The conference preceding the Czech Grand Prix MotoGP the Brno circuit hosted Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), Peter Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), respectively 1st, 4th and 5th in the championship.
After a triumphant Mugello, the championship leader had a very frustrating weekend at Balaton, due to his own teammate's mistake.
If he increased his lead from 17 to 20 points on Jorge MartinHe lost 30 out of them. Marc Marquez...
Will he have time to get back into the title race, with 12 more events to go, meaning a maximum of 444 points to score!
As usualWe reproduce his words here in their entirety without any formatting, even though they are translated from English. MotoGP Barcelona Bezzecchi
🎤 Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Brno circuit for the Monster Energy Czech Republic Grand Prix, the ninth round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship. It's time for the pre-weekend press conference with a particularly impressive trio: Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta and Marc Márquez.
Marco Bezzecchi leads the world championship by 20 points and already has four Grand Prix victories this season. He finished second here in the Czech Republic last July.
After a brilliant double podium finish in Hungary, we welcome Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pedro Acosta. Fourth in the world championship, he finished second in the Sprint and third in the Grand Prix here eleven months ago. Pedro will be contesting his fiftieth MotoGP race this weekend.
And, after his magnificent double at Balaton Park, we welcome the reigning world champion, Ducati Lenovo Team rider Marc Márquez. His victory in Hungary was the 100th of his Grand Prix career, and here at Brno last summer, he won both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.
Gentlemen, welcome to all three of you!
(I.e. Well, let's now turn to the reigning world champion, Marc Márquez. Marc, Mugello marked a strong comeback after recent surgeries. Balaton was spectacular with pole position, the Sprint victory, and the Grand Prix win. This circuit, however, in terms of its physical nature, is more similar to Mugello. So what's your assessment going into the weekend, Marc? Do you expect to be more competitive than at Mugello and perhaps not quite as strong as in Hungary? What are your thoughts?
Marc Marquez "I mean, of course, obviously, that's the right way to say we're better than at Mugello. That was the main benchmark. And yes, the goal is to try and understand day by day where we stand."
And at Mugello, we finished ten seconds behind the first driver. So here, the goal is to try and close that gap.
🎤 Last weekend, you had a bit of time to rest and recharge, even though we saw you enjoying the Formula 1 Catalan Grand Prix. Pedro too, of course. It seemed like a pretty cool experience for you, Marc. But in terms of fitness, do you feel a difference compared to Balaton? Do you feel stronger? I mean, did you have to go home and complete your rest, or were you able to increase your training program a bit?
"No, I'm continuing our progress. And yes, we've made some progress, especially in the gym. I hope it will be the same on the motorcycle."
But what I already understood at Mugello, and especially last week, is that my arm works in a different way, not like last year, not like in the first part of the season, simply in a different way.
So now I have to readjust everything, or we have to, because it's a process involving a physiotherapist and doctors. And yes, from there, we'll continue our progress.
🎤 Marc, as we saw at Balaton last time, you're very well known for your success on counter-clockwise circuits. But you actually have a great record here at Brno, with four wins previously. I believe only Misano, where you have six, is the circuit where you've been more successful, but that's a clockwise track. So what is it about Brno? Is it your favorite clockwise circuit? And why has this place been so successful for you in the past?
"I don't know, because on paper, it's not one of my strongest circuits. But it's true that every year, I feel good."
And yes, we'll see. Maybe this won't be the year, but what I need to do is get my physical condition right. Because what I've understood this past year, from 2020 until now, is that when I feel good physically, the speed is always there. So now, the first objective is to get my arm working properly, and then the speed, as we showed in Balaton, will follow.
🎤 Pedro always says that his bike is a bit behind yours and that your bikes, Aprilia and Ducati, are fighting each other. Do you agree with him?
I mean, do you think your motorcycles are close to each other and that his motorcycle is a little behind yours?
We know that in MotoGP everything comes down to a few tenths of a second, but do you agree with him or not?
“I agree with Pedro. Right now, if you look at the standings, most of the Aprilias and Ducatis are ahead.”
It's true that, as Marco said, it depends a lot on riding style. For example, Marco and I had the same bike in 2024 and the gap was there, but now he's the best Aprilia and Martín is also there.
So it depends on how the motorcycle's style and riding style might best suit a rider or, conversely, present more difficulties.
🎤 Marc, during the first four or five races, the first laps were difficult for you and you said that it took time for your body to warm up.
Since the operation, have you noticed a difference? Because in Hungary, during the Sprint, you were very fast at the start, but on Sunday, perhaps a little less so.
So, how do you go about getting your body temperature back up after this recent surgery?
“No, now I feel better. The problem during the races in the first part of the season was that I would go out on the track never knowing when my arm was going to lose control.”
That's why it was difficult to understand how to ride. Every time I got on the motorcycle, the riding style was different.
Now, the positive point is that if I want to have the speed I showed in Sprint during the main race, with the medium tire, I was calmer in order to get up to temperature properly.
But now I can go out and be fast from the first lap; I just need to improve my endurance.
🎤 Can you explain how you turn the page after a big fall, a fall that can be frightening?
Alex Márquez told us today that he wanted to watch the video of his crash in Catalonia so that he could turn the page and move on.
So, how do you handle those moments?
"Exactly like them. But it's true that after a big fall, we are passionate, but it's also our job."
Sometimes riding is a passion and a pleasure, but after a bad fall, for example, you no longer want to get back on the motorcycle.
But you have to. It's part of our job.
(I.e. Marc, we saw you at the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Is there a chance that, perhaps in the next five years, you might want to switch to four wheels on the track?
"No, no, no, no. I know that in F1, some former motorcycle racers have already gone there, but no.
If you want to be competitive on four wheels, you can be good, you can be decent. But if you want to be truly competitive, and I have immense respect for all F1 drivers, it's impossible.
"Maybe a few races for fun in another category, in lower categories, you never know, why not? But never in Formula 1, because the level is extremely high."
🎤 Speaking with Moreira, he told me that your mental strength is stronger than ever. Do you agree with him?
" Yes. »
🎤 Why?
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"Because otherwise, I would have given up. So I have to be strong."
I share many training days with him. Today, I am stronger than ever because I have gone through more difficult times than before.
All these difficult moments don't make you better, but stronger. I would be better if I had a good body, but for now I have to be mentally strong in order to keep working.
🎤 What are you expecting from Monday's test with the 850?
"What do I expect from it? I mean, it's hard to know, but we'll see."
Theoretically, it will be an easier motorcycle on paper, mainly because it will be less powerful and a little lighter.
But what interests me most is understanding how the Pirelli tires will work, because I think the biggest change will come more from the tires than the motorcycles.
🎤 Do you have a new helmet for this weekend?
" Yes. »
🎤 Can you show it, please? Explain it?
"I want to say that Estrella Galicia, which has been one of the sponsors since 2012, is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year.
And yes, they have that characteristic that you know very well, because you like beer (laughs). They have that characteristic that you call in English "draft".
The "draft" was done with ceramics, and we tried to reproduce it.
🎤 I have a question that still relates to the last race and the first-corner incident. From what we understand, there might be a ban on starting devices from Silverstone onwards, if I'm not mistaken.
What do you think of this? Do you think it could reduce the risks when approaching the first turn?
"For me, front setup, rear setup, the biggest problem is that on Sunday we arrive there and it's the fourth time, the fourth start we've done. Because we do two in FP1, then the Sprint and the main race.
So the first driver is normally the one who sets the braking point. And when you arrive there for the fourth time, you already have your braking reference point, at the limit.
Thus, a small mistake by the drivers behind causes the drivers in front to brake at the limit themselves.
I remember that in the past, when it was the first time you arrived there on a Sunday, the first driver would always brake two or three times because he didn't want to miss the corner and it was the first time he was there. And so the margin was greater.
So now the problem is that on Sunday you arrive there and you know your landmark.
For example at Balaton, I was leading for the first time this year at the first corner and I had my reference point and I braked 100%.
A small mistake like Martín's, because it was only a small mistake, since he braked in the right place but simply lost the front.
I mean, he had no reaction time.
🎤 Marc, if I'm not mistaken, you're the only one of these three drivers to have driven without ride height adjustment and launch control. When you first tried these devices, what was your reaction?
Did you think they could help, or did you think they might cause a lot of difficulties in the future?
"I mean, the rear end always makes exiting corners easier. It's true that it makes things easier and that in some places, like the first corner at Mugello, it's safer because the bike moves less and is more stable."
So, in some places it is safer, easier, but the rear device is never dangerous.
Regarding the front device, it is true that, as they said, the braking point is strange.
But if you remember correctly, without a device, for example in Catalonia, I don't remember if it was in 2017, with Petrucci we took the start and the wheelie was extremely long, and the front wheel didn't gain speed, and when it fell back to the ground, it sometimes locked up and we made strange movements in the straight because the front wheel locked up.
So, was it safe? No.
But it's true that the braking point was a bit safer. However, the first few corners are always the most dangerous places.
And the problem is that today we have 44 departures, so statistically the risks are higher.
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