In the latest MotoGP race in Malaysia, Ai Ogura explained the intense battle he had with Marc Marquez during the sprint race, denying any suggestion that he acted under orders from the Aprilia team.
The Team Trackhouse rider had a brilliant start from fourth place, overtaking both Pedro Acosta and Marquez, and climbing to second place. However, the situation complicated at the entrance to the first corner, where Ogura went off-track, allowing Marquez to re-enter the race.
The two bikes made contact in the second part of the corner and again when heading towards Turn 2. This time, Marquez had to brake, losing a position to Acosta, who would eventually win the race. Later, Ogura and Marquez continued battling for second place, exchanging positions until the Ducati rider consolidated his position.
Despite leading part of the race, Ogura finished fourth, losing the podium to Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi. ‘I gained some positions at the beginning. It was a bit of a battle with Marc. I knew his pace was better than mine, so I defended my position,’ commented the Japanese rider.
Ogura took the lead on lap three when Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 14. Despite staying among the front-runners, the rider felt the weight of pressure as it started to drizzle lightly in some sections of the track. ‘When it started to rain, I thought maybe my pace was good enough, but in the end, they were faster. My pace stagnated when I had no reference ahead,’ he added.
Marquez, for his part, acknowledged that he was aware that Ogura would not make it easy for him to secure second place, with Bezzecchi close by. Although he did not imply that Ogura was intentionally holding him back, he did state that the Trackhouse rider would have put his podium position at risk had he dropped to third.
In his post-race comments, Ogura was clear about the situation: ‘No, there were no team orders from Aprilia.’
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
