Marc Marquez delivered a masterclass in mixed conditions to dominate Friday’s Brno MotoGP practice.
All eyes were on the six-time premier class world champion as he relentlessly topped both practice sessions amidst changeable weather and a newly resurfaced track, all while championship rival Jorge Martin returned to competitive action after a prolonged absence due to injury.
Friday morning’s Free Practice 1 unfolded with wet track conditions, testing the adaptability of each rider on the grid.
A technical issue prevented Marc Marquez from getting out on track from the initial laps, leaving many spectators and paddock insiders wondering if his streak of dominance might finally be challenged.
However, once Marquez was able to rejoin the session he immediately set the standard, clocking in a rapid series of laps aboard his Ducati GP25—soaring to the top of the leaderboard with a fastest time of 1:54.606.
His closest challenger was Jack Miller who demonstrated similar mastery in the changeable weather, with his best effort placing him only 0.615 seconds off the benchmark. Meanwhile, Marquez’s Ducati teammate Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia closely followed in third.
Alex Marquez overcame some initial worries over his pace and delivered a late flyer to secure fourth place ahead of Enea Bastianini who was determined to make up for his absence from the previous round due to illness.
Pedro Acosta impressed with a consistent run for sixth while Marco Bezzecchi marked the leading Aprilia rider in seventh despite an earlier crash at Turn 11. Meanwhile, rookie Ai Ogura endured a heavy corner entry highside at Turn 3 destroying his Trackhouse Aprilia; fortunately, he escaped unharmed.
Eighth place went to Honda’s Luca Marini, proving Honda had made steps forward in wet and drying conditions — a key consideration at Brno given the elevation changes and long, sweeping corners.
Alex Rins was the stronger of the Yamaha contingent coming in ninth while LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami rounded out the top ten.
Returning to action with Aprilia Racing after an injury layoff, Jorge Martin approached the day with determination and some visible nerves but ultimately placed 17th after his best lap good enough for ninth was deleted for track limits.
Full Czech MotoGP Friday Practice Results, Brno
As the day continued, anticipation mounted for the second Free Practice session, which would determine the ten riders progressing directly to Qualifying 2. Rain continued to play a decisive role, and the session was delayed to ensure rider safety.
Once underway, the order was once again set by Marc Marquez who went on to complete a clean sweep of Friday’s Brno MotoGP practice with a 2:03.935, managing a comfortable half-second buffer to closest challenger Johann Zarco.
Fabio Quartararo resurgent on Yamaha claimed an impressive third in FP2 despite the challenges thrown by the weather and the new circuit characteristics.
Aprilia’s strong day was reinforced by Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, both slotting into the top five. Martin who finished just a few tenths slower than his teammate, declared himself thrilled with the result, noting the physical and emotional demands of his comeback after such a lengthy layoff.
Pramac’s Jack Miller secured sixth ahead of Honda’s Joan Mir and Tech3 KTM’s Enea Bastianini, while Alex Marquez, despite a late crash and subsequent dash back to the pits, secured his Q2 place with a determined final lap.
Factory KTM’s Pedro Acosta rounded out the top ten with Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez and Fermin Aldeguer keeping Gresini’s flag flying close behind.
Notably, Francesco Bagnaia took a disappointing 13th, unable to find the ideal setup to extract more pace in the tricky conditions compared to his Ducati stablemates.
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