Why Marc Marquez felt his Brno MotoGP victory was 'totally unexpected'

Marc Marquez said his 101st MotoGP Grand Prix win at Brno in 2026 was “totally unexpected” after securing his second victory of the season. The factory Ducati rider overcame fitness struggles across the weekend and targeted a top-five result, yet he took the maximum 25 points on Sunday. The context shifted after championship leader Marco Bezzecchi crashed in the Sprint and was barred from racing on Sunday for striking a marshal, reducing the points gap to 40. Marquez explained he was fourth at race pace on paper, with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Ai Ogura appearing faster, and he took 16 laps before leading for the first time. He said his speed improved after overtaking teammate Francesco Bagnaia, while managing confidence issues behind Ogura and errors around Turn 12 and Turn 13 that affected his rear tyre.