Marc Marquez has revealed he had to fight through an inconsistent front brake problem during the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday (16/8). The Ducati rider finished fifth, over seven seconds adrift of the winner, and felt very lucky to finish the race.
Marquez had been expected to challenge for the podium after making several changes to his bike in warm-up. However, the reigning champion was off the pace early on and ran wide at Turn 1 on lap 10.
“It was not difficult, the P4, or at least fighting for the podium; I think the speed was there,” Marquez told the media. “We were struggling more than in the other weekends, but we were there. But the problem is that in the first part of the race, I had many, many problems with the front brake.”
Marquez explained that the front lever felt inconsistent, making every braking point different. “When I had the mistake at Turn 1, the brake was empty; there was nothing there. And for that reason, I went super wide. I feel like today we were very lucky, because at one point of the race I thought, ‘OK, I cannot continue’.”
However, luck was on Marquez's side as the brakes started working from one lap to the next. He began to regain speed and overtake several riders, though it was too late to improve his position. “The positive thing is that it’s something you can see on data, so they can analyse and try to have some solutions for the future.”
With this result, Marquez has dropped 12 points to Jorge Martin in the championship standings. He admitted he lost a lot of time in the early laps due to the unpredictable brake. “I was just trying to understand where the front lever was every brake point, and then I was losing a lot there. I feel very lucky because today, the maximum position was second, third, and in the end we finished fifth. So, let’s see.”
This incident is a blow for Marquez, who is fighting to defend his title. Nevertheless, he is optimistic that the team can find a solution before the next race. Attention now turns to Ducati, who must quickly address the technical issue to prevent further damage to their championship campaign.
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