Marc Márquez conclude productive Misano Test

Rain was nowhere to be seen as the second day of running in Misano commenced, both sides of the Repsol Honda Team garage completing plenty of laps even before the lunch break. Both riders used the day to try out a number of components for the future of the RC213V as well as work on plans for the closing races of 2021.

Marc Marquez had another busy day in Misano as he completed yet more laps around the Italian track. One of the last riders out on track on Wednesday, Marquez was determined to make the most of all the track time available to understand what he and Honda HRC need in the coming months. Ending Wednesday with a best time of 1’32.151, Marquez closes out the day as the tenth quickest rider and just over half a second off Aleix Espargaro’s fastest lap.

The Repsol Honda Team will now pack and prepare for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas on Sunday, October 03.

Marc Márquez: “Today I worked both for the future and then in the afternoon we worked more with the current bike because we are still trying frames and concepts. We are happy, sure everyone went fast in this test because the conditions are good, but we did interesting things over these two days. The most important thing is that we were able to work for the future. I want to thank my team and Honda HRC for their hard work over these two days.”

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Marc Márquez fights to the finish for fourth in Misano

There was not a moment’s hesitation when the lights went out, Marc Marquez shooting forward on his RC213V and hustling himself into the top five. On lap four of the race Marquez moved past Aleix Espargaro and up into fourth position with Enea Bastianini launching an assault on the eight-time World Champion just a few laps later. Marquez stayed with the Ducati rider until mid-race when Alex Rins slipped past the #93, but Rins would fall on lap 17.

Steady pace in the latter stages of the race saw Marquez gain on Miller in fourth, the pair joined by defending World Champion Joan Mir as they fought it out to the line. A great final half of the lap saw Marquez gain an advantage on the back straight and used the power of his Honda RC213V to fire out of the last corner and lock in fourth place. This is Marquez’s first back-to-back top five finishes since his return from injury. He holds 92 points and ninth in the World Championship standings.

All five Honda RC213V machines finished inside the points at the San Marino Grand Prix. The riders won’t have to wait long before they’re back on track as the Italian circuit will host a two-day test on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Marc Márquez, 4th: “I am really happy with our performance today because honestly speaking I was not expecting this result today! At the start I was calm and honestly not riding very fast, but step by step we went faster and our feeling improved. The key point was staying calm in the first laps and pushing at the end, I’m quite proud about the last part of the race because I brought Mir with me. In practice it was a little different, I was following him, but in the race, he was following me and we caught Jack. In the last lap I didn’t feel like I could fight, but Mir and Miller went wide and I saw my opportunity! It was nice and now we get ready for a really important two-day test here.”

 

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Marc Márquez fights to the flag for a brilliant second in Aragon

A return to the podium with his hardest battle of the year at Marc Marquez keeps his Aragon top-two run alive with his fifth podium in his five most recent races at the track.

Morning fog delayed Warm Up on Sunday in Aragon, but that would quickly burn away as the hottest day of the weekend settled in. When the MotoGP field rolled onto the grid, the track temperature was already closing in on 50°C and the scene was set for what would turn out to be a titanic clash, the hot conditions matching the action on track.

From the second row of the grid, Marc Marquez shot forward and immediately made his presence known in the podium battle with Bagnaia just ahead. These two would remain locked together for the entirety of the race, matching each other’s lap times and eventually opening up a sizable advantage over the battle for third. Marquez spent much of the race behind the Ducati rider, studying and looking for areas of weakness where he could pass later in the race. As the final five laps began, the #93 upped his pace and began to increase the pressure on Bagnaia before exploding into a full assault with two laps remaining.

In the final three laps, the lead changed a total of 14 times as Marquez and Bagnaia battled. In true Marquez-style, the eight-time World Champion refused to give up until the very last moment on the final lap. Rolling out of an ambitious move into Turn 12, Marquez ultimately took a well-earned second place and his second podium finish of the season. This is his fifth consecutive podium at the MotorLand Aragon circuit, and his second since returning from injury in 2021. Marquez now holds 79 points and is tenth overall in the MotoGP World Championship standings.

Now the MotoGP paddock heads directly to Misano for round 14 of the 2021 World Championship.

Marc Márquez, 2nd: “I pushed hard all race but on the last three laps I really tried everything. Sometimes when you try like this you make a mistake, you crash and the result isn’t good. But I still tried and I think everyone watching it enjoyed a lot! I knew it would be really difficult, fighting against the Ducati is hard because they brake very late and accelerate very well plus today, Pecco was riding in a perfect way. It was a great battle with him, I enjoyed it a lot. After two crashes in a row, it’s not easy to give everything and put it on the line like in this race. In Turn 1 on the last lap I couldn’t stop well and I couldn’t make it happen at Turn 5 either. My last chance was Turn 12 but as soon as I went to the dirty part of the track, I knew it would be impossible and I ran wide. I’m happy because we were able to fight and our race pace was fast and also because this race provides extra motivation to me, to HRC and everyone in the box. Thanks to everyone for their hard work.”

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