P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Alex Marquez says Friday woes held him back in sprint at Japanese MotoGP
Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez struggled to 10th place in the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix sprint on Saturday, attributing his performance to delays caused by Friday’s problems. With Marc Marquez potentially clinching the 2025 title at Motegi, Alex’s challenge has encountered setbacks. Despite facing front-end confidence issues with his GP24 on Friday and starting from eighth on the grid after Q1, Alex could not make significant progress in the sprint race. An issue with the ride height device hindered his performance on the first lap, and a near crash towards the end cost him a position to Ai Ogura. Recognizing the need to catch up, Alex highlighted the improvements made but acknowledged the work still ahead to close the gap with his competitors. The pressure is on as he aims to delay his brother Marc’s title celebration by outscoring him by at least seven points in the upcoming race.
