MotoGP Riders and Team Managers reflect on the Czech GP

Marc Márquez – P1

“I felt really good on the bike, just like in yesterday’s Sprint. I saw that in the early laps, Marco (Bezzecchi) was pushing hard and taking some risks, so I decided to wait as the race was a really long one. As soon as I noticed the first drop in terms of grip, I overtook him and pulled a gap, and then controlled the race. To be honest, the feeling with the bike was superb — even better than the one I had at the Sachsenring. I was riding smoothly and had some margin to go even quicker. I’m very happy, I enjoyed this first part of the season: the team and the engineers have really done an excellent job.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P2

“I am extremely pleased. It was a fantastic race, and I took some risks – especially in the first two laps, particularly overtaking Quartararo, but it worked because, in my opinion, that was the key to the race. On a track like this one, if I hadn’t moved into the lead straight away, the rear tyre would have had difficulty. At the same time, I knew that Marc was managing his race and that he had something up his sleeve, so I decided not to exaggerate. I pushed, but I tried to be fast and ride clean. Unfortunately, when he overtook me, I was unable to be as fast as him. He had a bit more than I did, especially after the midrace point. Towards the end, I managed to get back to a good pace. In fact, I did my best time on the final lap.”

Pedro Acosta – P3

“The last time I was on the podium was in Thailand last year and it’s been a long journey to come back here. I want to thank all my orange crew: it was not easy for them, also to handle me when we had tough moments! We’ll keep going. We’ll have a break now and try for more at Red Bull Ring.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P4

“As the race progressed, I managed rear-end traction better and felt more comfortable as soon as I lowered the traction control level. As we didn’t have a dry FP2, I wasn’t able to do proper work with the mapping, so with less traction control this area did improve. The front-end, however, did not allow me to hit the brakes hard. I’ve always been a rider who was hard to pass under braking, while the situation is opposite right now. We’re working in different areas in order to improve. Surely, the approach to the season has changed after these many races as it’s hard to think about fighting with Marc in these conditions — we must be realists. We need to reset and do the best we can, keeping Alex (Márquez) as our reference point.”

Raul Fernandez – P5

“I’m very happy. The beginning of the season wasn’t easy for me but we managed to improve everything step by step. Of course, we made a really good job today and during the weekend – this was my best weekend in MotoGP ever. I think there were two important keys; the first one was the Qualifying – when I see we are quite far back, it’s difficult at the beginning of the race. Today for me, it was quite easy because I didn’t have a lot of problems to overtake other riders and I also didn’t have a lot of riders in front. The other key was on Thursday when I had a really positive meeting with Davide Brivio. He helped and motivated me a lot – I was super relaxed during the weekend, I enjoyed riding my bike and all of this helped me a lot.”

Fabio Quartararo – P6

“I had a similar race to yesterday. The first five laps are complicated for us. We started with a completely different setting this morning that I really like. It was nice to experience it in the race and try something different. My pace was not bad, especially on the last five laps. We know where we can improve, especially when riding in a group. We are working hard on this.”

Jorge Martin – P7

“I started with the goal of turning laps and observing. From the tenth lap on, I wanted to figure out where I could improve and grow. We did a great job and constructed a weekend in constant progression. There was a bit of uncertainty as to how my body would react. You have to start with something and doing it with a seventh place is a great result after the period of down time. However, the result only counts relatively. The important thing now is to close the gap behind the leaders and focus on where we can improve.”

Brad Binder – P8

“I managed to get from 19th to 8th in the end so, yeah, I still never had the pace I was looking for but somehow we were a little better today. I found a way to be better in mid-corner and exit but I was losing a lot of time in braking and entry. This is something we have to work on and find the combination, if we can do that then it can be very positive. We tried something completely different with the bike, a little bit with the engine character and it helped a bit with the edge grip and the drive. It just seemed to be a more controllable in my hand, so I was really happy about that and by no means am I happy with 8th position but – even though it doesn’t look like it – we are slowly starting to figure it out. The really good thing is that both Pedro and Enea were super-fast this weekend so I have some good things to check and figure out how they are doing it.”

Pol Espargaro – P9

“The bike has been working well here since the beginning of the weekend, and today in the race it felt great! I had a really bad start unfortunately. This weekend we were testing a new start system. Yesterday was good, but we are still lacking some knowledge in some areas, and today we saw it! Without considering this bad start, our rhythm was really good, similar to the 5th/6th positions, and I was really pleased with that. I did some really nice overtakes, and I enjoyed this weekend a lot. Maverick would have done a great job here, because this track would have suited his riding style perfectly, but I know he is making everything to come back with us!”

Jack Miller – P10

“It was a long and tough race. I had a decent start—better than in the Sprint Race—and was feeling pretty good. We were very conservative, not being completely sure about the tires. I found a good rhythm behind Jorge, and everything was fine until about seven laps from the end. I changed the engine brake setting, and pretty much at the same time, I started to struggle in Turn 3. The clutch was kind of binding up, basically not giving me any engine braking. It was even difficult to tell which gear I was in, as you couldn‘t really feel the downshifts. So, I had to reinvent my riding in those final laps, which was tough. I had been able to brake pretty late to defend against overtaking moves, but once the issue started, I had to leave some margin and became vulnerable to Brad and Pol catching me. I’m not happy with the last three laps, but it is what it is.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P11

“I’m happy, as we had a good race with a good pace, considering we also here we didn’t have much dry track-time, and it was my first time here. The penalty doesn’t take away anything from what we were able to show.”

Luca Marini – P12

“Good to get some more points today, a little bit of extra motivation heading into the summer. But it was another tough race for us today, like I said yesterday – this circuit really allows you to make the most of a MotoGP bike and we are struggling with top speed. The increased temperature today also dropped the rear grip which stopped us from having the same turning. I am confident that once some new parts come, we can make a good step and match the riders who were close to us at the start of the year. The summer break is a good chance for everyone to finalise these parts so we keep working like always.”

Johann Zarco – P13

“Already from the first lap, I didn’t have the best feeling. As the laps went by, I felt the rear tyre was getting hotter than it did yesterday. I was the only one on the soft rear tyre, and that compromised my performance in the end. At least I managed to finish the race and pick up some points. We need to learn from this first part of the season, which had a lot of positives, and keep fighting to improve and do better in the second half. I want to thank the team for their hard work.”

Ai Ogura – P14

“It was another tough weekend. We made a step this morning in Warm Up but, during the race, I was stuck behind one rider for quite a long time. When I was alone, the pace was quite OK but, anyway, it was not fast enough. I could gain a few positions but far from where we want to be. It’s not enough and I’m not really happy about the weekend. But some more points before the summer break are good and now we can rest a bit and then into the second part.”

Alex Rins – P15

“It was tough to do better, not in terms of results but in terms of lap times. It is hard to fight. If we had to focus on just one thing to improve right now, it’s qualifying so we can start in a better way. We need more consistency in qualifying, and then the race is another step. We need to keep working after the three-week break.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P16

“The weekend was tough overall. We missed the feelings of the last races. It was great to be back in Brno, the track is amazing, but we could not find a proper way of working in the direction that is the quickest way to go fast. I take all the responsibilities; I have to be more precise with the team to give better feedback. We just must regroup, to refocus and restarting from Austria with the good sensations of the last races that we’ve done.”

Miguel Oliveira – P17

“I was already in Turn 7 with my knee down when Fermín came in where there was absolutely no space and pushed me off, causing me to lose four or five positions. That basically ruined my race. But even before that, something strange happened with the tires, I couldn‘t get anywhere near the pace I had in the morning‘s warm-up, which was quite surprising. I did a 1‘53” in the warm-up, and in the race, I couldn‘t go below 1‘55”. Really strange. There‘s definitely something to analyse there. As for Fermín, there‘s nothing more to say, he got his penalty after the race, so that‘s fine.”

Augusto Fernandez – P18

“I was riding alone quite early on, and I was riding well in today’s Race. I was happy with my speed and that I was able to catch up with the group ahead of me. At the start of the race weekend it was hard to be on the pace, so I am pleased to be more or less on the same level as the others today. I’m also happy with my best race lap. Fabio’s best lap was still about 0.5s faster than mine – but I’m there. We got good information from doing this race after my mistake yesterday, so this is important. We will keep working, and I am enjoying the process.”

Enea Bastianini – DNF

“The race finished early for me unfortunately, but our first laps were really good. Our start was not as good as yesterday, but we were able to comeback, with really good overtakes. Once I was in 4th, I was riding for the first time of the race without a slipstream, I broke hard, with a lot of angle at the entry, and I made a mistake at T3 unfortunately. Anyway, we have had a good weekend, it has been really good for us. It was nice to arrive at a new track, to discover it without any other reference. Our bike worked really well, so I am happy with the steps made! I tried to fight once again for the podium, but we will try again next time.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“I made a good start to the race and was there with the leading group in the first laps. I was confident in my pace and had everything under control early in the race. Alex had tried to overtake me a couple of times earlier in the lap and I had already felt some contacts in the rear. Then in the chicane he lost the front, and he touched me, and I finished on the ground. There’s nothing more to say about it. The best way to avoid situations like this is to be faster, this is what we have to work on as a team.”

Alex Marquez – DNF

“It’s a pity because we had excellent feeling today, something changed in the warm up and we could have ‘easily’ finished in the top five. I’m sorry for Mir, it was obviously an unwanted incident. This is a mistake we can learn from, we need to be more patient in a weekend where things don’t go as well as expected. Now we’ll take some rest in order to be in the best possible form in Austria in three weeks.”

Team Managers

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“Marc delivered another outstanding performance — it looked easy, but it was anything but. The work done in this first part of the season was perfect – the results are evident and he showed the type of champion he is. We’re still halfway, though, so we need to stay focused. Pecco showed some improvements in the race, and it was nice to see him competitive in the second half of the encounter. We’re aware that he’s still not fully comfortable but we’re making steps forward; he’s giving his all, and it shows. The results will come, I’m sure of it.”

Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing

“It could not have been a better weekend. Marco was practically perfect and it was wonderful to see Jorge back on the track. He was phenomenal already on Friday in the wet, consistent on Saturday, and extremely fast in the race. We are also highly satisfied with Raúl’s top-five finish which is a sign that the Aprilia is continuing to grow inexorably. We will obviously not settle for second place – our hunger is our strength.”

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“A great weekend. We are happy to continue the solid work for the race today, as yesterday, and the whole GP has been positive for us. It’s a reward for all the work over the last months. The podium speed on both days for Pedro and Enea proves that we are in the right direction and I’m also happy with the results of Brad and Pol. Having those top ten results is very important and, of course, it’s down to the riders but also the hard work of all the people at the factory and the race teams and the development crew. A huge thanks to everyone.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Manager

“We are happy about today with this top 5 and being the best independent team. I think Raul did a great race, he gave everything and the result was well deserved. We are happy, it’s good to go into the summer break with such a good performance. It was a little bit more difficult for Ai. We concluded the first part of the season with ups and downs. Unfortunately, we had a moment where he was injured, so this summer break will be very helpful, I think, to relax, reset a bit and come back stronger in the second part of the season. We conclude this first part here in Brno and it’s nice to have a little bit of break with good results – thanks to Raul. Also, congratulations to everyone in Aprilia with Marco (Bezzecchi) and Jorge (Martin) as well. We look forward to the second half of the season and we will try to go again and even better.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“It was a more challenging race than we expected. Fabio had a good start again, but he couldn’t defend his position from the chasing riders. Still, he showed commendable focus, maintained consistency – with his pace also picking up at the end – to finish the Race in sixth place. Álex battled in the crowded mid-pack again, and it was a tough race. Having not the best qualifying result here this weekend, made the Sprint and Race very difficult for him. While this result is of course not quite what we aimed for, we’ll analyse today’s data and prepare to come back stronger for the next round. But first, the riders and team members will enjoy a few weeks of rest to fully recharge for the second half of the 2025 season.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“This race was a rollercoaster of emotions for us. We knew that Enea Bastianini had potential to do a solid race. He took an ok start, but he was able to quickly recover many positions until P4. Unfortunately, he crashed at lap 7, which is a great shame, but I really want to keep the positives of this weekend. Enea achieved Q2 for the first time and he took his maiden podium with us yesterday, so it was his best weekend of the season, which is a good sign for the second half of 2025! Then I really would like to congratulate Pol Espargaro for his performance! He took a bad start and was in P20, but he recovered positions until P9 with a really solid pace. It is an impressive performance for a rider who has not raced in months, so we really want to thank Pol for being with us this weekend, and all the work achieved. Now it is time for us to take a much deserved summer break, recharge the batteries, and get ready for what is set to be an exciting second half of the season! See you in Austria in 3 weeks!”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“For Miguel, it was quite a tough and unlucky race due to that contact with Aldeguer, which nearly forced him off track and cost him a lot of positions that he couldn’t make back. As for Jack, it was a race in line with expectations. He lacked a bit of resilience in the final part of the race to defend the couple of positions he had earned up to that point. In any case, a Top 10 is not bad, although we definitely need to keep working on performance in the final laps, where we’re still struggling.”

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“It was a complicated GP. We started the weekend with Franky’s absence, we decided to miss this race to avoid taking risks and to arrive to Austria as much recovered as possible. Franky stayed with us all the weekend and he worked together with his team in the garage and in service road. About Fabio, for one reason or another, he has never been able to find the right feelings to be fast. We know some of the causes, but we have to analyze others as well. It’s time to take advantage of these three weeks to rest and prepare for Austria, where we need to get back to fighting in the top group.”

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