Marc Marquez back in the World Championship fight, but the Ducati star is downplaying it

– The MotoGP world championship battle has become significantly tighter again after the Aragon weekend. Marc Marquez got the maximum out of it: After winning the sprint, the Spaniard also won the Grand Prix, collecting the 37 points he aimed for on one of his home tracks.

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In the overall standings, Marquez is now in second place with 237 points after the 13th of 22 season rounds, just 19 points behind leader Jorge Martin. His teammate Marco Bezzecchi follows in third place with 232 points.

For Marquez, Aragon was exactly the weekend he had wished for before the race. Already on Thursday, the world champion announced that he wanted to get as close as possible to the maximum 37 points.

“The home Grand Prix is always something special, and even more so with a double victory,” explained the Ducati rider after his sweep. “I told you on Thursday that my intention was to try to get close to 37 points. We reached 37, so I am very happy.”

In fact, Marquez was able to execute his plan almost perfectly. In the Grand Prix, he initially had to defend himself against Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin after the start, before Pedro Acosta became the toughest opponent when Marquez took the lead in lap six. But he then pulled away further.

Acosta finished 1.754 seconds behind, Bezzecchi was third. Championship leader Martin had to settle for fifth place. With that, Marquez has made an important step in the title fight. After difficult phases of the season, the gap to Martin has shrunk to 19 points. At the same time, he overtook Bezzecchi in the overall standings and is now the closest pursuer of the leader.

Maximum yield on good tracks

Marquez himself does not want the outcome of the weekend to be understood as a turning point in the title fight. Rather, he sees Aragon as an example of what he and Ducati must achieve on the tracks that suit the package particularly well.

“If we want to have a minimal chance to fight for the championship, I have to give my best on the tracks that are good for me,” says Marquez. That is exactly what he and his team succeeded in this weekend. However, the Spaniard also points to the immediate competition.

Martin had some struggles in Aragon, but Marquez does not expect this to be a permanent state. “I believe that Martin and Marco [Bezzecchi] will be very fast in this last part of the season,” he looks ahead.

Other riders could also play a role in the world championship fight without necessarily fighting for the title themselves. Marquez counts Ai Ogura, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Pedro Acosta among them. Ogura missed Aragon due to injury after suffering a fracture to his left hand during training in Japan.

Marquez expects difficult tracks

Marquez therefore does not believe that his comeback in the world championship standings will automatically continue. When asked which of the remaining tracks might suit him the least, he does not want to commit to a specific ranking.

“Race by race” is his motto. However, there is one clear problem track for him: Indonesia. “Historically, Indonesia is the worst track because I have bad memories there every year.” Apart from that, he generally feels comfortable with the remaining circuits.

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Therefore, Marquez does not want to look further ahead than the next race: “Now I have to recover first and then focus on Misano.” The San Marino Grand Prix will be held from September 11 to 13.

Dall’Igna: “The mind will decide”

At Ducati, they know exactly that Marquez’s 37-point weekend was not just a matter of pure speed. Racing boss Gigi Dall’Igna emphasized to Sky Sport Italia after the race how difficult it is to go into a race weekend with such a clearly formulated goal.

“These are the toughest races because when you know you have to come to a place and get 37 points, the pressure naturally increases even more and everything becomes more complicated,” the experienced Ducati boss points to the stakes. However, this additional pressure had no visible effect on Marquez: “For Marc, this is not a problem, and he proved it here.”

Photo gallery: Marc Marquez: His title-deciding races

For Dall’Igna, this mental component could ultimately be even more decisive than the question of which motorcycle has the slightly greater advantage on which track. The Ducati official expects a title fight in which consistency could be more important than the mere number of wins.

“In my opinion, the world championship will be won by the one who keeps a clearer head from now until the end of the year,” explains Dall’Igna. It will be crucial to collect good points every time and avoid mistakes.

The past years have already shown that you do not necessarily have to win eleven races to become world champion: “You have to win a little less but be more consistent and above all score fewer zeros.”

Ducati relies on Marquez’s mental strength

With that, Dall’Igna describes quite precisely the challenge Marquez faces in the remaining nine Grands Prix. The situation has improved significantly after Aragon, but the Spaniard still has to make up points on Martin and at the same time keep Bezzecchi behind him. The top 3 are separated by only 24 points.

Marquez himself therefore consciously speaks only of a “small chance” that he earned in Aragon. “As I said: If we want to have a minimal chance, we must not lose points on a track that is good for us. It was a good track. We got the best out of it.”

Dall’Igna also sees the key less in individual spectacular wins than in the ability to avoid mistakes throughout the entire final phase of the season.

“I believe the most important thing will be the mind,” the Italian confirms. “Whoever keeps a clearer head from now until the end will manage to bring more points to their account.” The 37 points in Aragon were only the first step.

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