Securing a hard-fought second-place finish in the main Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit left Marc Marquez physically depleted. The Ducati Lenovo Team star admitted that exhaustion caught up with him after executing a high-stakes tactical masterclass to maximize his championship points.
Starting from second on the grid, Marquez momentarily dropped as low as fourth in the early stages as Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez established an early gap, while Pedro Acosta initially surged forward before encountering front tyre pressure issues.
"The most important thing is that this weekend we are the rider that scored the most points over the entire weekend," Marquez told MotoGP.com’s After the Flag show following the race.
"It’s the most important because it’s this kind of weekend that you can give an extra boost to your opponents if they start to catch you a bit in the championship. But we did an amazing job: qualifying, Sprint, and today in the main race."
The physical toll was evident as on-board camera footage captured the eight-time world champion wincing through his open visor during the closing stages of the grueling encounter.
"I was completely exhausted in the end, empty, but if you want to fight for the championship you need to give everything and I did it," Marquez stated. "I had that extra risk to overtake Fernandez and push the last two laps because you never know if you will need those four points."
Despite the immense physical strain resulting from a demanding triple-header schedule, the Spanish rider emphasized that his mental sharpness remains at an all-time high.
"On the mental side I feel better than ever — if not it would be impossible to ride as I ride," Marquez explained. "But physically I was completely exhausted: three races in a row, I was struggling a lot this weekend. If you see Friday afternoon, just two laps, stop, two laps; this morning, even in the Warm Up, I went out later, just trying to keep my energy for the race."
The conservative approach at the start was entirely intentional. Marquez revealed that he had pre-determined that pushing the front tyre to match early pacemakers like Bezzecchi would be counterproductive.
"I was super-calm in the first laps because it was my strategy: I was very clever," the Italian manufacturer's leading rider said. "I knew that if I pushed the first three laps I could damage the front tyre, the right side, and then I would struggle all the race. So, I preferred to lose 1.5 seconds or two seconds in those first three or four laps, but then I knew that the next 15 laps would be in a good level."
As reported by Crash.net, this disciplined execution of tire management and strategic pacing has brought the veteran contender closer to sealing the ultimate prize of the 2026 season.
Read Also
Jorge Martin nyaris batal tampil di Qatar akibat cedera parah. Simak analisis perjuangan heroik dan ambisinya di sisa musim ini.
Jorge Martin siap tampil 100 persen di GP Portugal usai aksi heroik di Qatar. Baca analisis lengkap perebutan gelar juara dunia MotoGP di sini.
Simak perjuangan heroik Jorge Martin finis ketujuh di GP Qatar meski didera cedera pergelangan tangan. Baca analisis lengkapnya di sini.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!