Marco Bezzecchi
Peter Bom believes Marc Marquez was far from his best self at the Dutch Grand Prix, and could have ended the race far lower than he did.
Marquez didn’t have a strong performance at Assen, as the reigning world champion struggled throughout the weekend, earning a P7 race finish on Sunday.
Throughout the weekend, many saw how much Marquez was struggling with his fitness, as he is still yet to recover from the injuries that slowed him down earlier this season.
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Even Marquez knows he isn’t at 100% as of now, and is doing everything in his power to recover quickly while also riding on whichever weekends he can.
But Peter Bom believes Marc Marquez was fortunate in a way most fans have not seen in the past, especially compared to his rivals on the grid.
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Peter Bom claims Marc Marquez failed something at Dutch Grand Prix he always does
Speaking on the Oxley Bom podcast, Peter Bom admitted that Marc Marquez usually undersells his chances ahead of the race weekends, only to turn things around on racedays.
However, that wasn’t the case this time around, primarily due to his compromised health forcing him to ride a lot more carefully.
“We always laugh about Marc Marquez suffering a setback on Thursday then blowing everybody away. But he was not set back in here, when he said it’s going to be difficult.
“It’s going to be difficult because he proves all the time that he was very correct on Thursday. He said it’s going to be difficult for him, and exactly where he said it’s going to be difficult.
“The last sector where you need to be super strong, he’s not strong. Two times yesterday, he went on the green and we had track limits there. He’s just not strong enough.”
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Peter Bom says ‘super clever’ Marc Marquez should have finished much lower at Dutch Grand Prix
Bom added that Marquez didn’t have the pace to compete with the top 10 riders, including Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, who managed to drag their Yamaha bikes into some crucial points.
“Today he did a very good job in damage limitation because he was definitely so weak. He should have finished P10 or P11.
“But by just being super clever and making himself very wide, he managed a little bit. But he had a tough weekend.”
Over the years, Marquez’s injuries have stacked up, and it looks like time is catching up to him. In fact, upon signing his new contract with Ducati, Marquez admitted the end is near.
Marquez’s recent 62-point heist against Aprilia has opened the door for him to chase what could be his final world championship.
But for the Spanish rider, lacking in the health and fitness department is going to be a bigger blow for him than losing out on this year’s championship.
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