As soon as the race started, it was possible to see how a motorcycle was stopped in the middle of the grid and, quickly, it was identified that it was that of Marc Márquez, who started ninth, from the third row, and was overtaken by up to ten racers before his Honda RC213V reacted to the lack of power.
From there, Márquez began a crazy comeback that took him to sixth position, breaking the track’s fastest lap record that was eventually lowered by the race winner, Enea Bastianini.
Although the Spaniard arrived in Austin after missing the last two races and overcoming a new episode of double vision, no one doubts that without the problem of the start, he would have fought for victory.
“I never like to say that if I hadn’t had the problem at the start I would have been able to win, but I had the pace to win, to win or to fight for victory. To be on the podium, for sure”, admitted the Honda rider.
“Everything comes together, when it’s not one thing, it’s the other, we’ve had a mechanical problem on the bike, Honda is investigating what happened,” he said.
“I was on the grid and I’ve already seen a strange message on the screen, the bike was not going well until I passed the first corner, then the holeshot in front was deactivated and everything worked normally,” he said.
“That’s where we started our career, we started to pass riders, coming back, it was a good race, when you start so far back there’s no management, you give everything and that’s what I’ve done”.
However, in the final part of the race, scheduled for 20 long laps, the Catalan paid for the effort.
“In the absence of five or six laps the body has said enough and there I have dedicated myself to finishing and taking the points for sixth place, the important thing is that I come out better than how I arrived,” he revealed.
A week ago nobody knew if Márquez was going to be able to be in Austin, but the runner wanted to go to his talisman circuit to test himself.
“I have had a solid weekend, risking just enough, what was necessary when it was time, making few fast laps, I wanted to have a solid weekend and I have achieved it, pity the mechanical problem at the start. But the important thing is that we have reacted Well, I was the last one and I have reached Fabio Quartararo and I have fought with him”.
“I have gained confidence, which is what I was looking for in this circuit that I like so much”.
Finally, the Catalan sent a message to the HRC engineers.
“We have found the weak point of the bike and Honda must start working from tomorrow to improve it for the next races,” he concluded.
