The Repsol Honda team has made progress in Andalusia. The incredible efforts of Marc and Alex Marquez and their teams were unfortunately not rewarded as Alex is aiming for a spirited comeback on Sunday.
All eyes were on the Repsol Honda team’s garage as day two of the Gran Premio Red Bull of Andalusia began. Marc Marquez made an incredible return to the racetrack just four days after surgery on a broken right humerus. The Repsol Honda Team continued its work as usual, building on the data and knowledge from the last race and adapting to the evolving conditions.
For Marc Marquez, that day was about adapting and understanding the situation. Each lap gave him and his team more information on how his body responded to the demands of a MotoGP machine. Marc decided alongside HRC and the Repsol Honda Team to end his participation in the GP of Andalusia after Free Practice 4 in order to avoid further risks. This is the first Grand Prix that Marc has missed in the Moto2 class since the 2011 Valencia GP. His goal is to return to the Czech GP on August 9th.
It was a day of contrasts for Alex Marquez, who kept improving every time he stepped out of the pit of his Repsol Honda RC213V in FP3 and FP4. The day started with a solid session in Free Practice 3 that took another step towards the top ten before an impressive run in Free Practice 4 where the rookie consistently ran in the top ten. Unfortunately, this progress would not be rewarded in a difficult Q1 session that ended with a fall on Turn 5. Alex will start from 21st place on the grid.
Takaaki Nakagami continued to shine aboard the LCR Honda RC213V as the Japanese ace led the FP4 and qualified eighth.
The second race of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship starts at 2:00 p.m. local time. The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto will once again host an exciting 25-lap show in the premier class.