Marquez claims second consecutive MotoGP win, first at right-hand circuit

Marc Marquez has taken his third MotoGP win of the year, but more importantly for him, it’s a first win at a right-handed circuit since Motegi 2019. 

Marquez, who had previously struggled at right-hand tracks including Misano a month ago, was immediately in with a chance of fighting factory Ducati riders Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller after coming from seventh to third in eight corners. 

Marquez was then aided in his attempt to claim a second consecutive win as Miller crashed at turn 15. 

From there on in Marquez continued to sit behind Bagnaia without being able to get through. However, just as Bagnaia began to break clear of Marquez, the Italian also lost the front end of his Desmocedici GP-21 machine at turn 15 - handing victory to the Repsol Honda man. 

Speaking after a ‘very important win’, Marquez added: "I’m really happy today, obviously. I’m happy for me, happy for the Repsol Honda team because we finished first and second. 

"It’s important for the entire HRC staff, but especially because we won in a right corner circuit. 

"This was one of my targets and I already said on Thursday in the press conference that I would like to finish on the podium here or at Portimao. We won in a very fast race. 

"The way that we were able to manage the race was really good. It’s true that Pecco [Bagnaia] was faster than us and the lap that I gave up, he was pushing a lot and that's when he crashed. It’s something that happens in the races but we were able to be fast and be competitive. 

"I’m especially happy with the race pace, for me to win a race like flag-to-flag or wet conditions; okay, it’s a victory, but to win a race the way we did following Pecco who was really fast in this race track and in a right corner circuit is something really nice and really important to myself." 

Although Marquez came through to win, The Spaniard had to do so after another tough qualifying, something that has been a theme in 2021. 

But what’s also been a theme of Marquez’s this season, this time in a good way, is his incredible starts. 

The eight-time world champion directly worked on this area, an area he called one of his biggest weaknesses when joining MotoGP back in 2013.

"Yeah, I mean one of my weak points when I arrived in MotoGP was my starts which is now one of my strongest points," added Marquez. 

"This year I’ve realised that the qualifying practice is not my best points, my strongest point, so then I start to focus a lot on the starts. 

"I started really good and went from seventh to third in the first lap because I knew both Ducati riders would push from the beginning. 

"In fact, when I saw the lap in the beginning - 1m 32s, I said ‘what is going on here’ [laughs] because yesterday I was struggling to do 33.8s. But today the feeling was there."

While today’s win is perhaps Marquez’s most important since returning from injury at Portimao, the Spaniard also took time to acknowledge Fabio Quartararo’s accomplishment of becoming the new 2021 MotoGP World Champion. 

Marquez said: "Today we can speak a lot here and blah, blah, blah, but it is not our day. It is the day of Fabio [Quartararo], the day of champion. 

"He was the fastest, the most consistent, the best rider of the year. 

"Fabio had an incredible season and he was able to be fast, but especially something that is difficult to have, he was able to suffer. 

"When he suffered he was in the top five and sometimes even in the podium. So, it’s time to learn about what he did and try to fight against him in 2022."