Gresini rider Alex Márquez (2nd): “The grip feels a bit strange!”

Alex Márquez was the fastest Ducati rider on the first day of the MotoGP World Championship at MotorLand Aragón. The 30-year-old Spaniard from the Gresini team ended up sandwiched between his brother Marc (3rd) and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia). What’s more, at the end of the session, Alex was just 0.010 seconds off the Italian on the Aprilia RS GP.

AM73 also beat the previous Aragon MotoGP lap record, set by 2025 champion Marc Marquez: “It’s not looking bad; we got off to a good start this morning,” explained the future Red Bull KTM factory rider. “It’s difficult to understand the grip levels. It was more about the feel for the front wheel – how much you can push at the corner entry and how to be quick there. We made good progress in the afternoon. That’s when we realised how we need to approach things here.”

Alex Márquez: “We’re still a step behind the lads”

“I still feel, though, that I’m a bit off the pace of Marc and Bezzecchi. It’s hard to compare, as I was using the medium tyre. But we’re still a step behind the lads. It’s hard to understand why the front tyre is so critical. “The grip is a bit odd,” mused Alex Márquez. “There’s not much support at the rear – it’s all a bit unsettled. That means you can’t put any pressure on the front either. It’s also the layout here, with lots of braking points on the downhill sections. But it’s the same at Motegi too; the front wheel tends to lock up there as well.”

Alex Márquez continued: “You just have to get through it. When everything’s at the limit, the rider’s skills become even more important. Otherwise, all the riders can be quick and brake late into the corners.” Commenting on the third sector, the Spaniard said with a smug smile: “I don’t really know what’s going on there. I’ve always lost a bit of time there in all the other categories – but this time it was three tenths. We’ll have to try something with the front tyre on Saturday.”

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29.08.2026 - 08:35