His total satisfaction at the finish and his ecstatic comments revealed total relief after a blunder in Argentina which had put him against the wall. Marc Márquez had a lot to play for in Texas, land of victories for a Honda official with overwhelming domination when it comes to racing in the United States. But never had circumstances been so unfavorable for him to extend his hold in Austin. Its realization is all the more beautifule.
When taking stock of this third Grand Prix of the year, Marc Márquez was happy to recall the situation before arriving in Austin: “ my mistake in Argentina was a serious mistake and it was important not to repeat it. I heard after Termas de Rio Hondo that I was finished for the championship, that we were too far away, but the championship is still long. Before this race, looking at the rankings, I saw that I was eighth. Now I'm third ».
That's it for the clarification. It is now time to move on to analyzing the race: “ the temperature had risen and I asked my mechanics to fit a hard front tire. Staying with the medium was impossible because I put a lot of strain on the front of the bike. At the start of the race, I was careful to feel the limits of this tire that I hadn't tried that much. I managed behind Pedrosa ».
« Then he started to weaken and I saw that Valentino did too. I told myself it was time to attack. This race was perfect, with a good strategy, everything was under control and I was consistent. It's an important victory and an important race too ».
A determination that the fall of Casa Particular in Viñales did not disturb: “ my team gave me a sign on the fall and I had seen it on the screens at the side of the track. But that didn't change anything in my initial plan: assess the situation, understand the race before attacking. There was no question of making a mistake again ».
And for good reason. With a Valentino Rossi championship leadert, there is no question of losing a single point: “ Valentino leads the championship even though he was not the fastest in these first races. But he was the most consistent and that must teach us something. Respect to him ».
After three Grands Prix, the Doctor is the only one of the declared title contenders not to have made a mistake. And each time, he got on the podium. He leads the championship with 56 points, six better than Casa Particular in Viñales and eighteen more than Márquez. Next meeting in Jerez on May 7.
#AmericasGP MotoGP Race: Ranking
1.
Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 43m 58.770s
2. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 44m 1.839s
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 44m 3.882s
4. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 44m 6.408s
5. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 6.727s
6. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 12.828s
7. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 44m 14.261s
8. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 15.542s
9. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 44m 16.749s
10. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 44m 17.264s
11. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 44m 17.673s
12. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 44m 27.505s
13. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 44m 28.811s
14. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 44m 30.134s
15. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 45m 5.317s
16. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 45m 20.860s
17. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) +2 laps
Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* DNF
Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) DNF
Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) DNF
Maverick Viñales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) DNF
Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) DNF
