Marquez shows his speed and fights for podium in 1000th Grand Prix

France : The Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez starred in a thrilling French GP, battling until the very end for the podium and showing the #93 is well and truly back. For Joan Mir, small mistakes ended a race with huge potential after a strong start.

Saturday’s electric atmosphere was only amplified as a record-breaking crowd of over 116,000 descended on the Le Mans circuit for race day. These fans would not leave disappointed as the most thrilling race of the year quickly erupted – Marc Marquez playing a leading role as he fought with his characteristic determination for every place on his return to the grid.

From second on the grid, the #93 immediately put himself into contention for the lead as he battled with Jack Miller in the opening laps. The pair continually traded places and fought fiercely as other riders loomed in the background. Marquez was briefly pushed out of podium contention as he and Bezzecchi ran wide, but quickly found his way back into the top three. As drama unfolded behind him, Marquez turned his attentions to Jorge Martin and the top three.

The pair began another awe-inspiring battle in the second half of the race as Marquez slid his Honda RC213V around the French circuit, defending second place in spectacular style. A moment coming out of Turn 6 would put the eight-time World Champion on the wrong line into Turn 7, resulting in a fall. Walking away unharmed, Marquez was disappointed not to walk away with a reward for the weekend’s work but content with the performance he produced.

Joan Mir had a lightning start to the 27-lap French GP and found himself in 11th on the first lap. Battling with home-heroes Zarco and Quartararo, he and the Repsol Honda Team machine were showing well in the opening laps and closing in on the top ten. Unfortunately, a mistake a few laps later dropped the #36 back and outside the points before a crash ended his race. Despite this, Mir leaves France with a positive feeling after a setup change saw him greatly improve his race pace.

 

Marc Marquez (DNF)

“I am really happy with the race today; I was able to ride like I rode a long time ago and I was really able to enjoy being on the bike. Unfortunately, the final result is not what we wanted, but I spent the whole race fighting and pushing the limit. We have had a really busy weekend doing a lot of work and a podium would have been a great reward, especially for my team who have continued to work at their maximum. We still need to find a bit more to fight like this every weekend. In terms of the crash, I fell at Turn 7 but it started at Turn 6 when I had a lot of shaking and I didn’t arrive with the perfect line. I think we had a real MotoGP race today; it was a great show for all the fans who came here this weekend.”

 

Joan Mir (DNF)

“I made a really good start to the race and I was able to ride comfortably in the opening laps. When you are battling with the top ten and in a big group, there’s a really big slipstream effect and it becomes harder to stop the bike. I stood the bike up to avoid hitting Aleix and this is where the mistake came from and I lost the group. Then I tried some different things with the bike and I unfortunately fell. But I was able to ride in low 32s, this is really important and the thing that we have to focus on. We take these positives, study everything well and prepare for the next race.”

 

MotoGP 2023 Round 5 – French Grand Prix Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 BEZZECCHI MARCO 72 ITA 25 Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 41’37.970
2 MARTIN JORGE 89 SPA 20 Pramac Racing Ducati 4.256
3 ZARCO JOHANN 5 FRA 16 Pramac Racing Ducati 4.795
4 FERNANDEZ AUGUSTO 37 SPA 13 Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing KTM 6.281
5 ESPARGARO ALEIX 41 SPA 11 Aprilia Racing Aprilia 6.726
6 BINDER BRAD 33 RSA 10 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 13.638
7 QUARTARARO FABIO 20 FRA 9 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 15.023
8 DI GIANNANTONIO FABIO 49 ITA 8 Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati 15.826
9 NAKAGAMI TAKAAKI 30 JPN 7 LCR Honda Honda 16.37
10 MORBIDELLI FRANCO 21 ITA 6 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 17.828
11 PETRUCCI DANILO 9 ITA 5 Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 29.735
12 SAVADORI LORENZO 32 ITA 4 RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia 36.135
13 FOLGER JONAS 94 GER 3 Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing KTM 49.808
14 MARQUEZ MARC 93 SPA DNF Repsol Honda Team Honda DNF
15 MILLER JACK 43 AUS DNF Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM DNF
16 RINS ALEX 42 SPA DNF LCR Honda Honda DNF
17 MIR JOAN 36 SPA DNF Repsol Honda Team Honda DNF
18 MARINI LUCA 10 ITA DNF Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati DNF
19 MARQUEZ ALEX 73 SPA DNF Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati DNF
20 BAGNAIA FRANCESCO 1 ITA DNF Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati DNF
21 VINALES MAVERICK 12 SPA DNF Aprilia Racing Aprilia DNF

 

Rider standings

Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor
1 BAGNAIA FRANCESCO 1 ITA 94 Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati
2 BEZZECCHI MARCO 72 ITA 93 Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati
3 BINDER BRAD 33 RSA 81 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM
4 MARTIN JORGE 89 SPA 80 Pramac Racing Ducati
5 ZARCO JOHANN 5 FRA 66 Pramac Racing Ducati
6 MARINI LUCA 10 ITA 54 Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati
7 VINALES MAVERICK 12 SPA 49 Aprilia Racing Aprilia
8 QUARTARARO FABIO

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