Marc Márquez regains prominence in the French GP: "These are races. Some overtake on the straights, others in the corners."

He has just returned after a month and a half of rest because of a fracture in the right thumb and Marc Márquez already monopolizes all the spotlights of the MotoGP World Championship at the French GP. The Honda driver, as if nothing had happened, sneaked into the front row of the grid at Le Mans (the race, this Sunday: at 14.00, on DAZN) with a new exhibition of combative spirit and pillage. Taking wheel, a strategy for which his rivals increasingly point out, but that he has never hidden, the Cervera achieved a second place behind the Ducati of Pecco Bagnaia. Then, the great reference and leader of the contest had them with him during a race to the 'sprint' vibrant.

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Precisely the Italian, current world champion, criticized on Friday the game of cat and mouse that Marquez uses to overcome the rhythm problems of his mount. "We all know the speed he has. Everyone has their strategy, but the one to take wheel he takes it to another level. If you stand up and put your foot on the ground, he does the same. I don't know what is the reason that leads him to do that, "said the number one, who celebrated with anger and his fist raised the 'pole position'. In Saturday's race, both maintained a duel of traca, plagued by tension and with the ilerdense getting into the head of the number one. "Marc has overtaken me very aggressively and I have lost several positions," complained the Italian in the closed park, without anyone asking him. Although he was able to return the move by pulling power and cold blood to get on the podium, the Ducati prop was annoyed by a touch from Marquez.

In the middle of the troubled river, both the winner, Jorge Martín from Madrid, and Brad Binder, second after starring in another outstanding comeback from tenth place, fished. The 93, with an unexpected pace, but ultimately insufficient, settled for fifth place behind Luca Marini, the brother of Valentino Rossi. "I was going fast, but I didn't feel the bike," Marquez told DAZN's microphones about his feelings on Friday. "Today, with the same bike, exactly the same, it looked different. And it was me, so many days at home are noticeable and little by little I have been gaining confidence, "he added after not taking a street bike in seven weeks.

In training he fell twice for that lack of tact and for the tests of the new chassis of Kalex, an external supplier that seems to open a ray of hope in rhythm and stability for the Honda and that convinced enough to Cervera. "Everything helps," he acknowledged with a sincere smile. However, he was able to sneak into the top ten to fight for pole again, looking for the fastest wheel. The realization of the World Championship, very attentive, captured the angry reaction from the wall of Davide Tardozzi, director of the Ducati team, when they saw on the screen a scare of the Catalan with the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro, with whom he almost collided.

🛑 @PeccoBagnaia isn't having it today #FrenchGP 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/5SwRqzCJb9

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) May 12, 2023

His presence and lack of scruples on the track has made more than one nervous on the asphalt, but the eight-time world champion is hermetic to criticism, at least from the outside. Marquez started the weekend leaving some message to his most significant enemies. "The easy thing is to bait someone when they're down. You have to accept it, be quiet and keep working," he said of the criticism he said after his onslaught on Miguel Oliveira at the Portuguese GP, where he started with pole and podium in the sprint before retiring injured and injured in the long race. "Nobody can talk too much, because if you throw shit at another driver in the next race it can happen to you... Sometimes we go to the limit and make mistakes."

In this guise, Márquez closed Saturday with another open message, this time addressed to the current world champion. "This is racing. Some overtake on the straights, others in the corners, "shot the only driver on the grid who passes the prevailing buenismo. With 12 points and 82 of the championship leader after missing three grands prix, confidence is not lacking to go for all. The rivals, who know him well, are watching anxiously how far he can take the Honda this Sunday.

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