Marquez resigned to Honda deficit for rest of 2017

Marquez managed to finish on the podium at Assen, narrowly beating satellite LCR rider Cal Crutchlow and Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso on the final lap in an intense final-lap battle.

The Spaniard said post-race he was not pushing as much as he could have, conscious of not wanting to record a third non-finish of the season, and was not prepared to take the same risks as Valentino Rossi and Danilo Petrucci ahead.

It means Marquez lies fourth in the standings, 11 points behind new leader Dovizioso. But the 24-year-old seems to be convinced that his factory Honda will not be getting any significant upgrades soon.

“I don’t expect big changes [from Honda] before next year," he said. "I hope to manage this situation in the best way possible and let’s see if next year can be a good season for us."

Marquez has been complaining about a lack of acceleration for a year and a half, something he has to make up by taking big risks under braking - a possible explanation of why he suffered 13 falls during the first eight races.

In contrast with Honda, Yamaha brought two new chassis for Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales to try during post-race testing at Barcelona. Both riders went on to race the new frames at Assen.

“We had a test in Montmelo but we didn’t try anything because we didn’t have anything new," said Marquez. "We will have another one this summer in Brno, let’s see if there we can find something.

“On Friday, riding behind Valentino, I realised from the first moment that he was using the new chassis, because I noticed he was riding differently. On the entry of the corner they have gained something.

"In this area is where we used to make a difference. Now we are at the same level and it is true that they’ve done a step forward, but we still believe in ourselves."

Translation by Irene Aneas