Marquez returns to the points in race of mixed fortunes for the Repsol Honda Team
Red Bull Ring - SpielbergA run of DNFs for Marc Marquez was finally brought to an end as he crossed the line for the Austrian Grand Prix in 12th, Joan Mir’s luck deserting him as he suffered another DNF.
Clear skies and a blazing sun continued to rule over the Red Bull Ring as Sunday’s action at the 4.32 kilometer-long track began. With just ten quick minutes of Warm Up to start the day, attention rapidly switched to the 28-lap Grand Prix. As the lights went out, the MotoGP grid was able to avoid any serious incident into and through Turn 1 as happened in the Sprint.
Marc Marquez was able to maintain his position throughout the opening lap and began to challenge those ahead for points. The only rider running the soft rear, Marquez was able to consistently gain ground on those in front and joined the battle for the top ten before too long. With just a few laps remaining, the #93 was sitting comfortably in 12th position – just behind Bastianini and Morbidelli as he maintained his calm and calculated approach. Holding the position until the end, Marquez ends both his and the Repsol Honda Team’s luckless streak of Sunday DNFs. The result is a culmination of a revised approach to the Grand Prix weekends for Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team.
Luck was not on the Joan Mir side of the Repsol Honda Team garage as he suffered a fall during the middle of the race at Turn 3. Unharmed in the crash, it was a disappointing end to what had been a positive weekend for Mir who was able to consistently challenge for top Honda honours in every session. It is this positive that the #36 is focusing on as he prepares for the coming races.
The Repsol Honda Team will now head for Barcelona and the Gran Premi de Catalunya, the first of two back-to-back races. Both Marquez and Mir will be aiming to continue their improvements and put in a strong weekend for the home fans.
The result of this Grand Prix was a culmination of the new approach we are taking as in Silverstone. We are trying to understand many things with the bike and avoid falling, finally we finished a race. At one point in the race my times were quite good, but I was the only one with the soft rear. It’s good to finish a race but obviously we are aiming for more and we need to keep on working. It’s been a busy weekend here in Austria and now we see what’s possible in Montmelo.
I’m not happy about today, I felt that we were doing a solid weekend for our situation. It’s a shame to fall and miss out on more laps. I had something with the brakes, which can always be a critical point here, and then I went wide and lost the front. When you’re riding on the limit and have a small problem, it’s difficult to stay on a bike. The positives are that I was able to fighting with Marc across the weekend and I was not as far behind as previous races. We improved our confidence too so we need to carry this feeling into the next races.
