Marc Marquez has elaborated on his decision not to pursue MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia for the final podium position at the British Grand Prix, stating that his crash during the sprint still lingered in his mind.
The Gresini rider was in fourth place with only five laps remaining in the Silverstone MotoGP race, with Ducati’s Bagnaia being the only barrier between him and his fifth podium of the season.
Even though the Italian was playing it conservatively towards the race’s conclusion, making him susceptible to an attack, Marquez opted to maintain his position rather than close in on him.
The six-time champion acknowledged that while Bagnaia was within reach on Sunday, he preferred not to risk a double DNF after already retiring from the sprint due to a crash on the second-to-last lap.
“Had it not been for Saturday’s crash, perhaps the podium would have been within reach – or another crash, you never know,” he remarked.
“After passing Aleix [Espargaro], I pushed hard for two or three laps to build a gap, and then I chose to control my pace behind Pecco for my own mental state, as I couldn’t afford to repeat the same mistakes on both days.”
“For this reason, I decided it was better to finish and build a good feeling for [the upcoming race in] Austria, instead of arriving there without confidence.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Marquez began the British GP weekend at a disadvantage, admitting he felt “lost” on Friday, needing a tow from Pramac’s Jorge Martin to secure a place in Q2.
He continued to rely on slipstreaming during qualifying when Saturday’s action commenced, though this strategy backfired as he found himself stuck behind the slower VR46 bikes of Fabio di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi.
Fourth place seemed within reach in the sprint after Bagnaia’s early exit, but with just two laps remaining, Marquez tucked the front at Vale and crashed, marking yet another DNF in 2024.
Sunday’s race showcased the 31-year-old’s most competitive performance of the weekend, as he moved from seventh to fourth after overtaking the slow-starting Brad Binder, his brother Alex Marquez, and Espargaro.
The Spaniard expressed that being able to match the pace of the frontrunners during the early stages of the race was the “best surprise” for him, considering how far behind he had been throughout the weekend at Silverstone.
He shared: “Honestly, finishing fourth was a pleasant surprise because the [main] theme of the weekend was that we were always trailing behind.
“Then in warm-up, we tested something that improved my performance slightly, allowing me to keep pace with the front riders at the start of the race, which was the best surprise for me.
“I’ve never been fast with the medium rear and front tyres, but I felt really good during the race.
“I was quite cautious towards the end because the error from Saturday was still in my mind.”
