Alex Marquez: “I played my cards - especially on the scooter!”

Alex Marquez pulled off a dramatic Qualifying 1 escape after a scooter ride and last-lap dash in Friday's wet MotoGP practice at Brno.

The Gresini Ducati rider, second in the MotoGP standings behind brother Marc, crashed in the closing minutes of the afternoon session while pushing to break into the Q2 top ten.

With time running out, Marquez hitched a ride back to the paddock on a scooter, sprinted through the garage and jumped straight onto his spare Desmosedici.

Switching to a medium rear wet tyre for the first time all day, Marquez climbed from 12th to 9th on the timesheets on his very final lap.

“The crash without consequences was ok, but then I played my cards [took risks], especially on the scooter to return to the pits!” said Marquez, still nursing a finger fracture from Assen.

"I was with a marshal, but for five years we haven't been here, and when I arrived at the outside of Turn 3, the run-off area is bigger now and the scooters cannot pass anymore.

"So I got off and ran, I saw a bike and... A guy switched it on for me, I think he wanted to come with me, but I opened the throttle! I was going fast, beeping the horn. I hope not to repeat that situation!"

He added: “It was a race against the clock, I didn’t know if I would have had the time to complete a time attack, but in the end we managed to make it into Q2.”

Marquez welcomed the favourable weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

“We struggled in wet conditions, but in theory it should be dry from tomorrow,” he said.

“We’ll have work to do in the morning, but it was key to avoid Q1 with so many quick riders out there.”

Among those quick riders battling it out in Qualifying 1 will be factory Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, Marquez’s closest rival in the standings, who finished 13th.

Also on the Q1 list is Marquez’s rookie team-mate Fermín Aldeguer, in 12th.

“I had a small issue towards the end of the session and missed the chance to make it to Q2,” said Aldeguer.

“Some more mileage won’t hurt on what is a new track for me. It could be positive - obviously if we end up going through!”

VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio made it three Desmosedicis in Qualifying 1, with only the Marquez brothers so far confirmed in Q2 for Ducati.

MotoGP is returning to Brno for the first time since 2020, when Alex finished 15th as a rookie for Repsol Honda.