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Marquez's Q2 Slip: A Turning Point in the Title Race?

Alex Marquez's Uncharacteristic Qualifying Setback

At the recent Japanese Grand Prix, Alex Marquez, a consistent front-runner in qualifying sessions this season, faced an unforeseen hurdle. For the first time in the 2025 MotoGP championship, he was unable to directly progress to the second qualifying segment. This unexpected turn has potentially benefited his brother, Marc Marquez, who is currently vying for the championship title.

The Brothers' Parallel Journeys Diverge

Throughout the current season, both Marquez siblings had consistently demonstrated their ability to directly advance to Q2 based on their Friday practice speeds. However, this trend was broken at the Japanese GP. While Marc Marquez managed to climb from a precarious position to third in the final standings, Alex, representing Gresini Racing, concluded the session in a distant 15th, lagging 0.591 seconds behind Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi.

Friday's Challenges and a Costly Crash

The younger Marquez endured a challenging session, finding himself in last place at one point. A crash at Turn 9 significantly impeded his ability to register a competitive lap time. Despite briefly recovering to fifth with a quick change to his second motorcycle, a late surge of improvements from other riders, coupled with yellow flags and a sluggish final lap, ultimately sealed his fate outside the top 10.

Diagnosing the Bike's Difficulties

Post-session, the Spanish rider openly discussed his struggles with his Ducati GP24, particularly concerning the bike's braking performance. He noted a persistent issue with stopping the machine effectively and entering corners with precision. Despite these technical challenges, Marquez expressed a calm outlook, emphasizing that there was no need for alarm over the current pace deficit.

Optimism for Q1 and Future Performance

Marquez highlighted that his Q2 miss was by a narrow margin, just half a tenth of a second behind Johann Zarco, who secured the tenth spot. He views the upcoming Q1 session not as a failure, but as an additional opportunity to fine-tune his understanding of the bike's behavior. He plans to approach Saturday's qualifying with a positive and patient mindset, aiming to be more strategic in his approach.

Aprilia's MotoGP competitor, Marco Bezzecchi, displayed remarkable fortitude and skill during the Japanese Grand Prix practice session. Despite experiencing two significant crashes early on at Motegi, which rendered both of his Aprilia RS-GP motorcycles unusable for a period, Bezzecchi managed to overcome these setbacks to register the fastest time of the day. His unwavering self-assurance, even after damaging both bikes and missing a substantial portion of the initial practice, underscored his belief in his abilities and the potential of his machine. This impressive recovery, transforming a challenging start into a leading performance, sets an optimistic tone for the remainder of the race weekend.

The initial phase of the practice session proved to be particularly difficult for Bezzecchi. Just moments after the start of FP1 at Motegi, he encountered a high-speed fall at Turn 11, causing considerable damage to his primary Aprilia RS-GP. This forced him to quickly return to the pit lane to switch to his backup bike. However, his misfortune continued as he again crashed, this time at Turn 5, resulting in further damage. With both his bikes compromised, he was unable to participate in the final 18 minutes of the session, placing him in an unpromising 11th position, over half a second behind the then-leader, Francesco Bagnaia.

Reflecting on these early incidents, Bezzecchi acknowledged his role in the mishaps. He admitted that his eagerness and the confidence he felt from the very first lap led him to push the limits excessively. He specifically pointed to the first crash as an avoidable mistake, noting that he was approaching the turn at a very high speed and braked aggressively. While the soft front tire is typically favored for initial runs, he recognized it wasn't ideal for a track with numerous demanding braking zones like Motegi. He described the second crash as a minor error, emphasizing the fine line riders operate on, where even slight miscalculations can lead to significant consequences.

Despite these early challenges, there were encouraging signs regarding Aprilia's performance on the Motegi circuit. His teammate, Jorge Martin, had already secured a strong second place in FP1, demonstrating the inherent speed of the Aprilia bikes. Bezzecchi capitalized on this potential during the main practice session. In a fiercely contested session where the top position changed hands multiple times, he recorded a blistering lap time of 1 minute, 43.193 seconds, surpassing Pedro Acosta of KTM by a margin of 0.136 seconds. His impressive performance ensured his direct entry into Q2, making him one of only two Aprilia riders, alongside Raul Fernandez from the satellite Trackhouse team, to achieve this feat.

Bezzecchi's ability to recover from such a significant setback and emerge at the top of the standings speaks volumes about his mental toughness and skill. His performance also highlighted the strong collective effort of his team, who worked tirelessly to prepare his bikes after the crashes. The paddock noted the unusual struggles of Ducati, as both Marc Marquez and Bagnaia spent much of the session outside the top 10, though they eventually secured spots in Q2. Bezzecchi, however, remains cautious, anticipating that Ducati will make considerable improvements for the upcoming sessions, underscoring the competitive nature of MotoGP.

Marco Bezzecchi's remarkable performance, transforming a disastrous start marked by multiple crashes into a leading position in practice, underscores his tenacity and the potential of Aprilia's machinery. This comeback sets the stage for an intriguing Japanese Grand Prix, as competitors, particularly Ducati, are expected to intensify their efforts in response to Aprilia's unexpected dominance.