At the MotoGP rain race in Thailand, Marc Marquez scrapes his first podium since his comeback, but can’t find a way past the Ducatis
Less than three seconds eluded Marc Marquez to victory at the Thai Grand Prix in Buriram. In fifth place, the Spaniard again achieved a solid result and was the best Honda rider. A podium would have been possible, but Marquez could not find a way past the Ducatis of Johann Zarco and Francesco Bagnaia in the closing stages.
“I rode a solid race, like in Motegi. At the beginning I took it easy, found my rhythm step by step and warmed up the tyres properly,” Marquez reported, musing, “Maybe I could have risked more in the first five laps.”
“I was getting faster and faster, but behind the Ducatis it is problematic,” Marquez notes. “You have to be much faster because they can brake so late and have impressive acceleration. When I caught up with ‘Pecco’ I couldn’t find a place to overtake him. I was just a bit faster than him and that wasn’t enough. “
Marc Marquez shows understanding of Johann Zarco’s strategy
Failing to get past Bagnaia, Marquez lost another position to Zarco. The Frenchman acted as a buffer for Bagnaia in the closing stages. “Zarco caught us very quickly. He overtook me and then stayed behind ‘Pecco’. That’s normal,” commented Marquez on Zarco’s strategy, who didn’t want to endanger brand mate Bagnaia.
“Ducati hasn’t won a championship since 2007. At the top it’s often a Ducati Cup, they have to take advantage of that. They have the best bike in the field. They have to use the many riders they have at the top to win this championship,” Marquez defended Ducati’s strategy.
Is Bagnaia now the championship favourite? The Italian is now just two points behind defending champion Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) in the championship, who finished 17th and collected no points. “I would bet on ‘Pecco’s’ bike,” Marquez comments very strategically.
“Ducati is Ducati, as we see with many riders who are fast. But Fabio is Fabio. He rides very well. Rain is probably his weakness, as we could see. It will be interesting,” Marquez said, looking forward to the outcome of the championship.
Positive signals for 2023: Physical condition is getting better
Then next year Marquez wants to fight for the MotoGP crown again himself. He sees the remaining races this year as preparation. Physically, things are clearly going uphill. “I’m really happy,” Marquez is pleased. “It was the first weekend where I really attacked from FT1 onwards. “
“The TV footage confirms that I was riding aggressively, the bike became unsettled and had some wobbles. I was able to catch crashes,” reported Marquez, who was not feeling particularly well on Sunday morning, however.
“My arm was quite stiff when I woke up. I felt terrible in the warm-up. Then I had treatment from the Clinica Mobile and was able to race properly. I didn’t have any restrictions,” described the Spaniard, who is looking forward to the break until the race in Australia.
What does Marquez expect from the penultimate of the four overseas races? “Phillip Island will be a difficult circuit with the Honda because it emphasises our weaknesses,” he notes. “The important thing for me is that I made a big step forward from Aragon to Thailand. That was the goal. I know that Honda might bring some new parts in Australia. We are already working for 2023. “