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Category: Superbikes
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Team Gresini MotoGP scored points with both riders today as Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez were fourth and fifth in today’s Thai Grand Prix sprint race.
On one side, Marc lost a few points from today’s winner Bastianini in the battle for the championship top three, even though the fifth place on the grid and the crash in Q2 may have led to far worse consequences. Still, he bagged valuable points, with an exciting battle against the Desmosedici GP24 machines ahead – as tomorrow’s race is the real target for the weekend.
Alex Marquez, on the other hand, did not fully shine in qualifying this morning (he was fifth), while he managed to put together a spectacular comeback after recovering three positions at the starts and finishing not far from the frontrunners. The crash by Acosta opened him the doors to the top five. Five, key points were secured in the battle for the top ten in the championship, with Espargaro and Bezzecchi now only six and seven points away, respectively.
4th - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (3rd in the championship standings with 351 points)
“Before the sprint race began, I was confident in my chances to battle for the podium, but I hadn’t taken Enea into consideration. I managed to achieve the target of a second-row qualifying result and I also started well because I was second at turn three, but today we didn’t have the pace to stay with the frontrunners. Tomorrow’s realistic goal is to finish as high as today.”
5th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (12th in the championship standings with 130 points)
“It was a good Saturday and let’s say so far a good weekend, too. Without slipstream it wasn’t an easy job to carry out in today’s race, but it went well and I’m happy. Tomorrow’s race is going to be a long one and we’ll need to manage the tyre wear as soon as we can for the end of the race – and there are valuable points up for grabs.”
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The eighteenth Grand Prix of the season, currently underway at the Buriram International Circuit, has seen a Friday characterised by milder-than-usual (especially for the region) temperatures and good track conditions, with Marc and Alex Marquez immediately competitive in the morning FP1 (in which they were fourth and fifth, respectively).
In the afternoon session – the one that counts the most – both riders were able to hit the target: Marc set the new outright best lap of the track in what was his first Thai weekend on a Ducati and Alex also managed to finish in the top ten, being now among the candidates for the Thai GP pole position.
1st - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’29.165s)
“It was a good Friday, but our goal for tomorrow – at least the realistic one - is to qualify on the front two rows. I know where we’re losing ground and where we can improve, we’re suffering in the first two sectors and it won’t be easy tomorrow.”
8th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’29.613s)
“We did quite a few changes to the bike set-up, and they worked, and the main thing is that we’re in Q2. We still need to do a lot of work and focus on tyre choice, which is something that we still have to evaluate.”
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The Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island started with a one-two that, despite not leading to a KO, is still an important sign for the weekend Down Under. Marc Marquez dominates the Friday action in the only session of the day (the morning free practice were cancelled due to adverse weather condition) as he topped the timesheets almost the entire time, while getting close to the outright lap record towards the end of Practice.
It was an excellent Friday also for Marc Marquez, who set the second quickest time of the day in his very last attempt, finishing one tenth shy of his brother. Both Gresini Racing standard bearers will battle for pole position directly from Q2 in the #AustralianGP.
1st - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’27.770s)
“I always adapt quickly to track conditions, but surely the others will improve their performance tomorrow and we’ll all be very close. Qualifying will tell a lot about the possible sprint race goals. Alex was incredibly quick and without his mistake on the last lap he would have been ahead of me. It wasn’t an easy day as we needed to attack in each lap, plus the new asphalt is always a factor especially on Friday.”
2nd - ALEX MARQUZ #73 (1’27.872s)
“It was probably one of my best-ever laps. I made the most of Marc’s reference ahead of me in the first two sectors, then I put in some extra of my own. The feeling with the bike was there and so was the one with the circuit, which bodes well for the remainder of the weekend. I don’t know why things seems to be better with anticlockwise circuits this year, but it’s a good thing nevertheless. Obviously, Sunday’s penalty will have its impact, especially considering the good feeling, but we’ll deal with it.”
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Another racing weekend draws to a close, another one with a comeback performance by Marc Marquez. Also in Japan, the #93, who had a tough luck due to a delayed, lap-cancelling decision in qualifying, did a great job in bouncing back both in the sprint and in today’s full race, as he bagged another third-place finish and consolidating his chances for a top three final position.
It was a Sunday to forget for Alex Marquez, who was out of contention before the end of the opening lap following a coming together with a rival. A few scratches and, above all, a long-lap penalty to perform are the negative takeaways from the 16th event of the season.
3rd MARC MARQUEZ (4th in the championship standings with 311 points)
“I did a good start, but Martin and Miller had an even better one. Generally speaking, it was a good opening lap and a kind of… boring race. With the lack of overtakes, I had to stay focused and also made a mistake that could have cost me the podium. It went well, though, now it’s time to take a little rest and recharge for the next tripleheader.”
DNF – ALEX MARQUEZ (12th in the championship standings with 124 points)
“I made a mistake at turn 11 that sent me off line and while trying to get back to my position I had a coming together with Mir, which led to the crash. Our bikes tangled together and I apologised to him for what happened. Now we need to recover ahead of Australia. We’ll have to perform a long-lap penalty, even though I disagree with it: seven days ago, at turn 3 another rider hit me the same way and nothing happened. This shows that rules don’t apply the same way to everybody, but it is what it is. We’ll make the most of this lesson.”
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A crash triggered by another rider and a mechanical problem have ruled Alex and Marc Marquez out of contention in the fifteenth race of the season at Lombok’s Mandalika Race Circuit. Alex’s race lasted only a few corners, while Marc was forced to an early retirement at halfway distance, while running in seventh position behind Bagnaia.
There is not much else to add. The Japanese Grand Prix will get underway this Friday, with the goal of turning things around.
DNF MARC MARQUEZ #93 (4th in the championship standings with 288 points)
“The engine broke during what was my fastest lap of the race. I was trying to improve my pace, but it ended up this way. These things happen and it’s nobody’s fault: the team did an outstanding job this weekend; we win and lose together. We’ll try again in Japan.”
DNF ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (11th in the championship standings 121 points)
“Somebody hit me, I think it was Jack (Miller)… these things happened, but it’s still a pity. We lost points in the championship standings and missed an opportunity to make amends following the recent crashes. Not much else to say… we’ll try to find some fresh confidence in a few days’ time at Motegi.”
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