Ninth to third, Marquez takes hard-fought final Sprint podium with Repsol Honda Team

An emotional Marc Marquez left nothing on track as he returned to the MotoGP Sprint podium for the third time in 2023, a gift to the Repsol Honda Team.

Having shown strong and consistent pace throughout the weekend, Marc Marquez headed into Q2 ready and eager to perform. A final weekend with the Repsol Honda Team spurred the #93 on to take extra risks in order to see out the 11-year relationship in the best way possible. Unfortunately, a mistake into Turn 2 on his final flying lap would end Marquez’s charge towards the front row and see him line up in ninth. With overtaking in Valencia notoriously difficult, the eight-time World Champion was left frustrated.

Launching perfectly as the lights went out, Marquez immediately made-up ground and lined up a big move into Turn 2. He’d keep the pace of leaders as he, Binder and Martin reeled in and passed early leader Maverick Viñales. With a Sprint podium in his sights, Marquez was giving no ground and set the fastest lap of the race on lap four – a 1’29.809. Marquez’s challenge would last until the final laps when catching Martin and Binder finally became impossible, crossing the line in a well-earned third place.

Arriving to the Sprint podium with thousands of fans and the members of his Repsol Honda Team below, Marquez – who has enjoyed 11 seasons with HRC – fought back the emotions to celebrate his third Sprint podium of 2023.

Sunday is set to be an emotional day for the entire Repsol Honda Team as Marc Marquez prepares to line up on the Honda RC213V for the final time and celebrate a relationship which has brought six MotoGP World Championships and five Triple Crowns. Every lap of the 27-lap race will have all involved giving their maximum to end the season, and an incredible era of MotoGP, in the best way possible.

Marc Marquez, 3rd: “You can give all the presents, all the helmets, all the boots you want – but the best present is what you give on the track. That’s what today was about, giving something to the Repsol Honda Team, to HRC, to my people who have been with me across this journey. I increased the risk I was taking a step and even in the race I almost crashed many times, but today I was able to do a good start, a good first lap and make a good race. It’s important to enjoy this special moment with everyone, it was honestly hard to fight the emotions on the podium. All of my team, HRC and the fans there – it was really nice to give everyone this moment. The objective is to continue like this tomorrow, but we need to see the conditions, how we start, many things.”

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Marquez fights for top ten in Qatar

Almost every lap of the 22-lap Qatar Grand Prix saw a flurry of hard passes up and down the grid, the Repsol Honda Team pairing of Marc Marquez and Joan Mir featuring throughout. Rocketing off the line as in the Sprint, Marc Marquez immediately put himself into the mix as he exited Turn One in fifth place. Defending as hard as ever, the eight-time World Champion held his own in the opening laps of the race. As the competition heated up, the #93 found himself under increasing pressure from those behind as the likes of Binder and Viñales hounded him.

Initially dropping back, Marquez rallied in the closing stages of the race to fight with championship contender Jorge Martin for tenth position. Martin’s teammate Zarco joined their battle, Marquez fortunate to avoid crashing after a big impact from the French rider in the final lap. 0.1s shy of Martin at the line, Marquez gave his all until the chequered flag and took 11th place.

Now just one more stop remains on the 2023 MotoGP World Championship calendar, the Valencia GP, November 24 – 26. The weekend will not only see the World Championship decided but will also see Marc Marquez’s current sting in the Repsol Honda Team come to a close. Everyone involved remains unwaveringly committed until the end.

Marc Marquez: 11th

“I’m happy about our weekend, it was a solid one and we were able to have a few high points when we thought we would struggle more. We spent most of the race behind Martin, I don’t think either of us were feeling entirely comfortable to be honest. But we got some more points and now we prepare to head to Valencia for what is going to be a very busy and of course emotional weekend. Like always, our focus is at 100% to keep working and fighting until the very last lap.”

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Marquez fights into the points in Malaysian GP

A subdued end to a tricky weekend for the Repsol Honda Team as Marc Marquez returned to the points and Joan Mir suffered an unfortunate early crash after a promising start.

Threats of rain throughout the weekend would ultimately remain at simply that, the circuit staying dry during the entire weekend of premier class running. The brief ten minute Warm Up session offered the Repsol Honda Team a final chance to assess their setup before diving into the race later in the afternoon.

From 20th, Marc Marquez made another aggressive start to the race and found himself fighting for points from the first lap. As the processional Malaysian Grand Prix unfolded, Marquez briefly battled with his teammate before settling into a largely lonesome race. Avoiding risks, the #93 was able to bring his Honda RC213V home in 13th place and leave Malaysia ready for the final two races of the year.

Now the Repsol Honda Team will pack the garage and move onto the next challenge: Qatar – the penultimate GP of the year.

Marc Marquez, 13th:

“It has been a difficult Sunday to end a complicated weekend, really it all came from Qualifying on Saturday. From 20th is always difficult and my feeling with the bike was similar to what it was in the Sprint race. Yesterday I pushed and crashed, today I managed everything and was able to at least get some points. We have another tough race coming up in Qatar where we can try and improve our situation and results. Let’s keep on going and get ready for the next one.”

 

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Marc Márquez fight until the very end in red-hot Buriram spectacular

Fans and riders alike hardly knew which way to look during an explosive 26-lap Thai Grand Prix, the premier class putting on one of the most exciting races of the year. There were battles throughout the entire field from the moment the lights went out until the field crossed the line, the Repsol Honda Team pair featuring heavily in the action as each authored strong races.

An intense opening lap saw Marc Marquez immediately thrust into the heart of the action as the entirety of the top ten were glued together for the first five laps. Every corner there was a new challenger as the #93 battled the likes of Aleix Espargaro and a mix of Ducati riders. One of the fiercest battles would be with MotoGP World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia, the pair duking it out for sixth place in the early part of the race.

The melee would last until the middle of race when the group began to stretch out, Marquez focusing on holding himself inside the top ten. Another battle late in the race with Fabio Quartararo gave the fans in the MM93 Grandstand something to cheer about again, audibly erupting whenever Marquez made a move. Crossing the line in seventh, a post-race penalty of Aleix Espargaro would see Marquez promoted to sixth place.

The Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy a well-earned week away from the circuit after an intense period of five races in six weeks before returning for the final push of the year. Another triple header consisting of Sepang, Qatar and Valencia will sign off the 2023 season.

Marc Márquez, 6º: “It was a really exciting race, straight away from the start there were battles and everywhere I looked in the first laps there were bikes! I had good battles with Aleix, Pecco and later Fabio – they were all hard but really fun. I was fighting really hard at the start which meant the tyre dropped a bit at the end, but then when the others started to drop, I was able to recover more. Overall the weekend was positive, we rebuilt some confidence after Mandalika and Australia so this is really positive. Now we have a week off after three busy and physical races before ending the season.”

 

 

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Marc Márquez work for more after Australia’s first Saturday Grand Prix

Schedule changes made for a busy Saturday in Australia as the Repsol Honda Team contested practice, Qualifying and the Grand Prix all in the same day.

For the first time since 2015, a Grand Prix was held on Saturday as weather warnings forced a change of schedule on safety grounds. This made for an intense day as the MotoGP field completed practice, two Qualifying sessions and had the full length Australian Grand Prix all moved to the same day.

As the weather continued to cool from Friday, the Repsol Honda Team headed out on track for Q1 alongside a number of big names for an intense 15-minute session. Marc Marquez would time his run perfectly to enter the top two on his final flying lap, advancing through to Q2. Ultimately taking seventh on the grid with a best time of 1’28.012, the eight-time World Champion ended 0.766s off pole.

From the head of the third row, Marquez lost a little ground in the run down to Turn 1 but quickly rallied and recovered to challenge the top five. A spirited start to the race had the #93 as an early podium contender but he quickly had to switch into a more defensive posture as the competition around him increased. Gambling with the soft, the latter half of the race became about survival, and he crossed the line in 15th to collect a solitary point.

Unfortunately, the #TissotSprint has been cancelled due to weather conditions and forecast

Marc Márquez, 15th: “Last year the soft tyre brought us the podium, this year the gamble didn’t pay off. I was hoping for a slower race, but straight away Martin was pushing hard and I knew it would be a very fast race. At the start I really enjoyed the ten or so laps with Bagnaia and Zarco as we were fighting a lot. Then I needed to change my tactic and just focus on bringing the bike home as I was suffering more with tyre life. Now we wait and see what will happen with the situation tomorrow.”

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Double DNF for Marc Márquez at the Indonesian GP

A weekend full of complications resulted in a disappointing double DNF for Marc Marquez.

The Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika turned into a grueling affair as a third of the grid suffered falls and experienced issues. Both Repsol Honda Team riders would be unfortunate victims of the former, Marc Marquez the first to fall on lap seven and Joan Mir coming off a few laps later on lap 12. Neither rider sustained any injuries in their falls.

Marc Marquez had been running a comfortable pace inside the top ten when he fell from eighth.

There’s not long to wait for a chance of redemption, the entire paddock heading directly to Australia for Round 16 at the iconic Phillip Island Circuit.

Marc Marquez, DNF: “The weekend started in a good way but then day by day, it became more complicated. Today in the race I kept calm, I was losing a little bit of ground, but I was not panicking. The aim was to finish the race and I was riding with this in mind. Unfortunately, at one point in Turn 13 I lost the front and I couldn’t save it. A tricky crash to understand but we start thinking about Australia.”

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Honda Racing Corporation and Marc Marquez to end collaboration early by mutual agreement

Honda Racing Corporation and Marc Marquez have mutually elected to terminate their four-year contract prematurely at the end of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season.

With a year still remaining on the four-year contract between HRC and Marc Marquez, both parties have mutually agreed to end their collaboration upon completion of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season. Both parties agreed it was in their best interests to each pursue other avenues in the future to best achieve their respective goals and targets.

This brings an end to 11 years of collaboration between the #93 and HRC in which they achieved six premier class World Championships, five Triple Crowns, 59 wins, 101 podiums and 64 pole positions together.

Marquez took his debut victory in the premier class aboard the Honda RC213V at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2013 to become the youngest premier class winner and would become the youngest premier class World Champion later that year. In 2014 he defended his title and won the opening 10 consecutive races of year, going on to also claim titles in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as an HRC rider with the Repsol Honda Team.

Both parties will continue to give their full support for the remaining rounds of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season.

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Marquez makes ‘romantic’ return to podium in waterlogged Japanese GP

A wet and wild race in Motegi was cut short due to the extreme conditions and fading light, Marc Marquez taking his 140th career podium and returning the Repsol Honda Team to the rostrum.

Overnight rain saw the MotoGP field discover a damp track for Warm Up as they arrived at Mobility Resort Motegi for race day. As the grid formed up for the 24-lap Japanese Grand Prix, the predicted rain began to fall and the MotoGP field shot forward on tender hooks with everyone starting on slicks. It would not last long as the majority of the field pulled into the pits at the end of the first lap. Marc Marquez showed his undeniable skill in the changing conditions as he immediately put himself into contention with the leading group.

Opting for a cautious approach as the rain began to intensify, Marquez let those ahead judge the conditions as he settled into a comfortable rhythm. With the conditions settled on completely wet, the eight-time World Champion began his attack and quickly made his way into the top five. Passing Bezzecchi on lap 11 to move into third, the #93 kept up an intense pace as he worked to eat into the lead of Bagnaia and Martin.

Conditions would worsen at this point and the red flag was displayed, ending the race. A restart was attempted but the combination of standing water and the waning light meant the result was declared and full points awarded.

Marc Marquez once again climbed onto the podium with third place, his first podium since taking second place at the Australian Grand Prix in 2021. This podium, the 140th of his career and his 101st in the premier class, moves Marc Marquez to fifth overall in terms of podium finishes across all classes. It is the 455th podium for the Repsol Honda Team in the premier class.

After two intense back-to-back races, the Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy a week off before heading to Mandalika for the Indonesian GP.

Marc Márquez, 3rd: “It feels great to return to the podium after so long away, and to do it here in Motegi, at Honda’s home, with so many fans and people from Honda here, honestly it is quite romantic. In the race it was all about understanding the wet tyres once we switched over, at the start it was quite dry so it was important to be careful to not destroy the tyre. I stayed calm and when I saw there was more water on track, I began to attack. I was feeling really good with my pace and I think we could have had an interesting end to the race, but ultimately Race Direction did a really good job and they made the right call at the right time. I want to say thank you to them and of course all of the Repsol Honda Team as well, days like today have many factors at play and my team worked really well to handle everything. This podium is what we have been looking for all year and it’s a nice boost for the last push in 2023.”

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Marquez returns with superb podium on Sprint and authors classic comeback on Sunday

The first Indian Grand Prix will go down as a classic, and a highlight of the year for Marc Marquez showed the potential of the Honda RC213V as he put in an early podium challenge and impressive recovery.

With a belly full of fire and motivation after a return to the Sprint podium, Marquez shot off the line and immediately hooked himself to the back of the leading trio. As Martin and Bagnaia traded blows, the #93 sensed his opportunity and turned up the pace to stay with them. Unfortunately, at Turn 1 on lap five, Marquez fell but there was no waiting around an in true Marquez style, he remounted within just eight seconds and rejoined in 16th place.

From here, he cut through the field and found himself back inside the top ten by lap 14. Steady progress continued and the eight-time World Champion would take ninth at the flag, a solid result considering the fall.

The entire Repsol Honda Team now head directly to Japan for Honda’s home race at the Motegi circuit.

Marc Márquez, 9th :

“If you just looked at the final result and see ninth you wouldn’t know the whole story of our race – but to achieve what could be considered our ‘normal’ result after a crash is a positive. It was a really small crash but I was pushing very hard to stay in the slip stream of the bikes ahead, I went a bit wide and just fell. I came into this race with the motivation of the Sprint podium, so when I saw Pecco and Martin make a mistake I decided I needed to push. This led to the mistake. The most important thing was finishing the race, overall our rhythm was very close to Quartararo so I think we can be overall happy with what we have done this weekend.”

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Marquez continues upward trajectory with best result of 2023

A ‘perfect race’ for Marc Marquez on his way to a hard fought seventh and a return to the top ten ahead of an important Monday Test.

The weekend of progress continued inside the Repsol Honda Team garage as the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini reached its climax with the 27-lap Grand Prix on Sunday. As the track temperature crept above 40°C, the MotoGP field set their sights on the challenge ahead.

From ninth on the grid, Marc Marquez made another flying start to establish himself well inside the top ten. By lap nine, he had moved himself up to sixth place where he would sit for the majority of the race as he stalked Maverick Viñales. Only in the final laps would the eight-time MotoGP World Champion be challenged, first by Miguel Oliveira and then by Raul Fernandez and Luca Marini – Marquez fending off the latter two in a fierce final lap battle.

The result is another step in the upward trajectory of Marquez and Honda’s results in recent rounds, the #93 now having taken points in three consecutive races and earning a first top-ten of the year. All involved remain unsatisfied with these results however as the Repsol Honda Team strive to return to challenging at the front of the MotoGP World Championship. Monday’s test will be another important step in this journey with the final in-season MotoGP test taking place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Marc will be back on track for Monday’s MotoGP test, a chance to sample what Honda HRC engineers have been working on away from the track.

Marc Marquez, 7th: “For me, this was the best race of the year alongside Le Mans. It’s my best Sunday of the season, I took the maximum that was available and passed our target. Our rhythm was very good until the soft rear option dropped a little bit at the end – but this is normal. In the end I was able to have some good battles with the Aprilia riders and Marini. The objective is to keep this going in the coming races. Before that we have an important test for the future, a first taste of what 2024 could hold. I’m looking forward to seeing how the bike will be with my riding style and then beginning to work with the engineers.”

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