Marc Marquez wins despite a blunder: “I made a massive mistake!”

Marc Márquez remains the king of MotorLand Aragón. Following his victory in Saturday’s sprint race, the Ducati works rider also won Sunday’s Grand Prix, securing the maximum possible 37 points from his home weekend.

The race got off to a plan-A start for the world champion, who started from second on the grid. Just as in the sprint, Marquez outbraked pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi at Turn 1 and took the lead. But immediately afterwards, the number 93 made a costly mistake.

A perfect start followed by a minor slip-up

Marquez had forgotten to deactivate the rear ride-height device. As a result, his Ducati remained lowered and bottomed out in Turn 3. Several rivals overtook the world champion. “The first corner was the key yesterday and I managed it again. But today I made a massive mistake because I’d forgotten the rear ride-height device,” Marquez explained immediately after the race.

“As I accelerated from Turn 1 to Turn 2, the rear device was still activated. I was extremely slow through Turns 2 and 3, and lots of riders overtook me. That made it more difficult.”

Instead of getting frustrated about his mistake, Márquez immediately focused on making up ground. “When I came out of Turn 1 and was back in the lead, I realised straight away what had happened. So I said to myself: ‘Right, you mustn’t dwell on it now. Just try not to lose too many positions and rebuild your race.’”

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A moment of panic at 300 km/h

Marquez then fought his way back with some spectacular manoeuvres. As early as the first lap, he overtook Jorge Martin at Turn 15. A few laps later, he attacked the leader at the same spot. But Bezzecchi wasn’t going to give up so easily and held his ground.

This led to a spectacular moment between the two motorbikes on the back straight at around 300 km/h. “Even on the motorbike, it felt very strange,” reported Márquez. “Because of all the aerodynamics, there was a moment at 300 km/h when our motorbikes were sucked towards each other. I wanted to pass him on the right, but my motorbike was pulled towards him – and I think his was pulled towards mine.”

The situation caused even the experienced Márquez a brief moment of alarm. “If you watch the replay, you can even see a slight wheelie in sixth gear. It was a scary moment, but a good show for the fans.”

Große Emotionen: Marc Marquez jubelte vor den heimischen Fans

Foto: Gold & Goose

Once Bezzecchi had been overtaken, Pedro Acosta proved to be the most tenacious opponent. The KTM works rider stayed close behind the number 93 Ducati for many laps. Marquez, however, still had reserves left. The 33-year-old had already drawn up a plan in advance for the final third of the race. “I tried to conserve the tyres for most of the race. My plan was: if there are ten laps left and I’m in the lead, I’ll step it up a gear.”

That is exactly what Marquez did. He upped the pace, pulled away from Acosta and then controlled his lead. After 23 laps, he crossed the finish line 1.754 seconds ahead of his future Ducati team-mate.

Marquez makes the World Championship battle exciting again

“A home Grand Prix is always something special, and even more so with a one-two finish,” said a delighted Márquez. “I said as early as Thursday that my aim was to get as close as possible to 37 points. Now I’ve reached 37, so I’m very happy.” This perfect performance at Aragon also has a significant impact on the World Championship. Marquez arrived in Aragon 40 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin. After the Sprint and Grand Prix, he is now just 19 points behind. At the same time, the Ducati star overtook Bezzecchi to move into second place in the World Championship.

“If we want to have any chance at all of fighting for the World Championship, we can’t afford to drop any points on a circuit that suits us,” emphasised Márquez. “That’s exactly what we managed to do this weekend. It was a good circuit for us and we made the most of it.”

Nevertheless, Marquez is by no means writing off his Aprilia rivals for the rest of the season. “Martin had a few difficulties this weekend. But I’m convinced that Martin and Marco will be very quick in this final part of the season.” The victory was also valuable for Ducati: in the Constructors’ Championship, they are now just 15 points behind Aprilia.

Things got particularly emotional for Marquez after crossing the line. In front of the 93 Grandstand – named after his start number – he celebrated with the many fans. “We try to offer the fans a special experience. It shouldn’t just be about racing, but also a sort of party. That’s exactly what I like. I want to enjoy the moment – and on the track I try to give 100 per cent.”