Encouraging himself after finishing second in Spain following an exciting battle with two-time defending champion Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez heads into the French MotoGP. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old isn't yet touting his prospects of winning a seventh world championship. Some people thought his finest days were behind him because of his history of injuries and visual problems in the last few years. However, for Marquez, the way he used his satellite Ducati-Gresini to first earn pole and then hustle Bagnaia to the line in Jerez was just another step toward his comeback.
Since finishing second in the Australian MotoGP in October 2022, it was his best result to date.
"I won, in terms of my plan, in the path I have in my head, and I am getting better and better,".
"Now I must maintain my consistency from the last few races."
After four races, Marquez, whose 59th and final victory came at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in October 2021, is just 32 points behind series leader Jorge Martin.
It's just too early in my opinion," he declared. "That's not to say I don't want to take home the championship, but it's too soon to consider it because I already knew that I would struggle a lot on a few tunes.
Surprisingly, though, Marquez is just little over 30 points behind his fellow countryman Martin, who rides a Ducati-Pramac.
"I am really surprised because I had a terrible start to the campaign," stated the candidate.
That means the race for the title will be really close, we are pushing the envelope, and there will be a lot of zeros.
"For me, it is already a source of pride to be battling with the Ducati leaders."
Bagnaia, a Ducati factory rider, also needed to win at Jerez because he hadn't done it since the season's first round in Qatar. He currently trails Martin by just 17 points.
If he is successful, he would become the first Italian to win three world championships on a bike made in Italy since the illustrious Giacomo Agostini, who won his third of eight titles on the MV Agusta in 1966.
"We always want to win," Bagnaia stated to Speedweek.
"The season is long, and although Jorge Martin got off to a lead early on, I think we can catch up." Every race matters, and we have reduced the distance."
Superstitious to the core, Bagnaia always begins his pre-race ritual with the words "touch the bike, kiss my glove, and tap the tank as it calms me down." He claimed that this year's campaign is reminiscent of the year he won his maiden title.
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