In a furious MotoGP race on the Circuito de Jerez in southern Spain, superstar Marc Márquez experienced an emotional change on Sunday. After the Spaniard from the Repsol Honda team took the lead in lap 3, he was only able to avoid a fall in the fifth lap in high heat. The 27-year-old then started to catch up and plowed impressively through the field.
When he fought his way back to 3rd place, Márquez crashed off his bike four laps before the end of the race and broke his upper arm. He will be operated on in Barcelona on Tuesday. Honda and team manager Alberto Puig will have to do without the world champion in the near future. The Spaniard nevertheless found some words of praise for his star pilot.
“Our strategy was to start well and try to control the race from the beginning. This worked until Marc had a slide and got off the track in the early stages of the race, »said Puig. «When Marc got off the track, it took him two laps to concentrate again. But we quickly realized that he would catch up with the drivers in front of him. If the race had been 4 or 5 laps longer, he could have caught Quartararo because Marc was going one second faster per lap. »
«Well, the negative point is clear. Marc is injured. That is really negative. If you have an injured driver, almost nothing is positive. On the other hand, everyone saw and understood Marc’s level today. In Qatar, some people still had doubts about Marc’s performance, but there are no more question marks after the race, »said the former GP driver. «The package, Honda RC213V and he, are clearly two steps ahead. Not only was he a little bit faster, he was a lot faster than anyone else. And the difference, whether you like it or not, grows year after year. Today he once again showed everyone who he is. »
How long Márquez will be out is not yet clear, but Puig is aware of how strong his top driver is. «Unfortunately he is now injured and has to pause and have his arm healed, but when he is ready he will return to fight for victory again. Something like this happens when you are Marc Márquez, he does extraordinary things. There is nothing he has to regret. »
Because of the ongoing Corona pandemic, the weekend in Jerez was held in camera, also a completely new experience for the Honda team. «It was a very strange weekend without fans in the stands and in the paddock, but we have adapted to this global situation. The organizer did a good job with the protocol against Covid-19, “said Puig, adding:” The Repsol Honda team and HRC have prepared everything well in order to work as best as possible. I would like to thank our partners and friends again for their support during this time without races. »
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