Marc Marquez Steps Out Of 2024 Championship Battle - 'Game Over'

Saajan Jogia | Oct 3, 2024

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Marc Marquez (93) of Spain and Gresini Racing MotoGP before the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Gresini MotoGP rider Marc Marquez has stated that he is out of the 2024 championship battle despite being in contention for the title mathematically, considering there are five more races to go before the season concludes. The Spaniard admitted that it was "game over" for him considering the gap to championship leader Jorge Martin after the Indonesian Grand Prix.

Marquez, currently placed 4th in the Championship Standings, also believes that the rider in the 3rd position, Enea Bastianini, is also out of a championship fight, despite both riders trailing Martin by 78 points and 75, points respectively. The six-time MotoGP champion stated that the final race is now a battle between Martin and Francesco Bagnaia.

Marquez's statement came after his Ducati GP23 suffered an engine failure during the Indonesian Grand Prix, resulting in a mid-race fire. Meanwhile, Bastianini crashed out of the race. When asked if the championship was between Martin and Bagnaia ahead of the Motegi race, he told the media:

“I think so.

“I think it’s head-to-head between both of them, especially they are a bit faster than the others.

“And it looks like in Mandalika, me and Bastianini we didn’t score points.

“So, we lost many points there and [it’s] game over because it’s too far [to close the gap]. But it will be nice.

“For us, we will try to fight with both of them because they will be super fast in these final races.”

Since his Aragon GP victory, Marquez has said that he has achieved his targets for the 2024 season and is not focused on the title fight. His main priorities now are improving consistency in qualifying after three consecutive Q2 crashes. He added:

“I will try to, as I said before Mandalika and Misano, finish the season in a good way, trying to find that consistency and trying to improve my weak points.

“Let’s see if we can fight for the podium.”

Speaking of the fire incident, Marquez was left frustrated after the incident because the Marshals used an incorrect fire extinguisher to douse the fire, which damaged his Ducati further. He told the media following the incident:

“Of course, there was a big noise on the bike and also the engine stopped.

“But when I saw the white smoke, immediately I checked and it was a shame because also the fire extinguisher, the ones they have here are not the correct ones and the bike was completely damaged, everything, the brakes.

“It’s a shame for the team because for a private team it’s a big cost.

“But one of the things is the extinguishers need to be the correct ones, or the latest technological ones, because if not you destroy the bike.”