MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez has revealed he is “not getting used” to the dominance which has put him on the cusp of a seventh world title.
The factory Ducati rider leads the standings by 175 points with eight rounds remaining, after winning 10 of the 14 grands prix thus far including the last seven.
Marquez has also won all but one of the sprint races, but the Spaniard knows such unprecedented success will one day come to an end.
“Everything’s fine,” said the 32-year-old when reciting his season’s statistics. “Everything’s fine, but I want to keep my feet on the ground. I’m very aware and I know this isn’t normal, I’m not getting used to it, it’s exceptional.
“But as long as I can continue with this intensity, I will. And I keep repeating and internalising that the day that comes, the day I can’t win, that day will be news for you, the media, but not for me. We’re in MotoGP, and defeat could easily come next weekend.”
His winning streak almost came to an end last time out in Hungary, when Marquez collided with Marco Bezzecchi’s Aprilia at Turn 2 of the opening lap before almost falling to the ground.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: MotoGP
“In the first corner, I played it safe,” said Marquez. “I saw Marco on the inside. I could have easily made the corner on the inside, but I didn’t know how much control he had over the situation, and I decided to let the brakes off, knowing I’d lose first place.
“In Turn 2, I was surprised by his line, which I later realised was his normal line. He slowed down a lot through the corner and came out very tight on the inside, very different from me, who took a much wider line.
“So, his line in that second corner caught me by surprise. It’s clear that anything can happen in racing, and we practically wrapped up the entire weekend with that collision.”
The Ducati rider reclaimed the lead at Balaton Park to extend his advantage over brother Alex Marquez, who is second in the championship having put up a much sterner fight earlier in the year.
But since his crash during the Dutch Grand Prix five rounds ago, Alex has only stood on the podium once, second in Germany, with his next best finish in that time being 10th in Austria.
“Nothing, nothing’s happening to him,” said Marc of his brother, who rides for Gresini Ducati.
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing after his crash
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“The injury made him lose his rhythm, then he arrived at Brno still injured, made a mistake that penalised him for Austria, and Balaton Park is a circuit that’s not his style.
“But Catalunya is coming, and you’ll see how he’ll be at the front. The most important thing is that he’s still second in the championship.
“I’ll try to help him continue to score as many points as possible, just as he helps me, and as we help each other every weekend, just as we’ve done since the beginning of the season.”
If Marc outscores Alex by 10 or more points next time out in Barcelona, then it means he can clinch the title a week later at Misano, which is one of Ducati’s ‘home’ tracks.
“It’s not impossible, mathematically it isn’t,” said Marc, whose last title was in 2019. “But I hope and wish to have the first ‘match point’ in Japan or Indonesia [the two rounds which follow].
“I’m sure Ducati would like to have it in Italy, and I’m going to try to get the most out of it in Montmelo. But I wish my brother the best and I hope he has a good weekend in Catalunya.”
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