Ai Ogura Leads Brno 2026 Practice as Aprilia Beats Ducati

Ai Ogura delivered a major breakthrough in Practice for the 2026 Czech MotoGP at Brno by leading an Aprilia one-two. The Trackhouse Racing rider edged championship leader Marco Bezzecchi in the crucial session that decided direct access to Q2.

The result was an important response from Ogura to one of the weaknesses that has often limited his rookie campaign: time attack performance. With a fastest lap of 1m51.735s, the Japanese rider showed that the RS-GP26 was working effectively at Brno, especially as track grip improved during the closing minutes.

Bezzecchi also produced a significant recovery after finishing only 16th in FP1. The factory Aprilia rider briefly led the session with a new lap record at the midway stage before being displaced by Ogura. That pace was important after Bezzecchi’s Hungarian Grand Prix was compromised by the first-corner incident.

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Behind the Aprilia pair, Fabio Di Giannantonio finished as the top Ducati rider in third. The result carried additional significance because he arrived at Brno after undergoing surgery on a finger injury, yet still placed his VR46 machine ahead of both factory Ducati riders.

Pecco Bagnaia finished fourth, just ahead of Marc Marquez. Marquez had moved to the top after fitting a new soft rear tyre, but suffered another crash early in the afternoon after also falling in FP1. He was able to restart his Desmosedici and return to the garage before securing a place inside the top five.

Pedro Acosta also led the session after posting a rapid lap, only to suffer a technical issue shortly afterwards. The KTM rider still ended Practice in sixth, keeping direct Q2 access alongside Joan Mir, Diogo Moreira, Fermin Aldeguer, and Raul Fernandez.

Jorge Martin endured a more difficult session and failed to finish inside the top 10, sending him into Q1 on Saturday. Martin also carries a double long-lap penalty for Sunday’s race after being judged responsible for the multi-rider incident at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The return of Alex Marquez was another key storyline. After being cleared to continue following FP1, the Gresini rider ended Practice in 15th. The result was not enough for direct Q2 access, but it marked an important step after his collarbone and vertebra injuries from the major Catalunya crash.

With Ogura, Bezzecchi, and Raul Fernandez all inside the top 10, Aprilia showed strong collective pace at Brno. Ducati still has three major contenders through Di Giannantonio, Bagnaia, and Marquez, but Saturday qualifying will determine whether Aprilia can convert its Friday speed into strategic grid positions for the Sprint and Grand Prix.