Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez has admitted that he was left ‘surprised’ by Alex Marquez’s return after watching him in training.
Gresini rider Alex, 30, was involved in a horrible accident during last month’s Catalan Grand Prix. On Lap 12, he made contact with KTM rider Pedro Acosta, who was slowing down on the back straight.
The Grand Prix was quickly red-flagged after Alex was sent flying off his bike, which resulted in him being forced to undergo surgery due to fractures in his clavicle and vertebrae.
After missing races in Italy and Hungary, it was confirmed that Alex would return for the Czech Grand Prix and on Friday, Alex finished P18 in FP1 before managing to move up to P15 in practice.
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Marc Marquez thought Alex Marquez would not finish Friday after watching him in training
Speaking about his brother’s performances, seven-time MotoGP world champion Marc admitted that he was ‘surprised’ by Alex’s return.
The Ducati star, who recently came back from his own injury, claimed that he would not have bet on him finishing Friday after watching him in training.
As reported by Spanish news outlet Marca, Marc said: “I’m happy for him. He really surprised me, because I saw him training—we trained together—and I wouldn’t have bet on him being able to finish the day on Friday.
“He’s been medically cleared regarding his vertebrae and all that, but the muscular side takes time.
“Today, I was impressed by how he managed to push through the pain and the lap times he achieved, because riding a MotoGP bike the way he did requires pushing hard.”
Reflecting on his own performances on Friday, Alex admitted that he was ‘exhausted’ but did better than he anticipated.
Who is going to win the Czech Grand Prix, and why?
On Saturday, Alex qualified on the fifth row after setting the fourth fastest time in Q1 and was due to start the Sprint and the Grand Prix alongside Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo.
However, after qualifying finished, it was confirmed that Alex had withdrawn from the Czech Grand Prix, with the team citing that the decision had been made in order to allow the 30-year-old to continue his road to full fitness in ‘the best possible way’.
Taking to social media, Gresini wrote: “Álex Márquez, after consulting with the team and Angel Charte, has decided to withdraw from the rest of the #CzechGP to continue his recovery in the best possible way.”
Looking ahead, another decision will have to be made between Alex and Gresini, with the 2026 MotoGP campaign continuing next weekend with round 10 in the Netherlands.
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