Davide Brivio cannot believe Marc Marquez’s reason for Americas Grand Prix start delay, ‘it’s absolutely not true’

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Marc Marquez has come under fire from Trackhouse Racing team boss Davide Brivio for his reason for the Ducati ace delaying the start at the Grand Prix of the Americas.

The 32-year-old was about to start last Sunday’s race from pole position before Marquez left it until the final seconds to run off the grid and switch to his second bike. Rain drenched the Circuit of the Americas 30 minutes earlier but improving conditions saw the dry line emerge.

Most of the field still had wet tyres fitted to their bikes for the start of the Americas GP. But the sight of Marquez – a master of flag-to-flag races – jumping ship for slick rubber tempted a mass exodus as riders followed his lead, forcing race control to delay the start of the event.

The delayed start on safety grounds meant any riders who had wet tyres could also move to slicks for the race. But it was at a disadvantage to Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura, who was one rider who had already gambled on taking slicks after qualifying just P18 for the Americas GP.

Davide Brivio questions if Marc Marquez really knew riders would follow his Americas GP delayed start plan

Neil Hodgson felt sorry for Ogura at the start of the Americas GP after missing out on getting an advantage for the 24-year-old and Trackhouse gambling on slick tyres. But Marquez later claimed his late run from the grid to swap to slick tyres was a carefully planned out decision.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend

Marquez said ‘I know the rules’ would oblige a delayed start if 10 or more riders left the grid before the formation lap. So, after he realised eight minutes before the start of the Americas GP that Ducati fit the wrong tyre, Marquez told his chief mechanic the plan to leave the grid.

But Trackhouse team principal Brivio does not believe Marquez actually told his Ducati crew chief Marco Rigamonti that he knew 10 riders would follow if the Spaniard suddenly ran off the grid. Instead, Brivio thinks Marquez and Ducati had no idea what would happen in Texas.

“He in the discussion with Rigamonti says, ‘Three minutes to go, I’m going’,” Brivio outlined on ZamTube. “In reality, he went on two minutes and he ran away. In reality, however then what he said in the interviews, it’s absolutely not true.

“He said he was running away hoping then that 10 [other riders] would follow him. But in the discussion, you didn’t hear all this. So, in my opinion, this came to him while he was doing the interviews.

“In reality, they didn’t even know what they would have to do all the way through they made the decision.”

Trackhouse will wonder what Ai Ogura could have achieved with a mixed grid at COTA

In total, 10 riders including Marquez ran off the grid to switch from their bikes set up for the rain to their spare bikes, which their teams had prepared for slick tyres in case of a mid-race bike swap. They would also all benefit from the delayed start while riders like Ogura lost out.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Ai Ogura from height to career stats

Yet, in the end, Marquez also did not benefit from his decision as the Cervera native failed to convert pole position into the race win for the first time this season. After achieving his third pole and third Sprint win this term, Marquez crashed out from the lead of the Americas GP.

Multiple riders falling at COTA helped Ogura climb through the order to finish the Americas GP in ninth place – the same position he managed in Saturday’s Sprint. Yet the Tokyo native and Trackhouse will wonder what more Ogura might have achieved from the original start.