Marc Marquez fends off Bezzecchi to make Ducati history
Five years on from rock bottom, the #93 becomes the first Ducati rider to win five GPs in a row. As Aprilia and KTM celebrate Czech GP podiums!
Sometimes, you just have to sit back and admire greatness.
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) emerged victorious on Sunday at the Tissot Grand Prix of Czechia. To become the first Ducati rider to win five Grands Prix on the spin. He was made to work for it in the first half of the battle.
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) put up a good fight to collect P2, 1.7s away from victory. As Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) held off a late charge from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to pick up his first Sunday rostrum of the season.
LIGHTS OUT: Bagnaia earns holeshot
Bagnaia punched off the line well and got the holeshot but like yesterday, Marc Marquez was through at Turn 3. Not for long though. On the cutback through Turn 4, Pecco led again. Bezzecchi carved his way past the #93 at Turn 5.
That’s how it was over the line but Pecco was wide at the penultimate corner, costing him time. That allowed Bezzecchi to make a move at Turn 1 on Lap 2. Marc Marquez, like he did on Lap 1, passed Pecco at Turn 3. This time there was no way back for Pecco.
PASSES AND DRAMA: Bez leads, Alex Marquez crashes
Meanwhile, Alex Marquez’s (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) disastrous weekend continued. The rider second in the championship was down at Turn 12 after an audacious move up the inside of Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) didn’t pay off. The luckless Mir was taken out. The Honda rider, along with Alex Marquez, were out of the Grand Prix from P5 and P6. That was zero points in Czechia for the #73. A hammer blow for the Gresini star’s title hopes, and he’ll now face a Long Lap penalty in Austria too.
Further up the order, it was Acosta’s turn to pass Pecco at Turn 3 on Lap 3. As Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and then Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) carved their way past Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Next up behind Quartararo: returning reigning Champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing).
On Lap 5, Bastianini’s charge continued. The Italian was through on his former teammate Bagnaia, with the ‘Beast’ now 1.4s behind his KTM stablemate Acosta. But then, Bastianini was in the gravel. Turn 3 saw the #23 lose the front end and it was Grand Prix over. A shame after his best weekend in orange.
THE WINNING MOVE: Marquez pounces
Lap 8 saw a change for the lead. Marc Marquez, at Turn 3, pounced on Bezzecchi. The #93 got his elbows out through Turn 4 to keep Bezzecchi behind him.
So what did the championship leader have in his pocket?
Acosta was right with the top two now, while Bagnaia sat 1.7s adrift of the podium fight.
A 1:54.184 played a 1:54.4 for Bezzecchi and a 1:54.5 for Acosta. Seeing Marquez go 0.5s clear at the front at the start of Lap 10. A lap later, the gap was up to 0.8s, and then with a fastest lap of the Grand Prix. Marquez’s lead grew to 1.2s on Lap 12 of 21.
Bezzecchi was giving this a good go. Bezzecchi dipped into the 1:53s for the first time, a 1:53.999, but on the same lap. Lap 14, Marquez found a 1:53.787. And on the following lap, Marquez went even quicker. A 1:53.691, coupled with a 1:54.085 from Bezzecchi, saw the lead climb to 1.9s.
With Marquez giving no one a chance of fighting for the win, attention turned to the rostrum fight.
Pecco was gathering some late race momentum. From just under two seconds away, with three laps left, the Italian was 0.5s behind Acosta. That was then 0.4s with two laps to go, as Bezzecchi continued on his way to P2, 0.9s ahead.
And on the last lap, Pecco was within attacking distance… just. Marquez was 1.6s clear of Bezzecchi and controlling things at the front. With the latter safe from being pounced on from behind.
Could Bagnaia muster something up to grab P3? The answer – fortunately for KTM, unfortunately for Ducati – was no.
The answer was also no to could anyone beat Marquez in Brno? The #93 took the chequered flag 1.7s ahead of Bezzecchi to become the first Ducati rider ever to win five Grands Prix in a row. Simply put: chapeau.
Fair play to Bezzecchi as well. That’s another Sunday podium for the #72, as Acosta held off Pecco to clinch his first Sunday podium of the season. Ducati, Aprilia and KTM on the Brno rostrum.
POINTS SCORERS: Brno edition
Pecco’s P4 won’t be enough for the polesitter, but he’ll take the positives. Following his second half of the race charge. Fifth place went to Fernandez, who enjoyed his best weekend of the season. That P5 is his equal best in MotoGP.
Quartararo was less than a second behind the Trackhouse rider in P6. With the returning Martin coming home in a fabulous P7. That’s a phenomenal comeback effort from the #1 after a torrid few months of injuries. A real boost for Aprilia, Martin, and MotoGP ahead of the second half of the season. How good was it seeing the #1 back?
Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) came out on top in a quality fight with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), while Maverick Viñales’ super-sub Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) capped off a superb weekend in Brno by taking away a P10 over the line.
But then Aldeguer was given the equivalent of a Long Lap as a time penalty after an incident with Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), putting the Gresini rider back down to P11. So Binder takes P8, Espargaro P9 and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) completes the top ten.
Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) managed to stay head of Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) in that battle. With Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completing the scorers. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) ended a tougher weekend outside the points. He heads into summer break looking to bounce back.
And so… we’re 12 rounds done! Marc Marquez is 120 points clear as the six-time MotoGP World Champion marches towards that coveted seventh title. Thank you Brno, it’s been a blast being back – what a venue, and what a crowd. Find full results here and see you in Spielberg!
More talking points from the Tissot GP of Czechia
- Reigning World Champion Jorge Martin scores points on his comeback with an impressive P7 – hear from him after a successful and fruitful weekend
- KTM on the GP podium means every factory has visited the Sunday rostrum in 2025. Acosta made it double delight in Brno too
- Five wins in a row sees Marc Marquez make history for Ducati in Brno
- The FIM MotoGP Stewards have given Alex Marquez a Long Lap penalty for causing this incident with a luckless Joan Mir
More than 200,000 fans welcome MotoGP back to Brno
The attendance for our return to Brno is an awesome 219,544 across the event. Seeing the season total surpass 2 million fans after only 12 Grands Prix. That puts MotoGP on course for another record-breaking season.
California dreamin’: Roberts fends off Baltus for victory in Brno
At the venue where he claimed his debut Moto2 podium in 2020, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) returned to the top step for the first time this season with a phenomenal Czech GP victory.
The American fended off the hard challenge of Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego). As the Belgian pockets back-to-back P2s ahead of the summer break, with Manuel Gonzalez’s (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) P3 seeing the Spaniard stretch his title chase lead.
After things got close at lights out between polesitter Baltus and Roberts.
It was the American’s teammate Marcos Ramirez who grabbed the holeshot as drama unfolded for Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) at Turn 1. The Spaniard was down from the middle of the pack and that was his hope of points over.
Baltus pinched the lead of the race at the end of Lap 1 with a great move at the final corner.
As Ramirez took the first of his two Long Lap penalties on Lap 3. That dropped the #24 to P7 behind home hero Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), and when he took his second, Ramirez was P12.
On Lap 6, both Canet and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) had parked their Triumph-Kalex machines, handing Gonzalez a fantastic chance to stretch his points advantage ahead of the summer break.
It was the Spaniard who was shadowing the P1 battle between Baltus and Roberts, with the Californian making a move stick on Lap 7 to lead in Brno.
By Lap 10, Roberts and Baltus were now pulling clear of Gonzalez, with the #16 setting the fastest lap of the race on that lap – a 1:59.4 played a 1:59.6 for Baltus. With five to go, the gap was still just 0.2s between the American and Belgian, but that rose to just under 0.4s with four laps left.
Rueda escapes gloves-off battle for the podium in Brno
A record gap between P1 and P2 in the standings after 12 rounds is just what Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) ordered ahead summer break and it’s what he came away with from his first visit to Brno.
Behind, a battle between Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) and teammate Dennis Foggia lit up the group battle. With Quiles ultimately securing second ahead of David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), who came from last on the grid to third for a third straight rostrum finish.
Storming into Turn 1 and grabbing the advantage
Championship leader Rueda edged out polesitter Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) and fellow front-row starter David Almansa (Leopard Racing).
Quiles was soon up into P2 halfway through the first lap whilst further behind, Muñoz had made a lightning getaway from the back of the grid and was already into the points.
By the start of Lap 3, the Aragon and German GP winner was already inside the top ten! Whilst 2020 Czech GP winner Foggia had clambered his way into the top three.
At the halfway stage, Rueda had begun to get the hammer down whilst Quiles and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) battled for podium honours.
Foggia was up to second but the fight had left a second gap between the #99 out front and the chasing pack.
By the end of Lap 9, Quiles was back into P2 but back-to-back fastest laps by Rueda meant the pressure was on for the #28.
The scrapping continued and with five to go and a two second gap to Rueda, it was very much a battle to decide the final two spots on the podium. Behind the duelling CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar machines came Piqueras, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), Muñoz and Almansa. Into the last lap and Quiles led the way with Piqueras, Muñoz and Foggia nipping at his heels. At Turn 6, the #64 muscled his way into P3 and then P2 by Turn 10.
It was all coming down to Turn 13 but fantastic defensive work from Muñoz made it hard for Quiles. As Rueda took a seventh win of the season, Quiles managed to slipstream his way into second.
Whilst Muñoz’s last-to-third ride keeps up his run of top five finishes and makes it a fourth podium in five GPs.
Piqueras’ wait for a rostrum return continues as he took P4, ahead of Foggia and Fernandez. The latter of which took his first points since Le Mans.
Almansa took more solid points in seventh and closes in on top Honda honours in the standings. Whilst Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) fought his way into eighth. Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) and polesitter Pini rounded out the top ten.
Elsewhere, it was a notable ride for Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), working his way up the order into P11 before a double Long Lap for causing a crash drops him out the points. Meaning star debutant Marco Morelli (DENSSI Racing – BOE) moves up to 13th to impress first time out.
Check out the full results from Moto3, enjoy summer break and see you back for more in Austria!