Marquez Very Strong with Worn Tires

Marc Marquez was so strong at Le Mans when the tires started to wear out that he was able to reach the podium from 13th starting position.

AFP/LOU BENOIST

Three fastest MotoGP racers in the French Grand Prix: Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, and Francesco Bagnaia, passed the finish line to secure their victory at Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, France, on Sunday, May 12th, 2024. This race truly presented fierce competition between Martin, Bagnaia, and Marquez.

LE MANS, SUNDAY — Marc Marquez presents two podiums at Le Mans to celebrate 1,000 Grand Prix for Gresini Racing with great class. Even though he started from 13th position, Marquez was always able to finish in second place in the sprint and main races. Not only that, Marquez also presented the classic era MotoGP competition, where the podium was achieved by overtaking many. One of the keys to Marquez's performance is his brilliant start and ability to set solid pace with worn tires.

It's crazier than yesterday because today was a good start, but a standard, not an extraordinary start.

Marquez made brilliant starts in both races at Le Mans. In the sprint race on Saturday, he was able to accelerate and occupy sixth position after the first corner. Meanwhile, in the long race, Sunday (12/5/2024), he also started solidly by occupying eighth position on the first lap. In those two races, he always finished in second place because he had solid pace when the tires started to wear out. In fact, the other racers slowed down as the tires ran low.

”It's crazier than yesterday because today was a good start, but a standard, not an extraordinary start,” said Marquez toTNT Sports after the main race.

Also read: Marquez Knocks on the Champion's Door

"In the first lap, I was able to gain a few positions, but I thought I would only be in seventh or eighth place, and then it was difficult to overtake. But I remained calm, taking it step by step. When the tires started to wear out, I knew that was my strong point," said Marquez.

AFP/ LOU BENOIST

The expression of the Gresini Racing MotoGP racer, Marc Marquez, when he became the second winner of the French MotoGP Grand Prix race at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, France, Sunday, May 12 2024. A special appearance worthy of appreciation for Marquez who managed to appear extraordinary. Starting from P13, the Gresini racer was able to reach the podium again by finishing in second place, aka runner-up.

He then surpassed strong racers, such as Enea Bastianini, Maverick Vinales, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and finally Francesco Bagnaia on the last lap to finish second.

”And, then when I was in third place, I said, 'okay, now this is enough'. Howeverthe pace was there, so I thought I could catch them, so I tried and at that moment I kept on the gas and when I caught them (Bagnaia and Jorge Martin) it was once again difficult to overtake. "However, I was able to attack on the last lap against Pecco to finish in second place," said Marquez.

Also read: Marc Marquez Reverses Signals of Disaster at Le Mans

Marquez actually had a very difficult time finding a gap ahead of Pecco because the factory Ducati racer had very fast acceleration and very late braking. However, Marquez then found a gap to take the lead because Pecco was not strong enough to attack Martin.

"Yes, yes, I hope (they make mistakes) because today Pecco has good acceleration, in my opinion, better than Jorge's. I hope Pecco attacks Jorge because in the end Jorge leads the championship so Pecco has to attack, but he didn't attack so I attacked them," said Marquez regarding his brilliant maneuver overtaking Bagnaia on the last lap.

AFP/LOU BENOIST

The celebration of Marc Marquez after finishing second in the MotoGP race in the French series at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, France, on Sunday (12/5/2024).

"This is something you need to be aware of in racing, if you don't attack, they will attack you," said Marquez.

The brilliant results at Le Mans are the result of the solid teamwork of the Gresini team in getting back on track after making a mistake in setting up the motorcycle on Friday. This mistake made Marquez fail to pass directly to the second qualifying round (Q2). He then struggled in Q1, where he failed to qualify for Q2 and started from 13th position. This condition became an important lesson for Marquez and the Gresini team to be more precise in determining their strategy starting from Friday.

Also read: Marquez Goes ”Ground Zero”

"This weekend we have learned a lot, especially because on Friday we made a mistake in choosing the wrong direction, then we came back on Saturday, but Friday was super important to be in the top ten because Q2 is different," said Marquez.

The Spanish racer continued, starting from 13th position was like a punishment for them in both races, especially in long races.

AFP/JULIEN DE ROSA

The issue of air pollution is not a new one. The community has long been threatened by air pollution. There is no shortage of research evidence indicating the threats posed by air pollution. However, this has yet to drive significant efforts in controlling air pollution. As a result, residents continue to suffer from the effects of air pollution. Pramac Racing's top rider, Jorge Martin (right), celebrated with Gresini Racing's Marc Marquez, who came in second place, after the French MotoGP race at Bugatti in Le Mans, France, on Sunday (12/5/2024).

"Perhaps, if I didn't start from the 13th position, I could have fought more fiercely with them. However, even like this, I finished one second behind Jorge, so it's remarkable," concluded Marquez.

Actually, Marquez was only 0.446 seconds behind Martin, who won the main race in Le Mans. This shows Marquez's great potential to win the race if he starts from the front row. Marquez's first victory with Ducati has the potential to be realized in the next race in Catalonia. Marquez will be the magnet in that Spanish race.