Marquez Concedes 'Not Possible to Fight' at Silverstone, 40 Points Behind

Marc Marquez arrived at Silverstone just 18 points from the MotoGP title lead and fresh from a double victory at the Sachsenring. But he leaves the British Grand Prix 40 points behind Jorge Martin after his worst weekend since returning from shoulder surgery.

At a circuit where Aprilia held the performance advantage, Marquez was left defenceless by severe rear tyre degradation in the Sprint and faded to ninth. The reigning champion then joined his rivals in switching to the medium rear for the grand prix, but was never a serious podium threat.

Fourth in the early stages, Marquez lost top Ducati honours to younger brother Alex Marquez on lap six of 20, being passed soon afterwards by future team-mate Pedro Acosta on the KTM. VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio relegated Marquez to seventh in the closing stages, with the Spaniard taking the chequered flag 9.6 seconds behind Trackhouse Aprilia winner Raul Fernandez.

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Afterwards, Marquez made no excuses. “The bike was working good, the tyre was working good. Just today I couldn't find a way to be better and that seventh position was something that already on paper we could expect,” Marc Marquez said. “An optimistic result was top five, but we couldn’t manage in the best way possible and we finished seventh.”

He added: “Only the tyre was working better [today], for everybody. So the good thing is that we didn't have a massive drop. The tyre was OK. I mean, even in the last laps you were able to be fast.” Although Marquez looked somewhat placid on track, he insisted it had been a normal level of tyre management. “We managed in a normal way, as always. But the thing is that normally in the sprint race you push from the beginning until the end in qualifying. And yesterday, for some reason, it was not possible. But today we didn't make anything different compared to other races.”

That being the case, it was surprising to see Marquez only the third-best Ducati rider. What was his main problem compared to the others? “Myself,” Marquez replied bluntly, adding that his physical condition is “what I have and I need to manage.” “Already last year when I was in my prime, Alex was faster than me in this circuit,” he highlighted. “But yes, Alex is riding in a super good way, and he's just faster than us. I mean, we have the same bike.”

The nine-time world champion had hoped to return from the summer break in stronger physical condition after dedicating his holidays to improving his shoulder. It had been a partial success, but endurance remains an issue. “It was the first time that in the time attack I was able to ride well, but endurance is where I need to try to improve. Let's see,” he said.

Marquez insisted he was not worried by the situation, “because it depends on your goal. My goal is to enjoy on the bike.” The Spaniard repeated that another MotoGP title “will not change my future life. I keep saying that. And for that reason, I already said last year and on Thursday here. My ambition is the same. The way to approach the race weekend is the same. But, always realistic and no rush. Yesterday I had that big issue with the tyre life that I didn't manage well. I finished ninth. Today, I feel like it was not possible to fight with the others. I didn't fight. So, it's like it is. I fought enough during my career. I will fight when I feel well. But if you don't feel well, I want to stay on the bike.”

The next round takes place at Aragon, one of Marquez’s strongest circuits, where he completed a double victory last season. Team-mate Pecco Bagnaia completed a nightmare weekend by crashing out of the grand prix.