Marc Marquez’s possibilities of ending within the high three of the 2024 MotoGP riders’ standings took one other hit within the Purple Bull Ring dash – as he crashed out whereas driving a transparent second.
However the crash, though it marked Marquez’s third exit within the final 4 sprints, didn’t dampen the Spaniard’s spirits all that a lot – as he put it right down to easy over-eagerness.
“I used to be too optimistic,” he admitted. “You recognize, actually talking, it was a straightforward podium, I used to be driving tremendous good.”
😱 💥 @marcmarquez93 HAS GONE DOWN!
The Spaniard has dropped from 2nd to the again of the sector 📉#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/vmWa9slwgp
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 17, 2024
Marquez ran third within the opening levels, not in a position to hold tempo with the main duo of Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin however nicely away from Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia behind him.
However quickly after Martin’s long-lap penalty for slicing the Flip 2 chicane dropped him to 3rd, Marquez smelled an out of doors shot at victory.
He took three tenths out of Bagnaia on the ninth lap and did his personal-best first sector on lap 10, earlier than hitting the deck at Flip 3.
“Within the first a part of the race I stated ‘okay, I might be calm’, they [Bagnaia and Martin] have been going [away].
“They’ve half a step greater than me – yesterday was one [step], right this moment half. And that final lap I felt one thing.
“I felt ‘okay, time to assault’. I attacked and there I recovered one thing as a result of I used to be driving tremendous clean, then I attempted to assault a bit extra.
“However yeah. I used to be too optimistic in Flip 3. I pushed an excessive amount of.
“But it surely was as a result of it has been a very long time that I hadn’t felt that I used to be in a position to combat for the victory. In fact I believe Pecco had one thing extra, however at the least we have been shut.”
Marquez stated he locked the entrance on the preliminary contact of the brake coming into Flip 3, then launched the brake and crashed when he tried to brake once more, having failed to wash off sufficient velocity.
He stated it will make him “extra conservative” on Sunday, but additionally stated that his dash crash final day trip at Silverstone “made me really feel a lot worse” than this one.
“At this time – okay, I do not prefer to crash, however at the least I used to be there. I used to be combating for these high positions. But it surely’s true that tomorrow if we’re sensible, we will have that third place. However let’s have a look at.”
Requested by The Race whether or not his crash instructed he was prioritising getting a person race win beneath his belt over championship place – given Enea Bastianini is now breaking away within the combat for third – Marquez laughed: “It was a dash race, it did not depend!
“However no, I imply, while you go 1000 days earlier than victory – does not matter if it is 1000, 1100 or 1200. So… let’s have a look at. However an important is that we’re getting nearer and nearer.
“Two-three races in the past I stated ‘I really feel uncomfortable, and we’ve got margin’. This race I felt I used to be driving in an excellent means – even like this, they’re half a step in entrance of us.”
That “half a step” was approaching the straight, via a mix of the 2024 Ducatis’ superior acceleration out of the nook (due to a greater trip top machine) and further high velocity – though Marquez additionally emphasised that his 2023 bike was “working tremendous good” and that he was “comfortable” with it.