Marc Marquez ahead of the Sachsenring GP: “My biggest opponent is myself”

Hardly any time to catch his breath: between the Grand Prix at Assen and the race weekend at the Sachsenring, Marc Márquez had a packed schedule. The Ducati factory rider trained on a road bike alongside Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar and was in attendance at World Ducati Week in Misano last weekend.

Now, with the Sachsenring on the horizon, the Spaniard is traditionally one of the hot favourites on this circuit. Everyone expects that victories on the demanding up-and-down track in Hohenstein-Ernstthal will go only to number 93.

Nevertheless, Márquez is heading to Germany with a cautious outlook. The Ducati rider is currently fifth in the MotoGP World Championship and trails Aprilia rider Jorge Martin by 40 points. Ahead of the final Grand Prix before the summer break, however, he is focusing not on the competition but on himself.

Marc Marquez announces a different approach to that taken at Assen

“The last few months haven’t been easy and have been quite gruelling. There have been lots of races in quick succession and race weekends. This is the last race before the summer break. I want to give 100 per cent here,” explained Marquez, who will be putting in more effort than he did at the Assen weekend.

“At Assen I had a specific approach, and here I’ll have my own approach again. We’ll see where we stand from FP1 onwards. I’d like to fight for a podium place,” said Marquez, setting out his very cautious objective.

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Although the Sachsenring is considered one of his strongest circuits and many observers are expecting a victory, Márquez is deliberately playing down expectations. “When you come to this sort of circuit and achieve your goal, everyone says it was my track. But if you don’t achieve it, people are quick to call it a disaster. I can cope with that.”

Why the World Championship battle with the other riders leaves him cold

Looking at the title race, the world champion currently sees several riders on a par with him. “There are three or four riders ahead of me. They’re riding well and are very fast: Martin, Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio. Three races ago I was out of the running, but now I’m back in the mix. Let’s see if we can have a good weekend here,” said the Spaniard.

Marquez surprised everyone with an interesting assessment of the current World Championship situation. Although, in his view, Marco Bezzecchi set the fastest pace in the first part of the season, he does not see the Aprilia rider as the benchmark. “Nobody has a clear lead. Bezzecchi was the fastest in the first part of the season, but he wasn’t the best rider, because Martin is leading the championship.”

For Marquez, therefore, how the title fight unfolds after the summer break will be crucial. “There are different approaches, depending on whether you’re up against one or four other riders. At the moment, I’m fighting a different battle. After the summer break, we’ll see what’s possible.”

In any case, the Spaniard’s biggest rival isn’t currently riding a different bike. Following the physical problems of recent years and months, his full attention is focused on his own condition. “My biggest opponent, or the thing that’s causing me the most concern at the moment, is my health. I’m not worried about the rest.”