Marquez’s Miraculous Recovery and Gresini’s Triumph at Phillip Island: A MotoGP Spectacle

Marc Marquez discusses his comeback from an early setback at Phillip Island

Gresini team member shares thoughts on victory at the Australian Grand Prix

Marc Marquez confesses he's unsure how he managed to bounce back from 13th position at the first turn following a poor beginning in the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix, to immediately climb to the sixth spot.

Marquez triumphed over the championship frontrunner, Jorge Martin, in an exhilarating showdown during the last laps of Sunday's race at Phillip Island, securing his third grand prix win of the year.

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However, the Spanish racer nearly jeopardized his chance to win right at the beginning when he tossed away a tear-off from his visor, which then got caught under his rear tire, causing significant wheelspin as he started.

He fell from his second-place starting position to 13th, yet managed to climb back to sixth by the conclusion of the first lap, eventually securing a victory.

Marc Marquez celebrates his 88th Grand Prix victory 🏆 A standout performance in his career. #MotoGP #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/s39hzlDLWm— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 20, 2024

Talking about the initial lap, Marquez acknowledges he was uncertain about how much he had dropped in the rankings and is also unclear about how he managed to make such a strong comeback.

"Initially, my main focus was to minimize movement because I was aware of the approaching riders," he explained.

"I made an effort to steer clear of any interactions. However, upon reaching the initial turn and noticing [Luca] Marini among others, several Yamahas, and numerous racers ahead, I thought to myself, 'I'm not sure of my position'."

"After the initial turn, and then the next, I found myself back in the sixth spot."

"So, I'm not sure of my actions – I have to watch it again! However, I was focusing on Pecco [Bagnaia] since I was confident I could catch up to him.

"I didn't have my sights set on Jorge initially, but once I noticed he was focusing on his rear tyre management, I thought, ‘Alright, it's time to go all out, utilize my rear tyre to close the gap on him, and then assess the situation towards the end’. And that's exactly how it played out."

Marquez initially surpassed Martin on the 24th lap after Martin veered off course exiting the fourth turn, but Martin quickly regained his position before reaching the first turn on the following lap.

The decisive action occurred on the 25th out of 27 laps when Marquez aggressively maneuvered his GP23 on the interior of Martin at Turn 4, successfully maintaining the bold position.

"He recounted how he was trailing Jorge, strategizing their move for the final five to four laps."

"Subsequently, I took action because of a minor error, and I declared, 'Alright, now it's my turn to take the lead in the race'."

"In that instant, I believed he would remain back. Yet, as we were on the straight stretch, utilizing the slipstream allowed him to pass me. Upon him passing, I realized, 'Alright, it's time to launch a strong offensive.'"

"We made our move at Turn 4, pushing harder in the final two laps. By pushing the tires more, we managed to clock a low 1m28s again, marking a remarkably quick lap."

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