Alex Marquez Turns FP2 'Problem' into Silverstone MotoGP Sprint Advantage

Alex Marquez managed to turn what he called a "problem" in Free Practice 2 (FP2) into a secret weapon in the MotoGP Sprint at Silverstone, England, Saturday (8/8/2026). Amid Aprilia's dominance that left Ducati struggling, the Gresini Racing rider stood out and became the only Desmosedici rider able to stay competitive until the end of the race.

Ducati's main issue at Silverstone this time was tyre degradation. Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marc Marquez lost grip dramatically in the second half of the race. However, Alex moved forward instead. He admitted his ability to manage tyres at the end of the race was better than other Ducati riders because he had already experienced that grip loss in FP2.

"I had this problem already this morning on the FP2 second run that I was super-slow and having this problem," he said. "So, I think that was the best training for the race."

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Despite an impressive performance, Alex still felt there was a misstep. He regretted choosing the soft rear tyre, when the medium option could have made him stronger at the end. "Now, after the Sprint and all that, I think we did a small mistake to not put the medium rear [tyre]," Alex said. "I think for us it was a better option to pay a little bit of time on the first lap [...] to recover a lot in the end."

Alex also revealed that he didn't consider the medium tyre because the decision was made at the last moment. "I did the mistake that I never put the 'option' of the medium, you know," he admitted. "But then when Michelin came to me before going to the grid, they said to me 'Maybe Raul will go with the medium'. [They] said that he was with the medium and in the last moment he changed. Then I was with the guys and said 'Why not the medium?' And then we started to think about it, but it was too late. So, it's also my mistake to not think a little bit earlier and put all the options on the table."

Luck also played a part for Alex at the start. He was behind Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi who were not extremely fast, allowing him to save tyres. "They were fast, but not extremely fast, so at that point I was able to save some tyres. Instead, the other ones were trying just to follow Jorge Martin, but he was super-fast."

This result is a valuable asset for Alex ahead of Sunday's main race. With lessons learned from the Sprint, he is expected to be more consistent and put up a strong fight against his rivals at the demanding Silverstone circuit.