Marc Marquez: Bastianini ‘a rocket', tyre smoke ‘under control’
Marc Marquez: "Bastianini in the last two laps was a rocket! He was super fast!”
Ducati’s 93rd win by the #93 wasn’t to be, with Marc Marquez instead missing the MotoGP podium for the first time in four rounds at Mugello on Sunday.
The Gresini rider held fourth place for much of the race, then moved into a podium position by finally passing Enea Bastianini on lap 18 of 23.
The eight-time world champion then set his sights on title leader Jorge Martin, but Bastianini swept past them both with a late burst of speed for a Ducati Lenovo one-two behind Francesco Bagnaia.
“Today we had the pace, we had the speed,” Marquez told MotoGP.com. “I was there, always fighting and close to the first guys – Pecco, Martin and Bastianini. But during almost all the race I was stuck behind Bastianini.
“I tried many different things [to pass him]. I tried to open a gap, come back and try to control the front pressure. But it was it was not possible. Then when 5 laps remained I had a small chance on the first corner.
“From that point I say ‘OK now it's time to catch Martin’. And we were catching him. But Bastianini in the last two laps was a rocket! He was super fast!”
Marquez, runner-up to Francesco Bagnaia in the Sprint, had been leaving puffs of tyre smoke out of the final corner, apparently caused by his ride-height device rubbing.
“It didn't affect me,” Marquez clarified. “Maybe it affected a bit the tyre, but we know what's going on there with those bumps, also on that point we squat a bit the rear shock.
“It’s true that with the ‘23 bike we have less space between the tyre and the seat. And then we are always trying to be on the limit [with how low we drop the ride height device], because then you have better speed.
“But it's something under control, it's only smoke. Ducati is working on it.”
Marquez remains third in the world championship, 35 points behind title leader Martin and now 18 points from Bagnaia.
Fabio di Giannantonio was the next best GP23 rider after Marquez on Sunday, eight seconds further back in seventh place.
Marquez will join his rivals for a day of official testing at Mugello on Monday.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
