Fermin Aldeguer has added one last warning shot to Brno before Ai Ogura tries to turn his breakthrough MotoGP pole into something bigger.
The Gresini Ducati rider topped Sunday morning warm-up for the Czech Grand Prix with a 1m52.848s, according to BikeSportNews’ warm-up classification, with Marc Marquez the only other rider to dip into the 1m52s. Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the top three ahead of Pedro Acosta and Jack Miller, while Ogura ended the short session sixth for Trackhouse Aprilia.
Warm-up is never a race result, and its 10-minute shape can flatter riders trying different tyres, fuel loads or settings. But on a Brno Sunday already stretched by heat, tyre life and Marco Bezzecchi’s enforced absence, it gave the front of the MotoGP grid another layer of tension.
Ogura still owns the start, but Marquez has race pace
Ogura remains the rider with track position after turning Brno into Trackhouse’s biggest MotoGP chance with a 1m51.139s lap in qualifying. MotoGP’s official qualifying report noted that it was his first premier-class pole and the first for a Japanese rider since the 2020 Teruel GP.
That still matters. Brno’s opening lap can punish anyone forced into defensive lines through its long loaded corners, and Ogura has already shown he can keep the Aprilia underneath him across one-lap and short-run phases.
The question is whether he can manage the full 21-lap distance with Marquez and Ducati’s race group close enough to apply pressure. Aldeguer’s late pace will encourage Gresini, but Marquez’s second place in warm-up may prove the more important signal because it came before a race in which repeatable low-1m53s pace could matter more than a single headline lap.
Bezzecchi absence changes the title feel
The race will also go ahead without Bezzecchi after Aprilia confirmed it would not take the final CAI appeal route over his Czech GP suspension. MotoGP’s Sunday update made his Brno absence final, removing the championship leader from a grid on which he had qualified fourth.
That turns the race into a bigger opportunity for the chasing pack. Bagnaia already denied Ogura in the Sprint, as covered in Saturday’s Brno Sprint fight, while the wider title picture now has to absorb a zero for the rider who entered the weekend as the reference point.
It also makes Ogura’s afternoon more delicate. A first MotoGP win would be a landmark for Trackhouse and Japanese racing, but even a podium could be a serious statement if the tyres fade and the Ducatis begin to close. After Brno’s heat questions and Bezzecchi’s ban, the final race of the Czech weekend now has enough pressure without anyone needing to manufacture it.
Ogura has the cleanest launch point. Aldeguer and Marquez have just reminded him that Brno rarely gives anything away cleanly.
