly escaped a Q1 exit. After not matching pace, and then a late crash at Turn 7, many wondered if he would make it through. But, jumping on his second bike for a one lap shootout, Márquez was able to advance and the brothers continue to reach Q2 in every race weekend this year.
Franco Morbidelli unable to ride this weekend, focusing on recovering after his crash in Germany. Out of the 5 riders on a Ducati bike, only two have secured their opportunity to challenge for pole position. In another surprise, sole VR46 rider this weekend, Fabio Di Giannantonio joins Bagnaia and Fermín Aldeguer in Q1.
Aprilia and Martín Back Together
Reigning champion, Jorge Martín, returned to the grid this weekend, and gave an update on his future. Finally fit to ride after his crashes in pre-season testing and Qatar, the Spainard impressed and finished the session P5. Showing why he’s a champion in the series, he was quick to adjust and was matching teammate Marco Bezzecchi.
Ahead of the weekend, Martín confirmed that he will stay with Aprilia Racing in 2026. Considering he has had limited running this year, rumours were spreading about his seat and whether or not the pairing would be on the grid in 2026. This was put to rest on Thursday, and Martín will stay with the Italian team as negotiated.
Rain Mixed Things Up
Initially, the practice saw a 20 minute delay due to the heavy rain. When riders eventually joined the track, they were met with lots of standing water and a challenging circuit ahead of them.
Aprilia were quick to set the pace, but as the conditions started to improve, riders had to be careful. Bezzecchi proved this when he went wide at Turn 3 – hitting the standing water and crashing. Luckily, he was unharmed and later returned to the track.
Ducati rider Márquez seemed more at ease than the rest of the grid, but even he experienced some issues when he hit a damp patch and had to bail from a quick lap.
Johann Zarco continued to show his adaptability – finishing the session P2. The French rider has consistently shown his ability to be quick when it rains and this was no exception.
Q2 tomorrow will see a mixed group, with big names (such as Bagnaia) not guaranteed their place. In contrast, Joan Mir was able to advance, showing a potential return to form after a difficult season so far.
An Unexpected Weekend Ahead
Rain tarnished today’s session, bringing the rest of the weekend into question. With limited dry running, riders will be fighting to find the ideal set up in the 30 minute practice session preceding qualifying.
The rest of the weekend is expected to be dry, but with a grid shake-up looming due to who’s made it into Q2 and fighting for pole, what might unfold?