Alex Marquez cleared for Czech GP action

It is a massive relief to see Alex Marquez back on his machine at Brno. After arriving with the intention to compete, he was officially cleared for FP1, then Practice, and finally received the green light to contest the full Czech GP. For a rider of his stature, that clearance is everything.

He handled his return with absolute control, taking things step by step. He finished 18th in the morning session before pushing to 15th in the afternoon. While he heads to Q1 tomorrow, the gap is almost unbelievable: he was only 0.8s slower than the blistering pace set by Ai Ogura, who smashed the all-time lap record. To be that close while returning to the grid is a stunning display of focus from the 2025 World Championship runner-up.