Метка: Marc Marquez

Learning from Ducati MotoGP ace Bagnaia “a pleasure”

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The reigning double world champion and the Gresini rider locked horns in last Sunday’s 25-lap Spanish Grand Prix for the victory in a thrilling battle.

Bagnaia ultimately came out on top, though only by 0.372 seconds to Marquez, who celebrated his first grand prix podium as a Gresini Ducati rider.

The pair have clashed on track several times before, with Bagnaia’s first MotoGP win at Aragon in 2021 coming after intense pressure from the eight-time world champion.

In Portugal this year, the pair were battling for the top five when the collided controversially.

As both enthused about their victory battle, Marquez said: “For me, as I said in Portimao to him, it’s a pleasure to fight against the world champion and the reference in the Ducati group.

“[In the Spanish GP], one more time, I was on his level and I was fighting against him.

“I had the speed enough to try to overtake. So, for me already, it’s a pleasure to learn from him.

“Still, he has some stronger points than me, but let’s see if in the future I can be a little bit better and closer to him.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing, Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team podium race

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing, Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team podium race

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

With championship leader Jorge Martin crashing out of the grand prix, Marquez currently sits 32 points behind in sixth in the standings.

This comes after Marquez, who qualified on pole at Jerez, felt like his adaptation to the GP23 had “finished”.

But after four rounds of the season, the Gresini rider – who last won the title in 2019 – says “it’s too early” to be thinking about the standings.

“For me it’s too early,” he said of the championship. “It’s not like ‘no, I don’t want the championship’. But it’s too early to think about the championship because I know, and I already understand, that there will be race tracks where I will struggle a lot.

“But let’s see. Still at the moment we need to keep going, with this bike I feel some of my strong points of my riding style are a little bit weaker, but one of the weak points is a little bit stronger.”

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Bagnaia thinks “Marquez would adapt well” to factory Ducati MotoGP team

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Last weekend Bagnaia produced one of his best MotoGP race wins to date as he held off Marquez late on in a spectacular battle to take Spanish Grand Prix victory.

While Bagnaia has charged to back-to-back MotoGP world titles in 2022 and 2023, having stepped up to the factory Ducati squad in 2021, Marquez had suffered from a series of career-threatening injuries, the decline of Honda’s competitiveness and having to make the jump to satellite squad Gresini Ducati in 2024.

But having been in podium contention at the opening three rounds, and fighting for victory in the fourth event at Jerez, Marquez feels his adaptation to Ducati is complete, while he is already in the picture for a factory Ducati promotion for 2025.

Speaking at the post-Spanish GP test at Jerez on Monday about the possibility of having Marquez as his future team-mate, Bagnaia said: “I don’t know. Marc comes from 12 years in the Honda team and I’m sure he can contribute something to an official team like Ducati, but at the moment we are extremely competitive.

“We are attentive to every detail, we are at a very high level, so Marquez would adapt well to the situation.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez said earlier this week that a factory Ducati ride was not his only option for 2025, revealing other manufacturers had already started talks with him.

“The important thing is that I have it clear and I don’t just have one option,” he said.

Heading into the 2024 season, Bagnaia signed a new two-year contract at Ducati, keeping him at the factory squad until at least the end of the 2026 campaign, while team-mate Enea Bastianini’s current deal runs out at the end of this season.

Current MotoGP world championship leader Jorge Martin, who rides for Pramac on a factory-specification Ducati GP24, is in the running for the factory Ducati slot along with Marquez and Bastianini.

All three riders are out of contract at their respective teams at the end of this season.

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Marquez hopes Jerez MotoGP podium ‘start of my second life’ after 2020 injury

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The Gresini rider scored a first pole on the Ducati at Jerez last weekend and was leading the sprint race before crashing out.

In the 25-lap grand prix, he battled his way back from dropping to fourth early to fight with reigning double world champion Francesco Bagnaia on the factory Ducati for the victory.

Ultimately coming away with second, it was a result that meant a lot to the eight-time world champion after badly breaking his right arm at Jerez in 2020.

Four surgeries would follow, as well as other injury woes, while during this period – which he described as his «nightmare» – Honda’s form deteriorated considerably, forcing him to quit for Gresini Ducati this year.

«I mean, four years ago my nightmare started,» he told motogp.com’s After the Flag. «And it was super tough. 

«But I hope and I wish that right now my second life starts.

«It’s true that it was a nightmare, it’s true that still, we don’t go out from that negative moment. But step by step we have positive and good news.

«I want to thank all the people around me, I want to thank all the people who support me a lot, I want to thank Honda for respecting my decision, I want to thank Gresini and Ducati for giving the opportunity to ride this year for them.

«I’m enjoying and I’m happy. If I’m happy I’m fast.»

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Expanding on his race, Marquez says the crash in the sprint race and his fall from the lead of the Americas Grand Prix weighed «super heavy on the shoulders» but still felt Sunday «was the day to be on the podium».

«As you know if I’m there the show is there,» he said. «Always we try. It doesn’t matter where we come from because we are coming from the shit.

«It’s true, what we can say on the race is that the small mistake was on those first five laps.

«I’m human and the mistake from yesterday was super heavy on the shoulders. And I was very stiff and I saw many crashes in Moto2 and I was extra careful, then the others overtook me.

«But today was the time to be on the podium but to not crash again because to crash three races in a row is too much for a rider.

«So, even like this, I tried. I had the speed, the speed was super good.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«When I overtook Bezzecchi and I had fresh air, the bike was incredible. I was riding so fast, flowing, and I caught Pecco.

«That first move was the time to win the race, but he defended – aggressively, but in a good way.

«This is racing and he played his cards well.

«I did one more lap behind him and the front tyre temperature went up, so then it was impossible to brake hard. But I need to say also he surprised me with that fast lap in the last two laps.»

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Marquez’s Jerez MotoGP duel with Bagnaia «like old times»

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The Gresini rider qualified on pole for the first time on a Ducati before going on to score his first grand prix podium after a thrilling 25-lap race at Jerez on Sunday.

Marquez locked horns with Bagnaia in the latter stages of the grand prix, with the pair engaging twice at Turn 9 on laps 21 and 22.

On the first attempt, Marquez launched his bike up the inside of Bagnaia’s at Turn 9, before the latter retaliated at Turn 10 as the pair ended up making contact.

Both survived this and Bagnaia came through into the lead, defending a second attempt from Marquez on the following tour.

Marquez ultimately lost out on the win by 0.372s to Bagnaia and admitted he was «a bit stiff» in the early laps having crashed out of the lead of the Americas GP and the Jerez sprint.

«It was an important race – a super important race,» he said.

«In the beginning, I was a little bit stiff because I crashed in Austin, I crashed yesterday and in the beginning with the full [fuel] tank I was stiff and I lost some positions.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«But the speed was there to come back, the speed was there to fight with Bagnaia.

«It was a tight fight, even like old times. This is good, it’s racing. I tried to close the door, but he was inside and this is something that happens in the racing.

«On the last lap, he was super good, he pushed, and he did the fastest lap of the race. And then I tried to follow him but he had a bit more.

«But I’m super happy for this first [grand prix] podium. As you see, it doesn’t matter what happened in the past – just I fight until the end.»

Second at Jerez marked Marquez’s first grand prix podium since the wet Japanese GP last year, a few days after which he informed Honda he would be leaving the team at the end of 2023.

Not since the 2022 Australian GP has Marquez stood on a grand prix podium in the dry.

He now sits sixth in the standings on 60 points, 32 behind championship leader Jorge Martin after the Pramac rider crashed out of the Spanish GP while leading on lap 11.

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Marquez «crashed in the easiest part» of Jerez MotoGP sprint race

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Gresini rider Marquez made a relatively slow launch from pole position to drop to third at the start, but repassed both KTM’s Brad Binder and Pramac star Jorge Martin to retake the lead on lap 7.

By the start of lap 9, Marquez had pulled himself clear of the chasing pack and was seemingly on his way to a first victory of 2024, only to suffer a fall at the Turn 9 left-hander.

The Spanish rider was able to hop back on his bike and recover to seventh, as a number of other frontrunners crashed out from what turned out to be a race of attrition. He was elevated to sixth following post-race penalties. 

Asked if he is now closer than ever to a maiden victory on the Desmosedici, having completed his adaptation from the Honda RC213V, the six-time MotoGP champion said: «Closer than Austin but still not enough. Just four laps and we didn’t finish that four laps to finish the perfect day.

«But the good thing is that for me today is a super good day, pole position. We understand that in wet conditions we are fast.

«Then in the main [sprint] race we were the fastest there but unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish the race. I did the most difficult thing [of taking the lead], but then I crashed in the easiest part of the race.

«But like most of the riders I would say I take a wet patch and I lose the front. So most of them but the good thing is that every time we are closer and closer.»

Saturday’s sprint at Jerez was an unusually dramatic race as more than half the field suffered major crashes, with arguably the most bizarre incident taking place moments before Marquez’s fall as younger brother Alex Marquez, Enea Bastianini and Binder all slipped off their bikes in tandem into Turn 5.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Although there has been no official statement from FIM, MotoGP or Jerez, a number of riders reported that water from an earlier rain shower had seeped its way onto the asphalt, even though it wasn’t clearly visible in the TV footage.

Marquez explained that he never saw the wet patch that led to his crash at Turn 9, but he was conservative on the entry to the corner on that particular lap.

«I didn’t realise that [it] was that wet patch during all the race,» he said.

«I saw that there were some wet patches in the entry but on gas I didn’t see that wet patch. And then, in fact, that lap I braked a bit earlier and I kept a bit more corner speed but maybe I only went 10cm [wide] because [at] worst [it was a] 20cm patch.

«I went 10cm out or in, I don’t know. I don’t know if I was passing that patch in the previous laps in or out because I was not overriding.

«But unfortunately when I lost the front I wasn’t able to recover but even like this we finished seventh in the race so good.»

The Jerez sprint marked the second consecutive race in which Marquez crashed from the lead, having also lost a potential victory in the Americas GP earlier this month.

He also retired from the Portuguese GP after an incident with reigning champion and factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia.

But the 31-year-old isn’t concerned about his recent run of incidents, as he feels fast on the Ducati since he turned up the wick in the US round.

«I understand since Austin [that] I’m strong enough about the mental side,» he said.

«First two races [of the year] I was constant and I tried to control the situation. Since Austin we increase one step the risk and then you expose the limits and then you can crash. I understand that.

«Yeah, people can talk a lot. I have my plan, I know what I’m doing and I’m happy because I’m fast. This was my main worry this season. So at the moment I’m fast.

«Of course, I need to work on the consistency but the good thing is that all the crashes I had on the race in Portimao, Austin and here it was not [due] to over-riding [the bike]. It was always the extra conditions.»

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Marquez says Ducati MotoGP bike adaptation «is finished»

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The eight-time grand prix world champion was third fastest overall on Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix having also finished second in the morning session.

Marquez has been consistently quick in 2024, though consistency has eluded him, with the Gresini rider yet to add to his sprint podiums in the main Sunday races.

Speaking after Friday’s practice at Jerez, Marquez believes he is now beyond the adaptation phase of his transition to the Ducati and feels «inside the bike».

«The good thing is that we can stop talking about adaptation,» he said. «The adaptation is already finished. So, now it’s time to work on the small details.

«My adaptation to the bike, I feel like I’m already inside the bike. As I showed today in FP1, I go out and immediately boom [I was fastest].

«But it’s true that every race we have small problems or something here, something there, and still we don’t put everything together in one weekend.

«So, let’s see if we can do it in this one, in the next ones, and achieve that first podium. That will be the good target in the next races.»

Marquez added that there was only so much he could do to adapt his «made for the Honda» riding style to the Desmosedici and admits it will be «impossible» to fully change.

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«I mean, my riding style is made for the Honda and then I tried to adapt,» he noted.

«The adaptation to the bike was there and now we start to bring the bike to my riding style too.

«And this is something that helps me a lot. It’s the reason why I started to be fast immediately and more consistent. You can adapt a few things but it’s impossible to change your riding style of the last 10 years.»

Marquez’s Americas GP charge was thwarted by a crash caused by a front brake issue, which took him out of the race just as he’d taken the lead two weeks ago.

On Friday at Jerez, his team changed the brake lever he was using and altered the set-up of his brakes to try to rectify the issue.

«I changed the brake lever and then also we changed something in the specification inside the brakes because the team was working super hard together with Ducati to understand what happened in Austin because the problem was super big in the data,» he said.

«It was better. Basically, I came back to the lever I used during all of my career.

«I mean, I started to use another lever last year because I had arm pump problems.

«And then it was a little bit better. It’s not the solution because with that lever you only feel the problem less but the problem is still there.

«Here in this circuit, it’s not a problem because the temperature is not very warm. So, we need to wait to arrive on a warm track.»

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Rossi-like Acosta can’t be ruled out of MotoGP title fight

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Ahead of the fourth event of the season at Jerez this weekend, Acosta is fourth in the standings, just two points behind third-placed Maverick Vinales and five points behind second-placed Enea Bastianini.

The Spaniard is the best-placed of the four KTM riders, with factory man Brad Binder five points behind him in sixth and Jack Miller 32 points adrift in 10th. Acosta’s team-mate Augusto Fernandez has only seven points to his tally compared to his score of 54.

With Acosta now more adapted to the new ecosystem and his GasGas Tech3 team, most of his rivals believe that the next natural objective, victory, will come sooner rather than later.

The 19-year-old from Murcia has been on the podium in Portimao and Austin, the last two events on the calendar.

He failed to reach the podium in his first race in Qatar due to a combination of factors including the high degradation of the tyres as a result of his aggressiveness, and the pain in his forearm, a consequence of the bad positioning of the lever of the rear height device.

«Pedro reminds me of those big names who once made it to MotoGP: Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo or Casey Stoner,» Marquez told Motorsport.com

«Those who in the first or second races were already fighting for pole, podiums and victories. This year he will get podiums, as he has already done, and also victories. And why not fight for a world championship, like others did.»

The widespread feeling in the paddock is that Acosta has shaken up the championship and especially the KTM group, although there are those, like Marquez, who believe that the youngster’s talent has not caught anyone by surprise, because it was a foregone conclusion.

Marquez says he was not at all surprised by Acosta’s breakthrough in MotoGP, and believes that KTM was well aware of the potential of the young rookie, who has scored two podiums in his first three races in the top class.

«I don’t think Pedro shook up the KTM group,» Marquez said. «They knew exactly what they had. I think they expected it; at least I expected it.

«When you analyse the things he did in Moto3 and Moto2, you knew he would get to MotoGP and go fast. It’s his natural process,» added Marquez, who is eighth in the standings, 16 points behind Acosta.

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Age a key factor in Quartararo’s new Yamaha MotoGP deal

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Five days before the start of the Americas GP, Yamaha announced the extension of Quartararo‘s contract until the end of 2026.

Quartararo justified his decision in Texas with the internal restructuring process that has been launched within the technical department of the Japanese team.

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The most important aspect of this is the incorporation of Massimo Bartolini, Gigi Dall’Igna’s right-hand man at Ducati, as technical director.

Before Quartararo’s renewal was made official, many compared the dilemma facing the rider to the one faced by Marquez last season, which eventually led him to leave Honda after 11 years and join the satellite Gresini team, where he competes on a Ducati that is not even the latest specification.

Although Quartararo took the opposing decision, 31-year-old Marquez understands the reasons that led the 24-year-old to give Yamaha another chance.

«I’m not surprised that Quartararo has stayed at Yamaha,» said Marquez in an interview with Motorsport.com in Austin. «First of all because Yamaha is Yamaha, and Honda is Honda. Sooner or later, they will get there.

«A lot of people have compared it to my situation, but Fabio has a lot more time than I had left.»

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Another element that leads the Spaniard to sympathise with his rival’s decision is the absence of trauma such as the one he experienced following the arm injury he sustained at Jerez in 2020, which led him to undergo surgery four times.

«He hasn’t gone through a period like I did, with a very serious injury that even led me to doubt myself. That is fundamental,» added Marquez, who finished on the podium in the sprint race on Saturday, and who crashed on Sunday while leading the main event.

Quartararo crossed the line 15th on Saturday and 12th on Sunday, further evidence that the Iwata-based constructor’s recovery will take a long time.

After the first three grands prix of the calendar, the 2021 world champion is 12th in the standings, with his best result so far being seventh in Portugal.

«When you are in a project in which you have been given a lot, and you are promised more, it is normal to have that patience and confidence that it will come,» continued Marquez, aware that, in such a competitive ecosystem as the MotoGP world championship, effort is not always rewarded.

«You have to have confidence and also luck because all the engineers work hard. The luck lies in [the technicians] finding the key that translates into a competitive bike,» Marquez added.

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‘Unexpected brake problem’ caused Marquez’s crash from COTA MotoGP lead

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Qualifying third on the grid, Marquez was tipped by many coming into Sunday’s grand prix to add an eighth Americas GP win to his tally.

A factor in that victory battle, Marquez took the lead of a race for the first time as a Ducati rider on lap 11 when he carved past Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta at Turn 1.

But Marquez crashed out going into Turn 11 just moments later, which he said was down to an issue with his front brake that meant “nobody was there” when he grabbed the lever.

“Disappointing especially because I was feeling good, I was feeling hard, strong,” he said.

“But yeah, I’m more disappointed because today the speed was there, the feeling was there, but I had unexpected problems with the front brake during all the race that gave me a lot of difficulties to ride.

“Even like this I was even able to be in the top group because the pace was not fast, and then I tried to lead as soon as possible to see if the temperature changed on the brake or something.

“And it was improving the brake feeling. But unfortunately, when I braked on that Turn 11, I braked and nobody was there [no pressure] and then on the second time it was better but still too much speed and I lost the front.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“But the most important thing is I feel competitive and this gives me a good mentality.”

He added: “On data we saw the problem was there and for example we saw on the brake point where I crashed, I braked two times.

“I pulled the brakes, nothing there, no pressure. And then I pulled a second time and it was a bit better but there was no pressure.

“So, now they need to understand. Not only there, also in Turn 12 I was braking two times, three times. So, we need to understand the thing to improve for the future.”

While believing he could have fought at least for the podium through to the chequered flag, Marquez feels this problem is a normal part of a new project and says the Gresini team is quick at generating answers to issues.

“You know that I’m a guy that if I crash I say ‘sorry, I crashed’,” he noted. “Today we had a lot of problems but the good thing is they are normal problems in a new project.

“When we have problems we need to create the answer, and now today we had the problem and we need to create the answer. I think the team is quite quick and we will have an answer for the future.”

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