Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson has highlighted how Marc Marquez did something after his perfect weekend at the German Grand Prix to humiliate his rivals in a way that Valentino Rossi “never” did during his illustrious career in the premier class.
The reigning world champion once again proved why the Sachsenring is his most successful track ever at last weekend’s German Grand Prix, with Marquez putting on a dazzling display of his prowess on the way to a perfect weekend of racing.
Do Marc Marquez’s post-race celebrations go too far, or are you loving the vibes at Ducati?
Marquez put himself firmly back into championship contention with the rout and now sits just 18 points behind Jorge Martin at the top of the MotoGP standings. A monumental turnaround from the 101-point deficit he was looking at following his return from injury at Mugello.
The win at the Sachsenring marked the 33-year-old’s second clean sweep of the season, and his post-race celebrations with Ducati certainly reflected that. However, the party outside of Marquez’s box may have also made him a few extra enemies on the grid.
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Neil Hodgson says Marc Marquez’s celebrations told MotoGP rivals that he is
After the conclusion of the German Grand Prix, Marquez was seen banging on a drum in the pit lane as his Ducati engineers pretended to row a boat, a nod to the Norwegian National Football Team’s iconic chant that went viral at the FIFA World Cup.
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While it may have looked like an innocent bit of fun that was spurred on by his feats in Saxony, Neil Hodgson believes Marquez’s antics may have had a more sinister motive behind them.
Speaking via the Gas It Out podcast, the former MotoGP rider said, “We were in the TV compound, which is quite a long way away from the pit lane, and you could hear something going on. It’s done for a reason: it’s not just done to celebrate, it’s done to smash everybody.
“Whilst that’s going on, whilst they’re making that level of noise during their celebrations after the race, that’s a key period when most of the riders are sat down with their data engineer, analysing the squiggly lines, all the data.
“You’re going in-depth at that point because you’ve got all the information. It’s post-race, [engineers are asking] ‘What are your issues?’ And all you can hear is all that banging of the drum and the chants and the singing. It would do your head in.”
All in all, Hodgson believes Marquez was sending a stern warning to the rest of his rivals, adding, “It’s just a reminder: the king is back, and there’s nothing you can do about it, because I’m going to destroy you.
“That’s all part of it. I was just thinking, who was the first to do it? It was Lorenzo who used to do it, wasn’t it? It really annoyed a lot of people because Lorenzo wasn’t as popular, and Lorenzo was king of the mind games, as well. Valentino never did anything like that.”
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