Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez claimed his 11th Sprint win out of a possible 12 in 2025 at the Czech Grand Prix. However, it was overshadowed by more controversy over a rule that has infuriated fans and pundits alike.
Francesco Bagnaia took his first pole position of 2025 over Marquez at Brno. But the Italian relinquished the lead to his Ducati teammate on the opening lap, before struggling with the front tyre pressure on his GP25.
The 28-year-old finished the Sprint in seventh, while Marquez encountered the same issue later on in the race. Receiving a warning on his dashboard about his tyre pressure, he pulled back and handed the lead to Pedro Acosta.
Once he had got back with the tyre pressure limits, Marquez easily passed the KTM rider for the lead and held on to win yet another Saturday race in 2025. However, he was placed under investigation by the FIM after the Sprint, resulting in fury over the rules on social media.
Karun Chandhok tells MotoGP the tyre pressure rule must be ‘scrapped’ after watching the Czech Grand Prix
No action was taken against Marquez as he kept his Czech Grand Prix Sprint win. He would have been handed an eight-second penalty if he had been in breach of the regulations, which would have demoted him to 14th and out of the points.
This is not the first time that tyre pressure rules have caused controversy in MotoGP this season. Tech3 rider Maverick Vinales was denied a podium in Qatar for a tyre pressure infringement, demoting him to 14th after the race.
The issue left several fans expressing their anger over the rules after the race. Formula 1 pundit Karun Chandhok was not impressed with the ‘farcical’ situation, calling for new owners Liberty Media to make changes for future seasons.
He wrote on X (Formerly Twitter): “Oh come on @MotoGP – this tyre pressure rule needs to be scrapped!
“Watched the race with my 6 year old son today – impossible to explain to them… First thing Liberty needs to do is get rid of this rubbish rule that creates farcical races!”
READ MORE: Neil Hodgson explains why he is ‘struggling’ to watch Marc Marquez at the Czech Grand Prix
MotoGP fans join Karun Chandhok in expressing anger over tyre pressure rules after the Czech GP
Marquez may have outsmarted Bagnaia with his tyre pressure issues, as he was still able to win the Sprint at Brno while his teammate fell back.
But the rules have sparked debate about changes, as fans and riders are not happy with how they are affecting races. MotoGP introduced them for safety reasons in 2023, but riders have since complained about issues with braking and a lack of grip on the front tyre with the higher pressure.
MotoGP fans want the ‘ridiculous’ rule taken out of the regulations after watching another race being impacted negatively. It took away from Marquez’s victory at Brno, or could even have denied him the win altogether.
Carl Fogarty issues a foul-mouthed message to MotoGP over the rules. He insisted that fans do not care about what tyre pressure the riders are running, labelling the regulations as a ‘joke’.
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