Injured Alex Marquez provides update on pain level after excelling at German MotoGP
Alex Marquez surprised by German MotoGP practice speed as he returns from surgery with injured hand.
Riding with a recently fractured hand, Alex Marquez surprised himself by finishing second fastest on Friday at the German MotoGP.
The Gresini Ducati rider, who underwent surgery to repair a broken second metacarpal in his left hand following a clash with Pedro Acosta at Assen, was cleared for Friday action after passing medical checks at Sachsenring.
Alex Marquez outpaced elder brother and title leader Marc in the afternoon session, but told TNT Sports that the wet conditions forecast for Saturday are a greater worry than the pain during Sunday’s 30-lap MotoGP distance.
“I am more worried for tomorrow! The forecast looks tricky,” Alex Marquez said.
“It is better physically because it is less demanding [in the wet] but the risk of crashing is bigger.
“On balance I’d prefer it to be dry.
“You are there with adrenaline, close to the edge. I hope not to have a lot of pain because Sunday is the most important.”
Alex Marquez: "I was expecting much less"
Alex admitted he didn’t expect to be so competitive on his return, especially considering the anti-clockwise Sachsenring layout - with ten left corners and just three rights – puts extra strain on his injured side.
“Honestly, I was expecting much less today. I thought, being optimistic, maybe I’d be in Q2 [the top 10].
“On race pace, we are not super good. When I tried to do many laps in a row, I was suffering a bit.
“My time attack, I felt okay, not 100%, especially in the left corners. In the change of directions, I was suffering a bit, at T1 and T2.
“The rest? I feel okay, not too much pain. We will see tomorrow how the body is, how the hand is. At the moment, I feel maybe 80%.”
Securing a place directly in Q2 means Alex will have less pressure to push if conditions prove too risky on Saturday morning.
“The first step was to be in Q2. Because if you are in Q1, and it is raining, you can be at the back [of the grid].
“So the first mission went in a good way.
“The second mission is tomorrow. If the weather isn’t good, it will be tricky, a challenge for everybody.
“First row, second row, third row, maximum, is where we need to be to achieve good points on Sunday.”
Alex will head into Saturday’s Sprint 68 points behind brother Marc but 58 clear of Francesco Bagnaia, in third.
Bagnaia was ninth fastest on Friday.
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
