“As I got to Turn 11, the brakes didn’t feel right once more.”
When Marc Marquez surged into the lead for the first time as a Gresini Ducati rider at the midway point of Sunday’s Americas MotoGP, his eighth victory at COTA and first MotoGP triumph since 2021 seemed well within his grasp.
However, moments later, the eight-time world champion found himself tumbling to the ground after unexpectedly losing grip at Turn 11.
“We have to focus on the positives. We were battling at the front of that leading group, aiming to take the lead. Unfortunately, the feeling today wasn’t optimal,” Marquez expressed, detailing a front brake issue that compelled him to pump the lever repeatedly before corners, eventually leading to his mishap.
“I was really struggling with the front brakes. That’s why I thought, ‘Okay, try to lead and maybe it’ll improve.’ But as I approached Turn 11, that uneasy feeling returned, and I had to pump the brakes 3-4 times.
“So, I increased my speed and lost control of the front. Nevertheless, throughout the weekend, the overall feeling was positive. We are making progress. We made a change during warm-up that also proved beneficial, so I’m pleased with that.”
Marquez had been a pivotal figure in a fierce ten-lap battle up to that moment, experiencing a sidepod loss in early contact with Jack Miller, and narrowly avoiding a fall when an initial attempt for the lead resulted in contact with Jorge Martin.
It’s impossible to say whether Marquez could have held off a charging Maverick Vinales, who stormed from eleventh to claim victory, had he not crashed. However, the 31-year-old acknowledged that “the pace was there” after having to “recover twice.”
“Unfortunately, at the first corner, I got pushed wide [due to contact between other riders], and several riders passed me. Then I had to make up ground twice,” Marquez recounted.
“I managed to recover once, but then I had to really slow down to avoid colliding with Martin. Then Bagnaia passed me again. But I fought back,” Marquez recounted.
“So, the pace was there, the competitiveness was there, and the speed was there. That’s what matters most.
“Now we head to Jerez, where we’ll continue to make progress and see what we can achieve there. Step by step, we’re getting closer to the frontrunners.”
Marquez, who finished as the runner-up to Maverick Vinales in the Saturday Sprint, had once again been the leading GP23 rider until his crash.
Currently, the #93 rider has fallen to eighth place in the world championship standings, trailing Jorge Martin by 44 points, who secured fourth place on Sunday.
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