The rider from Gresini Ducati had a tough time in qualifying and didn’t make it past Q1. But in the sprint race, he did really well and finished second.
On Sunday, Marquez started slowly. It took him 17 laps to reach the top three riders, Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia. Even though he finished second, Marquez said he wasn’t sure he could win once he caught up to them.
“I was very tired when I caught up to them,” Marquez said after getting his second podium of 2024 in Gresini’s 1000th GP. “I was pushing the whole race, no time to relax. When I tried to attack, I didn’t feel good on the bike. Pecco [Bagnaia] was also fast, so it was hard to find a way past him because he was defending well in Turn 3.
“But on the last lap, I thought, ‘I’ll try anyway.’ I got a good exit from Turn 8, and in Turn 9, I made my move. I managed to brake well.”
Marquez thinks he could have won the French GP if he hadn’t been stuck in a tough battle for third with VR46 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio.
“That fight was strange because sometimes you need to know where you are in the race,” he said. “We lost time in that chicane due to contact. I had already passed him, but then we lost time. But I forgot about it and kept going. We were very fast.
“If I hadn’t been in that battle, I would have had a better chance because I would have had more laps to catch up. But getting second place today was still great.”
