Marc Márquez has made a remarkable comeback in the MotoGP championship, and his rivals are now acknowledging that he was 'much better last year'. The nine-time world champion has gone from 102 points off the championship lead to just 18 heading into the summer break.
What happened?
Marc Márquez's resurgence has been fueled by the mistakes of his rivals, particularly Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi was a firm title favorite with three wins to open the campaign and another at his home Italian Grand Prix on May 31. However, since then, it's all been downhill for the Italian rider. He was taken out by teammate Jorge Martin in Hungary, followed by an exclusion from the Czech Grand Prix for a shocking attack on a track marshal. His composure has now completely disappeared, resulting in a collarbone-breaking crash at the Dutch Grand Prix, which took him out of the race and also the Sachsenring, dropping him to fourth in the championship.
Why it matters for Marc Márquez
Ducati manager Davide Tardozzi pointed out a painful truth to the rest of the grid: Marc Márquez was 'much better last year'. Tardozzi attributed Márquez's struggles to a crash in Indonesia and another crash at Le Mans, which revealed an underlying problem that the team thought had been resolved over the winter. Márquez himself has admitted that his rivals deserve as much blame for his resurgence as he deserves credit. Speaking after another win at the German Grand Prix, he said, "I've done very well, but I haven't done anything special. I'm simply trying to give my all when it matters. But I'm in this position more because of the mistakes of others than because of myself."
What comes next?
Current championship leader Jorge Martin is aware of the challenge ahead of him. Speaking after finishing fifth in the German Grand Prix and sixth in the sprint, Martin said, "I'm happy to be leading the World Championship, but if I keep racing like this, the lead won't last long. I'm leading more because of other riders' mistakes than my own successes. The challenge of beating the best rider in history is enormous; if I can fight him until the end, that will be incredible." With the momentum fully with Márquez, it remains to be seen how the rest of the season will play out.
Márquez's resurgence has sent shockwaves through the MotoGP paddock, and his rivals are now acknowledging that he was 'much better last year'. The question on everyone's mind is: can Márquez continue his winning streak and surpass Valentino Rossi's joint premier class record this season with his eighth crown in MotoGP?