Alex Marquez’s theory on Marco Bezzecchi’s Sachsenring MotoGP crash

Currently recovering from injuries of his own, Alex Marquez offered an insight into Marco Bezzecchi's Sachsenring qualifying crash.

The Aprilia rider, who lost the title lead after a huge Assen accident, returned battered and bruised for the German round - only to fall again and fracture his collarbone in qualifying.

Marquez saw similarities with his heavy accident in practice at Assen, during his first full weekend comeback after suffering fractures in Catalunya.

The Spaniard explained how riders returning from big accidents, although fit to ride, can be caught out when their bodies don't respond as they expect.

“I'm really sad for him. I want to wish him, first of all, a speedy recovery,” Alex Marquez said of Bezzecchi.

“And I mean, it's a crash from a rider who has the speed. He's amazing...

“I also had that [practice] crash in Assen. When you are not 100% physically - because I saw him on Thursday and he said, 'I have pain everywhere" - the mentality and the speed is still there, but physically it’s not going with you.

“So, in that point, sometimes you make mistakes that you don't expect.

“It's similar to crashes that we saw in the past with Marc and with a few injured riders.

“So I wish him a speedy recovery. 

"He got injured [again], but he has all the summer break to recover and come back stronger in Silverstone.”

Alex, who returned to the podium for the first time since Catalunya with a runner-up finish behind brother Marc in the Sprint, said his own physical condition was now at an acceptable level.

“At home, the energy was quite low. It's like when cyclists have a crash, they say, "he's gone" because the energy is not there anymore. You need a few days to recover, because all the blood goes to [healing] those things.

“But for the rest, I’m quite okay, no problem now.”

The Gresini rider kept the pressure on Marc for most of the Sachsenring Sprint, but the reigning champion remained just out of reach.

“One of Marc’s weakest points is turn 11, on the right-side, fast, with acceleration, there he's losing a little bit. But then in the last two corners, he's making the difference. So then I was too far away at Turn 1, it was like elastic.

“My idea was to attack him on the start, but now with that new grid rules with more space between the riders, it’s quite difficult to gain a position if the other one didn't make a big mistake.

“But for the rest, it’s a result that I needed after the crash in Montmeló. It's one step more in my recovery.

“I was not feeling still 100% confident with myself to make aggressive overtakes. So I preferred to be there, and to learn things from this circuit behind Marc.”

That included saving his tyres at mid-distance, which helped Alex fend off a late attack from Fabio di Giannantonio.

“I saw him managing the rear, front tyre around lap 7, 8, I say, "Okay, try to also manage a little bit, because if he's doing that, it's for something." And that was the key, in the end, to defend that second position.”

A frequent sight in 2025, Saturday saw the first Marquez one-two of this season.

“Still I'm not feeling as last year, he's not feeling as last year, and both of us are missing still a little bit of performance compared to one year ago. But we are both trying to recover from an injury and to be day-by-day better.”

However, Alex expects Marc to be even tougher to beat over the full distance.

“I think with Marc, the more laps that you do, less opportunities he's giving to you, because with the medium rear, he's able in this track especially to make more the difference.

“So, it will be tough. I think also, honestly speaking, Diggia and Marc are better than me with the medium in a long race. But I will try to survive. I will try to manage the tyres and arrive at the end to at least fight for the podium.”