There would not have been Fabio Quartararo's world title, this victory of Marc Marquez on the land of Valentino Rossi bidding farewell to his people would have been the major event. Not only because of the location and the shock of the celebrations of two irreconcilable champions since 2015. But also because the Honda official has finally materialized on a track with a conventional configuration, the kind of development that always tortures his right arm convalescent. But the eight-time World Champion is an educated man. Before talking about him, he paid tribute to the Frenchman, new World Champion.
Marc Marquez crossed the finish line as the winner in this second Grand Prix at Misano in a way that speaks volumes about the value of its achievement. Standing on his motorcycle, he highlighted his current weak point, which is the right side of his body, suggesting that he had conquered it. A strong sign for 2022. But also for this end of the campaign which he is wrapping up with flying colors. Judge for yourself: the Spanish driver has scored three podiums in the last four races, including two with victories. It now has three. The Sachsenring, Austin but also and undoubtedly especially this Misano-2, on a circuit with many right turns where Marc had never been particularly competitive until then.
Before developing this subject, he retains another: “ we won, but it's not our day. It's Quartararo's day, I think he deserved to be champion. Pecco went very fast, but he wins by being not only the fastest but also the most consistent. Fabio has been the most complete this year, I get along very well with him. He went very quickly, he deserves it. Congratulations to the champion. We're going to try to make things difficult for him next year, let him take advantage of it because it is the first title of his sporting career, and in MotoGP… It is fashionable to move up quickly, but they are also capable of being MotoGP champions as Fabio showed. Congratulations to him and may he enjoy this beautiful day ».
On his performance, Marc Marquez comments: “ on Saturday I said it was impossible to win here. We succeeded. I did not expect that. Everything was revealed a little with the falls of the Ducati, but OK. They fall because someone pressures them, like I fell in the past. It was a very fast race, when I saw the times I wondered what was going on. I didn't understand anything, but they were coming out. Just when Pecco was pushing the hardest and I was in pain. I threw in the towel on this round. I saw he was going very fast then he fell ».
Marc Marquez: “ I'm not looking for excuses, I like talking about the arm less and less«
« This victory is different for me, and more important because it will allow me to be calm this winter. The other victories I had were on circuits that were very favorable to my driving style, this one is not. It comes to a circuit on which I have never obtained great results, even if I won. The first and the second for Honda… »
However, this victory Misano does not reassure him definitively: “ I'm calm but I'm not riding the way I want, and the goal of the season was to get to the end riding the way I want. I still can't do it every lap, but at least part of the race I can do it. It's a step. The progress is visible, it’s important ».
He ends with his celebration by building the muscle of his right arm: “ that means he’s coming back, it was more for the team. They always tell me 'you're with an arm and a half, calm down', and I say no, that I have both, and that I'm here to compete, not to make excuses. I like to talk less and less about the arm, and just concentrate. It's like that, but the progress is good. It's dedicated to the team ».
With 25 points today, Marc Marquez climbs to sixth place in the general classification, with a mathematical chance of reaching third place in Joan Mir, who has 33 points more than the Cervera driver. The championship is not over for everyone…
MotoGP Misano-2 J3: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
