Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez’s Sprint victory at Brno on Saturday was overshadowed by a fresh furore over MotoGP’s tyre pressure rules. Both Ducati riders had to concede positions.
Francesco Bagnaia, who had started on pole before losing out to Marquez on the opening lap, ended up falling to seventh after he was swallowed up. His teammate deliberately dropped behind Pedro Acosta then held onto second.
Marquez subsequently received confirmation on his dash that he was back within the legal tyre pressure range. He easily re-passed Acosta afterwards, such was his pace advantage.
But as he crossed the line, the FIM announced that he was under investigation. That meant fans and media in attendance at the Czech Grand Prix were unaware who was going to be declared the winner as the riders prepared for the podium ceremony.
Carl Fogarty insists MotoGP fans don’t care about tyre pressures
Marquez would have received an eight-second penalty had he been in breach. That would have dropped him behind Fermin Aldeguer in 14th, well outside the points.
At the Qatar GP in April, Tech3 rider Maverick Vinales lost second place after a heavy sanction for a tyre pressure infringement. The rules appear to be unpopular with a large section of the sport’s fanbase.
Addressing the official MotoGP account on X, Carl Fogarty issued a foul-mouthed rebuke. Fogarty made a handful of 500cc appearances in the early 1990s but is best known for winning four World Superbike championships.
“This tyre pressure rule is a f—— joke!!!!” he protested. “Who gives a f— what tyre pressure you run?!!!”
Michelin say this is a safety measure, with the risk of failures increasing if the pressure becomes too low. The heavy penalties act as a barrier to teams pushing the limits, but it seems Ducati miscalculated here.
How Marc Marquez outsmarted Francesco Bagnaia after Ducati warning light
Michelin won’t be introducing their new front tyre for 2026 as initially planned. The French manufacturer will be leaving the series at the end of next year, with Pirelli taking over.
There is a risk of more episodes like this in the next 18 months or so. New owners Liberty Media are already being called upon to act.
On the flip side, one could argue that the rules injected chaos into a Saturday race that may have otherwise been processional. In the end, Marquez still managed to take his 11th win in 12 Sprints, with Bagnaia the bigger victim.
As Michael Laverty noted on TNT Sports, Marquez may have outsmarted Bagnaia. The six-time world champion ‘judged it to perfection’ rather than leaving himself vulnerable.
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