Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP legend Jorge Lorenzo has admitted that he is finding it ‘hard to understand’ why Marc Marquez is at such a deficit to brother Alex Marquez at the Spanish Grand Prix despite them racing on equal machinery.
While the most meaningful sessions of a MotoGP race weekend are yet to begin, there’s a lot for Ducati to be happy about following the conclusion of Friday’s practice sessions at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Fabio Di Giannantonio led a Ducati 1-2-3 in FP1 this morning, while Alex Marquez came just milliseconds away from smashing Fabio Quartararo’s lap record in the pre-qualifying practice session.
Alex Marquez sets a high benchmark in practice at Jerez! Which rider will be joining this lot in Q2 on Saturday?
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No one came close to the Gresini star on Friday afternoon as he set a time that was over three-tenths quicker than his nearest competitor.
His older brother, Marc Marquez, managed to set the fourth fastest time of the session, but was still some five tenths off Alex’s benchmark at the chequered flag.
Jorge Lorenzo is struggling to understand why Marc Marquez is so far behind Alex Marquez in Jerez
Speaking as part of DAZN’s coverage of the proceedings on Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix, Lorenzo shared his amazement at the Gresini rider’s pace in the pre-practice qualifying session.
The three-time premier class title-winner also touched upon his doubts over Marc’s physical status at Jerez, pinpointing it as a potential reason for the deficit to his younger brother.
He said via quotes by Motosan, “I don’t think he’s at his physical peak. It’s hard to understand that he’s half a second behind his brother. He’s struggling to consistently run in the low 37s. He’s a tad behind.”
Who is going to win the Spanish Grand Prix?
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After looking at the timings that were set throughout the two practice sessions, Lorenzo theorised on the race pace in Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix to be somewhere around the range of a high 1:36 or low 1:37.
Of course, that means that the reigning world champion will need to find a few extra tenths of consistency to ensure that he is racing within the frontrunning pack across both formats this weekend.
Davide Tardozzi shared how ‘useful’ MotoGP’s three-week break has been for Marc Marquez
Much of the discussion over the three-week break between the Austin and Jerez rounds of the 2026 MotoGP calendar has been over the fitness of Marc Marquez.
Several figures within the MotoGP paddock in Austin noted how Marquez still looked banged up following the broken collarbone that he sustained during the latter stages of the 2025 campaign. Another high-speed off in Texas certainly didn’t help his case.
During his media duties at Jerez this weekend, Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi outlined how helpful the break has been for his star rider, while remaining tight-lipped on whether he is at 100%.
He told journalists, via Motosan, “Without a doubt, these three weeks off have been useful for Marc. Now we’ll hear from him, after this round of tests, about his physical condition.”
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