Ducati star Marc Marquez (7th) takes the Silverstone setback in his stride

Whilst motor racing fans around the world marvelled at Aprilia’s dominance at Silverstone, Ducati-Lenovo team manager Davide Tardozzi could muster little more than a weary smile. For the Italian, it was already clear before the weekend: “There are tracks that suit Aprilia better and others that suit us.” It goes without saying that the three podium finishes each by their rivals from Noale in the Sprint and Grand Prix races come as no surprise.

Nor are they particularly encouraging, however: because when world champion Marc Marquez – who has produced a string of racing miracles throughout his career – is already talking about damage limitation before the start and setting positions 4 to 6 as the target, that speaks volumes.

“The bike and the tyres worked well,” Marc noted after finishing 7th – 9.55 seconds behind winner Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia). “I wasn’t able to do any better; seventh place is as expected. The top five were optimistic – for that, we would have had to get everything spot on.”

Being no match for Aprilia is one thing. But being only the third-best Ducati rider, behind my brother Alex and Fabio Di Giannantonio, is harder to explain. Not for the eight-time champion, though: “It was down to me. I have to ride with what I’ve got and make it work. Even last year, when I was in top form, Alex was faster than me here. He rides brilliantly here and is better than us – we’ve got the same bike.”

Following his recent shoulder injuries, Marc Marquez is still unable to ride as he would like to, and he notices this particularly as the race progresses. However, the defending champion is seeing signs of improvement. “For the first time, I was able to ride well during the qualifying session,” he remarked. “But I’m still lacking stamina.”

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The 33-year-old emphasised during a small media session in England that this doesn’t worry him. “Because it all depends on your goals,” Marquez stressed. “Mine are to enjoy riding the motorbike. Of course I’d like to become world champion; but if I don’t, it won’t change my life going forward. My ambitions, and how I approach a race weekend, are the same as ever. But I have to be realistic and don’t want to take any risks. On Saturday I had problems with the rear tyre, finished ninth and couldn’t compete with the others – that’s just how it is. If I feel good, I’ll fight. If not, I’ll try to stay on the bike.”

With 200 points, Marc Marquez, currently fourth in the World Championship, is now 40 points behind Jorge Martin (Aprilia), who won the Sprint at Silverstone and finished second in the Grand Prix.