{"id":3047,"date":"2025-07-18T12:02:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/3047\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T12:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:02:07","slug":"marquez-ahead-at-brno-despite-bike-issue-martin-shows-promise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/3047\/","title":{"rendered":"Marquez ahead at Brno despite bike issue, Martin shows promise"},"content":{"rendered":"

MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez overcame a lengthy stay in the pits due to technical issues to head up the opening premier-class practice session at Brno.<\/p>\n

Key moments:<\/p>\n

– Zarco quickest in the wet<\/p>\n

– Miller a standout in mixed conditions<\/p>\n

– Marquez shrugs off technical drama<\/p>\n

– Martin on pace already<\/p>\n

– Big crash for Ogura<\/p>\n

A temperature warning on his dash meant Marquez was effectively a bystander for the first half of the session, taking place on a drying track – and once he was back out, he only did a couple of laps on wets before returning to the pits for another prolonged absence.<\/p>\n

LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco was the quickest rider during the wet portion of the season, but Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller was, predictably, the bellwether for the switch to slicks – three seconds clear after his third flying lap, five seconds clear after his fourth.<\/p>\n

And Miller ended up fighting Marquez for the top spot in the end, though the points leader ultimately sniped first place by six tenths with his final effort.<\/p>\n

Marquez came within a tenth of logging the new record lap of Brno, back on the MotoGP calendar for the first time since 2020, having in the meantime been resurfaced – with the laptimes expected to dip well below the previous numbers.<\/p>\n

Pecco Bagnaia, who was ahead of Marquez on the final run and then waved him through, had been towards the sharp end for much of the session – in contrast to his dreadful form in the wet at the Sachsenring – and ended up third, followed by Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and the returning Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM).<\/p>\n

Bastianini had revealed on Thursday that his Sachsenring absence wasn’t a result of appendicitis after all, but food poisoning that created inflammation that looked like it.<\/p>\n

Pedro Acosta (KTM) was sixth in his first session at Brno, followed by Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), who had an early fall in the wet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A massive SPINNING crash for @AiOgura79<\/a> \ud83d\ude31\ud83d\ude31\ud83d\ude31<\/p>\n

Great to see he’s walking away from it (also with the fairing in his hand) \ud83d\udc4d\ud83d\ude05#CzechGP<\/a> \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff pic.twitter.com\/KB5PkzcpxJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MotoGP\u2122\ud83c\udfc1 (@MotoGP) July 18, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

Trackhouse Aprilia rookie Ai Ogura recorded the only other crash of the session. He was unhurt in a violent Turn 3 highside on slicks, landing hard on the ground but quickly getting up – and walking away from the site of the crash desolately after picking up the torn-off front fairing from the gravel.<\/p>\n

World champion Jorge Martin, returning to official MotoGP action for the first time since Qatar in April and now committed to racing for Aprilia in 2026, placed 17th – but will have been top-10 on the strength of his best lap, erased for track limits.<\/p>\n

FP1 results \"\"<\/p>\n