MotoGP News: Marc Marquez Opens Up On British Grand Prix Struggles - 'Something Was Wrong'

Marc Marquez faced technical challenges and finished fourth at the British Grand Prix.

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-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Marc Marquez faced his most challenging weekend of the MotoGP season at the British Grand Prix, finishing fourth in the main race following a crash in the sprint race. The event, marked by significant difficulties for Marquez, led to his descent in the championship standings, now trailing in fourth behind Enea Bastianini, the winner of both the sprint and main races.

Neil Hodgson of TNT Sports didn't hold back in his analysis of Marquez's race, stating, as quoted by Crash.net:

“It’s the worst weekend that we’ve seen him on the Ducati. Inconsistent through practice, mistakes, crashes. Crashed out of the sprint race. He never looked comfortable at any point.

“There were flashes of the old Marquez, trying to make his time up on the braking. He missed the apexes. We saw a few aerial views where you could see the exits. He’d gain on entry, gain two bike lengths on the way in, but lose five on the way out.

“You know when Marc is having a bad weekend because he rides it like a Honda, and it doesn’t work.”

Despite the setbacks, Marquez remained reflective yet optimistic about his performance and the efforts of his team. He commented:

“This weekend, honestly, we worked super hard with the team and they did an amazing job. We started with our base but, for some reason, and we need to understand why, we were super far at this track.

“Step by step, I felt better. And they gave to me what I needed. They understood in a perfect way. That meant that, in the race, we were closer to the top guys especially in the first 10 laps.

“When the tyres dropped - especially Bastianini and Jorge Martin - they were super fast. But Pecco wasn’t far. I’m happy with fourth but unfortunately, yesterday, we missed another fourth place in the sprint race. But okay. We need to keep going.”

“I’m happy with fourth but unfortunately, yesterday, we missed another fourth place in the sprint race. But okay. We need to keep going.”

Marquez's challenges were primarily technical, particularly with the bike's acceleration, which majorly affected his race strategy. He continued:

“From the beginning, I understood that something was wrong in acceleration. We had a small problem there. But we’ve already understood why.

“But yes, I was struggling on acceleration and I arrived too late on the brakes. For that reason, I overtook [Espargaro] on Corner 3,4. There, you don’t need acceleration.

“Apart from that, the fourth place was a good result.”

Reflecting on the season's progress at its midpoint, Marquez concluded:

“Not bad, not bad. Some mistakes. Some which are normal with a new bike, and some which I should have avoided, like yesterday’s. But we are human.

“I am enjoying it with this bike. We’re always in the top five positions. We are always the top GP23 bike, and we are close to the ‘24 bikes. Let’s see if we can keep going.”