Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez says his United States Grand Prix battle with Enea Bastianini was evidence that rivals ‘increase the intensity’ when they race him. Marquez was involved in an entertaining, extended scrap with the Tech3 rider.
The reigning world champion dropped to 11th place when he served a long-lap penalty for his Sprint crash with VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio. Marquez had been fighting with Di Giannantonio and teammate Francesco Bagnaia in the opening laps.
With the aid of a retirement for Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura, he climbed back into the top five, but only after exchanging positions with Bastianini on multiple occasions. Marquez’s Ducati predecessor enjoyed by far his best weekend of the season in the Lone Star State.
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Marc Marquez claims MotoGP riders are racing him harder
Marquez was asked about his duel with Bastianini by TNT Sports in the media pen. While he implicitly suggested that the Italian had a point to prove, he also praised his racecraft.
At the line, the gap between the riders was just 0.143 seconds. Bastianini had bagged a podium in the Sprint and once again charged forward from his midfield starting berth.
“It looks like, when I’m fighting with another rider, they increase the intensity!” Marquez said. “Today, Enea was incredible. He was riding super good. I was just trying to do my best.
Do MotoGP riders battle harder when they’re up against Marc Marquez?
The champ was talking about his battle with Enea Bastianini in Austin
“On the last lap, I pushed a lot. He was close, and I heard his bike in the last sector.”
Often able to disappear into the distance last year, Marquez has been involved in some of the most captivating racing of the season so far, including an unforgettable Thailand Sprint head-to-head with future teammate Pedro Acosta.
‘It’s good for the show’ – Marc Marquez on United States GP penalty
Even without his penalty, Marquez may not have been able to score his first Grand Prix podium of the year. But for Ogura’s retirement, it might well have been an Aprilia one-two-three.
In the end, Marquez’s ‘mistake’ in trying to pass Di Giannantonio from too far back defined his weekend. Forced to serve the sanction in the first three laps, he had to change his targets for the race.
The #93 was also penalised for a move on Acosta in Buriram, but he was able to hand back the place instantly in the Sprint. Such a remedy was not possible in this instance after both Marquez and Di Giannantonio fell from the saddle.
- READ MORE: Pedro Acosta says being Marc Marquez’s teammate would be a ‘dream come true’ amid Ducati links
Marquez said: “It’s the Sprint races. Sometimes you do a mistake there, and you pay on Sunday. Yesterday, we did a mistake, we pay today.
“The fact that the penalties are always in the first lap is normal because the penalty is harder like this. You go out in the middle of the group. It’s good for the show, but not good for your side.”
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