Marco Bezzecchi
Neil Hodgson fears Marc Marquez is “tired” after noticing how the Ducati rider carried himself in parc ferme straight after sealing third in the Sprint at the Czech Grand Prix.
Marquez was often one of the fastest riders during the Sprint Race at Brno this Saturday, but he had to settle for the last podium place. He came home 0.794 seconds behind the lead as Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia won the Brno Sprint ahead of Ai Ogura of Trackhouse.
Bagnaia took the lead away from Ogura with a superior start to the maiden polesitter. Using the soft rear Michelin tyre also allowed Bagnaia to build a lead, only to fall back into Ogura’s clutches. Marquez, too, had superior speed to the Italian, but would not find a way through.
Francesco Bagnaia wins the Brno Sprint 🏆 But who was your rider of the race, and why?
Neil Hodgson thinks Marc Marquez looked ‘tired’ after his P3 finish in the Brno Sprint
Marquez noted immediately after the Sprint at the Czech GP during his parc ferme interview that he was “happy” with third place. The seven-time MotoGP champion also suggested the pace he showed in the Sprint at Brno was not the absolute maximum that he could achieve.
READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Czech Grand Prix, including Brno weather forecast
“Yeah, [I am] happy with the third place,” he said. “We did the correct option, Ducati did a great job. So, yeah, I just tried to work for tomorrow, and try to improve in the long race.”
But Hodgson is not convinced that Marquez had anything more to offer in the Sprint at the Czech GP, as his body language in parc ferme suggested that he was “tired”. Marquez is still recovering from his recent shoulder surgery, from which he knows he now has limitations.
Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (20/06, 14:32): “He looks tired, and I wouldn’t say he seems that happy. We know him well enough to know, read his body language, he looks tired.”
Also, Hodgson emphasised that he was not sure whether Marquez’s remarks implied that he could have pushed more in the Sprint but instead opted to save himself for the Czech GP on Sunday. The 2003 World Superbike riders’ champion stressed: “I don’t know, I don’t know.”
Marquez returned from the surgery to remove two bent screws and a bone fragment from his right shoulder at the Italian Grand Prix at the end of May. He has since stressed that he still lacks muscle in that shoulder, as he had been dealing with a nerve problem all season.
Despite the injury, Marquez did the double at Balaton Park with glory in the Sprint and the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out. But Balaton Park is a car park compared to most tracks and while Brno is not as physically demanding as Mugello, the track clearly tested Marquez.
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