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Category: Superbikes
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It was surely a positive weekend for Team Gresini MotoGP, who places both their riders in the higher part of the race classification and leaves Mugello with a total of 31 points scored in what was the first of two home events for the Faenza-based squad.
Marc Marquez bagged 22 of those points courtesy of yesterday’s second-place finish and today’s fourth position at the line. It was a challenging race in which the GP24 machines of Bagnaia, Bastianini and Martin had something more. The overtake on Enea and a few points taken from Martin in the standings are for the record books. The championship lead is now 36 points away, six less than two days ago.
Alex Marquez has found again some consistency and two top-ten finishes at a venue that has never been too kind to him. He put up a great fight with his former teammate Di Giannantonio, with a good feeling to take home ahead of the three-week break.
The on-track action does not stop here, however, as it is time for official testing, taking place at Mugello tomorrow – if weather allows.
4th - MARC MARQUEZ #93
“We missed out on the podium, but we did a positive race. I couldn’t overtake bastianini and when he passed me with two laps ago, it seemed as though he was on fresh tyres. Both Pecco and him were really strong. We’re leaving with a few more points in the standings and we’re very positive ahead of the next two back-to-back races. We’ll keep working during the test day in order to further improve our feeling.”
9th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“It was a very similar race to Austin for how demanding it was. We started well and we were in a fast group of riders, even though I lost one position at the end. We were 12 seconds quicker than in last year’s race, but obviously we want more. We’ll try to find something in the test with regards to better balance and more speed.”
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Marc Marquez has scored his sixth consecutive podium of the season today as he shows top form also at Mugello. Today’s result was not a given despite one of his best qualifying performances of the season (4th) but the #93 did well in keeping Binder first, and then Martin, at Bay, before taking a shot at the win. Nine more points in the bag that translate in a new, reduced gap to Martin’s lead – 32 points – as the latter crashed out of third place.
Alex Marquez also had a solid performance as he finished with points the Italian sprint race. From the third row of the grid, the Spanish rider did well in staying focused in the first part of the encounter before starting to move up. Binder hindered a bit the comeback by the rider #73, who will have a bigger chance tomorrow in the 23-lap encounter, starting from 14:00 local time (GMT +2).
2nd - MARC MARQUEZ #93
“We had the pace to win today but Pecco was uncatchable and there was no time left to bridge the gap. This is a track that I never really got fully right, but it’s a whole different story with the Ducati. We managed to compete against the GP24, which still have something more. Maybe we missed something at the start, but we’re happy with today.”
8th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“I didn’t get a very good start. I lost a lot of ground, and it was almost impossible to pass with Binder ahead on the main straight. The feeling is good, and we were surely ready to battle further ahead. We will likely go for the soft tyre again tomorrow, even though we’ll give a chance to the medium tyre in the warm up.”
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The air of Italy brings benefits to Team Gresini MotoGP as both riders managed to earn the direct seed to Q2 today at Mugello. This is the third time in the season after the inaugural Grand Prix in Qatar and the Spanish event at Jerez de la Frontera. Marc Marquez was fifth quickest in practice with Alex in eight place, with the two separated by slightly more than half a tenth.
In what has been – at least in the previous two GPs – a nightmare of a day, the smile is back on everyone’s face. Both riders will be able to work with a clear head in FP2 aboard their light-blue liveried Ducatis number 73 and 93 without any Q1 pressure and will be able to play their cards for pole position in what was the first of two home events for the Faenza-based squad.
5th MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’45.345s)
“I had fun here today. I always struggled a bit here but today things went as hoped. We’re in a good place with regards to race pace, even though Pecco has something more, and we made a step forward with the time attack. Now there’s a difficult GP ahead: Q2 will be a challenga and we aim at a spot on the first two rows. We’re happy with the direct seed to Q2 and now we need to make sure it becomes a tradition.”
8th ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’45.412s)
“I’m happy to be back in Q2 as so far our Fridays were not too kind. The feeling was good from the get-go, and we’ll work hard tomorrow in order to qualify on the first two rows. I lost a flying lap due to a slow rider in the racing line, but it went well and now we have a good opportunity for this weekend.”
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From 14th place on the grid to another podium finish in what was an exciting Catalan afternoon, with Marc Marquez the absolute star. It was not a stellar star this time (albeit a good one), but the talent displayed this time was of a different type: patience. A consistent and relentless comeback, one that surprised even Marc himself who realised he was on the podium only after the chequered flag.
Alex Marquez also put together a great race. The rider #73 knew he could be competitive in the Sunday race and the seventh position at the finish line is the confirmation of the great work done, despite an underwhelming qualifying performance. There is no time to rest, with Mugello around the corner in a few days’ time.
3rd - MARC MARQUEZ #93
“We keep improving each day, but it’s clear that it’s not always possible to save the weekend as we did here and in Le Mans. On the other hand, at this track, which is the worst on the calendar for my riding style, two podiums are surely a great achievement and bode well for the rest of the season. Now let’s focus on Mugello and especially on solving the issues on the single-lap performance.”
7th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“I had a good feeling throughout the weekend and today’s result shows it. I struggled a bit at the beginning of the race today, maybe also due to the fact that I didn’t want to destroy the soft tyre, but also in the battle with Enea and Brad. It’s good anyway, but it’s clear we need to find something extra during Fridays, starting from Mugello.”
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It was not the afternoon that was expected at Montmeló today, as the sixth event of the 2024 world championship season got underway. Both Alex and Marc Marquez, after being among the protagonists of today’s on-track action, could not capitalise when it mattered the most as they finished Practice in 11th and 12th place, respectively.
Nothing is irreversible, however, although there will be a little bit of extra pressure in tomorrow’s Q1 after nearly missing out of a direct seed in the final moments of the afternoon session. Alex crashed out (uninjured) at turn ten, with his tumble bringing out the yellow flags and, at the same time, taking Marc’s last opportunity away.
11th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’39.113s)
“Obviously the crash didn’t help but it’s also true that feeling-wise it has been the best Friday of the season so far. We knew the Ducatis would suffer a bit more compared to other bikes, but it’s part of the game. We need to work ahead of tomorrow but the goal is to make it into Q2.”
12th - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (1’39.153s)
“I must admit that I wasn’t feeling very comfortable already in the early stages of the afternoon session and then I couldn’t make the most of the soft tyre. It’ll be hard tomorrow as we know that Q1 is the worst session of the weekend, but we’ll give it all and see how it goes. This is not one of my favourite tracks and this Friday confirmed my worries. Let’s thing about having a great Q1 and we’ll see from there.”
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