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Marquez and Honda "missing something" despite dominant wins

MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez believes he is still “missing something” with his Honda bike, despite having scored comfortable back-to-back wins in Austin and Jerez.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

On the back of a dominant win from pole at COTA, Marquez charged through from fifth to record his second premier-class Spanish GP victory, establishing a 12-point buffer in the standings over nearest rival Johann Zarco.

But having crashed in FP2, FP4 and Sunday warm-up, Marquez says he will use Monday's MotoGP test at Jerez to work on the front end of his Honda.

“Like we see this weekend, I struggle a little bit,” Marquez admitted. “I was so comfortable but we are missing something in the front, and I want to try something tomorrow, because I crash three times.

“Still I'm missing something and I want to understand well.”

Marquez said the Spanish GP was “not a race about speed”, but a race where being “precise” and making “the correct decision in every lap” proved key.

“I was clever in the beginning to overtake the riders, because [it] was so difficult, and then I realised that was nearly impossible to overtake [Jorge] Lorenzo,” Marquez said.

“He was braking so late, exiting so well from the corners, but then I was a little bit passionate, and then when I saw his tyres start to drop, I say 'okay, now it's time to lead the race and open a gap'.”

He gave credit to Lorenzo for holding off his Honda works teammate Dani Pedrosa, a three-time Spanish GP winner who Marquez felt was his “main worry” for the race.

Having passed Lorenzo for the lead, Marquez managed to break away, but not before catching a big slide at the Turn 12 right-hander – where gravel had been chucked onto the racing line by the crashing Marc VDS Honda of Tom Luthi.

“I don't know how I was [still] on the bike,” he said. “We arrive there around 220, 240 [km/h] more or less, and when I saw many stones on the track, was too late.

“And then both wheels slide, but I was able to stay on the bike.”

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