MARC MARQUEZ INSISTS BRITISH GP WAS A “GOOD WEEKEND” DESPITE TYRE AND SHOULDER ISSUES

Marc Marquez’s British Grand Prix weekend delivered plenty of frustration, but the Ducati rider refused to label it as a disaster. After qualifying only sixth, he was in contention during the Sprint, running in a top-five position before rear tyre wear became a decisive problem. The wear was described as the worst among the Ducati riders, and it forced him to drop back to ninth. Pol Espargaro later said Marquez did not look like “the Marc we know” at Silverstone, pointing to tyre degradation that was “already above normal” and explaining that Marquez’s early pace made him pay for the end of the race.

That struggle carried into the race. Marquez was again fighting to stay in the points, but Diogo Moreira nearly pushed him out on the line. In the Grand Prix itself, the late-race slide continued as he began falling backwards in the closing stages, ultimately finishing seventh. Across the weekend, he collected 10 points. Espargaro, who finished 13th as Maverick Viñales’ replacement, said he didn’t see “the Marc we know” because Marquez preserved his tyres, adding: “What you don’t gain at the beginning, you can’t gain at the end either.” He also suggested Marquez had been “holding back throughout the race,” noting that when the rear tyre is expected to “die very abruptly,” it becomes difficult to maintain the explosive style he is known for.

Despite the results, Marquez framed the overall picture positively when asked by DAZN whether the British GP was his “worst” Ducati weekend. He denied the premise and called it a “good weekend.” “Seventh was within the realistic plans,” he said. He added that the bike and tyres had worked well on the day, but he “haven’t been able to get more out of the situation.” Marquez also explained that the optimistic target had been higher: “The optimistic result was fifth, I told Izaskun that on the starting grid. We finished seventh, but it was within the realistic plans.”

When pressed about whether it was his worst weekend since joining the official Ducati team, he responded emphatically: “My worst weekend since joining the official Ducati team? No.” He then pointed to incremental progress, saying, “It has been a good weekend, in which we have taken small steps.” He acknowledged that the results weren’t strong, but insisted, “it has gone well.”

New reporting also raised questions about Marquez’s physical condition. After the race, he admitted: “What I need to try to improve is the strength of my shoulder.” Confidantes spoken to by Simon Patterson’s team suggested Marquez is still “struggling” with the joint, with one quote saying: “Marc is struggling.” The same source claimed Marquez has been “hinting” that things are “not great” and that he is “still not 100% or anywhere close to 100%,” even while saying he is enjoying riding the bike. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi had previously said Marquez wouldn’t be fully fit until September, and Marquez now has until the end of the month to prepare for Aragon, where the schedule tightens with three races in four weekends.