The undisputed former boss of MotoGP Marc Marquez, absent from the last two Grands Prix after another fall, is back for the fourth round of the season this weekend, on the circuit of the Americas where he wants to remain the master.
Since July 19, 2020, when he fractured his right arm during the first Grand Prix of the season, Marc Marquez (Honda) has fallen and then climbed back into the saddle, like Sisyphus pushing his rock.
To get out of this eternal restart, between fall, rehabilitation and return, and to get closer to the new leader Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), Marquez is counting on Austin, one of his promised lands. Since the world championship has stopped there (2013), the 29-year-old Spaniard has won seven of the eight editions, including the last in 2021.
Crowned six times champion of the queen category between 2013 and 2019, the star of the discipline had missed the whole of the 2020 season because of his broken arm and three operations. He had gradually returned, but at the end of 2021, a new fall had ruled him out of the last two races, due to a diplopia problem (doubling of vision).
– “Passion, stronger than wounds” –
On March 20 in Indonesia, Marquez fell heavily, withdrawing a few hours before the Grand Prix and waking up his vision problems. In full recovery, he was also absent in Argentina last week, determined to succeed with his American plan.
“Fortunately for me, the double vision issue didn’t affect me as much as last time,” Marquez explained. “Everything else in my body was fine, so even though I missed that race in Argentina, I feel lucky.”
“After an injury, the first week you say to yourself + I don’t want to take this risk of MotoGP again and be injured again +. But the week after, the passion, our fuel takes over, racing, having this adrenaline “, he raised.
For the eight-time champion across all categories, “passion is always stronger than my injuries!”.
Since the start of its problems, and after the retirement of former Italian glory Valentino Rossi, MotoGP has struggled to find a successor. The Spaniard Joan Mir (Suzuki), titled in 2020, did not confirm, and it was the French Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) who was crowned last year.
– Espargaro, the race after –
But “Quarta”, not helped by a Yamaha lacking speed, has not won since August 29, 2021 in Great Britain. A slump of nine races, with three podiums nevertheless.
Result: in Qatar (Enea Bastianini, Ducati-Gresini), Indonesia (Miguel Oliveira, KTM) and Argentina (Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia), MotoGP had three winners on three different motorcycles. Better, nine different pilots are mounted on the three podiums.
Winner of his very first Grand Prix at the age of 32 and after 200 races in the premier category, the Spaniard Aleix Espargaro has taken the lead in this undecided championship. With 45 points, he leads South African Brad Binder (KTM) by seven points, Italian Bastianini and Spaniard Alex Rins (Suzuki) by nine.
The first favorite remains Quartararo, 5th with 35 points. Unlike Joan Mir (6th) or Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 14th), reigning vice-champion, the Frenchman has already reached a podium in 2022 (2nd in Indonesia).
Marquez finds himself 15th, just behind Bagnaia. After only three races in a record calendar of 21 Grands Prix, nothing is decided. And in the event of a good result this weekend, he would jump up the rankings. The beginning of his ascent to the top?