Marco Bezzecchi
Alex Marquez suffered his worst sprint result of the season at the Czech Grand Prix as he finished 17th on Saturday.
The Gresini rider qualified eighth and virtually gave up on lap one at Brno, treating the race more like a test session.
It appears the broken hand he suffered at Assen may be preventing him from pushing to his limits, which will cost him in the MotoGP title fight.
Marquez now trails his brother Marc by 95 points in the riders’ standings with just under half the season to go. It now feels like a miracle is required for anyone else to win.
After an annoying crash in practice, Marquez was praised at the Czech Grand Prix for quickly getting back to his garage, getting on a new bike and still making the cut for Q2.
Despite the challenges he has faced recently, which include Marquez feeling like a ‘passenger’ at the Sachsenring, he has battled well in the face of adversity.
Alex Marquez rues ‘strange’ traction problem at the Czech Grand Prix
Alex made a ‘ridiculous’ decision against Marc by opting not to battle his brother too hard at Assen a few races ago. Some fans think that he approaches him differently from other riders.
But it’s important to remember that it’s a long championship and anything could happen. The Spaniard won’t want to risk a crash that could end his season prematurely, with his brother of all people.
Particularly when Marc is on the brink of breaking some incredible records along the way. Alex, on the other hand, is showing signs of struggle and told SPEEDWEEK that one of his problems was ‘strange’ at the Czech Grand Prix.
“I did have to remove another rider’s tear-off visor before the start, but I don’t think that was the cause of my problem.
“It felt strange, and in the past, several riders often had the same problems when there was too much wheelspin at the start. This time, I was the only one.”
READ MORE: Marc Marquez thinks Alex Marquez may now regret one piece of advice he gave him at Honda
Why the Czech Grand Prix arrives at a good time for Alex Marquez
The Czech Grand Prix marks the final race before the MotoGP summer break, where riders will get just under four weeks to rest and recuperate ahead of the second half of the season.
For those with lingering injuries or surgeries that need to be performed, it’s the perfect time to get back to full fitness for one last push.
Marquez has already had his surgery, but allowing himself some time to rest and heal properly should serve him well.
Beating his brother on a one-year-old GP24 bike is hard enough on its own, without being fully fit at the same time, it’s almost impossible.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
