Because his Honda works engine kept failing after the start on the way to the first turn in Austin, Marc Márquez fell back to the tail of the field.
With his eagerly awaited comeback at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, Marc Márquez once again proved with his spectacular driving style and spectacular recovery that he is an indispensable part of the MotoGP project for the Honda Racing Corporation. “From now on, only Marc will be listened to in the development of the motorcycle. That’s clear, »said ServusTV expert Stefan Bradl in Austin.
Márquez roared off from ninth on the grid, hoping to trick part of the Ducati armada right into turn one. But then the Honda star fell back to the tail of the field due to a botched start, having to pass more than a dozen opponents and tussle with Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Martin before taking home ten precious points for sixth place could.
“We had a technical problem at the start,” said the six-time MotoGP world champion. “Honda is still investigating what happened. As soon as I got to the launch site, I saw an alarm on the dashboard. I then started and tried not to lose too much time. But the bike went crazy. I was afraid it would be a big mishap because the bike didn’t accelerate properly from the start to the first corner. It was like having the rev limiter on all the time. I even checked that, but it must have been a different problem. When I got to the first corner, the bike suddenly ran fine, not perfect, but decent. But the alarm stayed with me throughout the race.”
“After the first corner, a new race started for me, it was a kind of sprint race,” reported Marc. “I knew that if I now drive 20 laps with 100 percent risk, I will no longer be in good shape at the end. Nevertheless, I gave everything. But five or six laps before the end, my body signaled to me: ‘It’s over, I don’t have enough strength.’ From then on, I just tried to get the bike to the finish line.”
“I was able to set a good pace in the race. But the result wasn’t what we had hoped for,” admitted the 29-year-old Spaniard, who drove as fast as leader Jack Miller on some laps and in some sectors repeatedly caught up by three to seven tenths of a second to Aleix Espargaró in front .
And what is worth mentioning: Marc Márquez remained crash-free for three days, a clear improvement over the Indonesia GP where he threw away the factory Honda four times in three days.
MotoGP result, Austin (April 10):
1. Bastianini, Ducati, 41: 23,111 min
2. Rins, Suzuki, + 2,058 sec
3. Miller, Ducati, + 2,312
4. Mir, Suzuki, +3.975
5. Bagnaia, Ducati, + 6,045
6. Marc Marquez, Honda, +6,617
7. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 6.760
8. Martin, Ducati, + 8,441
9. Zarco, Ducati, + 12.375
10. Vinales, Aprilia, +12,642
11. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 12,947
12. Brad Binder, KTM, + 13,376
13. Pol Espargaro, Honda, +17,961
14. Nakagami, Honda, +18,770
15. Dovizioso, Yamaha, + 29,319
16. Morbidelli *, Yamaha, + 29.129
17. Marini, Ducati, + 29.630
18. Oliveira, KTM, + 32,002
19. Fernández, KTM, + 37,062
20. Gardner, KTM, + 42,442
21. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, + 42.887
22. Darryn Binder, Yamaha, + 1:42,171 min
– Alex Marquez, Honda
– Bezzecchi, Ducati
*= 1 place back («track limits» in the last lap)
Championship status after 4 of 21 Grand Prix:
1. Bastianini 61 Punkte. 2. Rins 56. 3. Aleix Espargaró 50. 4. Mir 46. 5. Quartararo 44. 6. Brad Binder 42. 7. Miller 31. 8. Zarco 31. 9. Oliveira 28. 10. Martin 28. 11. Pol Espargaró 23. 12. Bagnaia 23. 13. Marc Márquez 21. 14. Viñales 19. 15. Morbidelli 14. 16. Nakagami 12. 17. Marini 10. 18. Bezzecchi 7. 19. Darryn Binder 6. 20. Alex Márquez 4 21. Dovizioso 3. 22. Gardner 1.
Constructors’ Championship:
1. Ducati 86 Punkte. 2. KTM 59. 3. Suzuki 57. 4. Aprilia 51. 5. Yamaha 44. 6. Honda 34.
Team-WM:
1. Suzuki Ecstar 102 Punkte. 2. Red Bull KTM Factory 70. 3. Aprilia Racing 69. 4. Gresini Racing MotoGP 61. 5. Pramac Racing 59. 6. Monster Energy Yamaha 58. 7. Ducati Lenovo 54. 8. Repsol Honda 44. 9. Mooney VR46 Racing 17. 10. LCR Honda 16. 11. WithU Yamaha RNF 9. 12. Tech3 KTM Factory 1.