“Saved” Catalan weekend “important” for Alex Marquez’s MotoGP future

Marquez had a heavy crash during FP4 on Saturday and suffered a mild concussion, which meant he couldn’t compete in qualifying.

Though he was cleared fit to ride in Sunday’s race, the LCR rider had to come from last on the grid but took the chequered flag in 10th.

With Marquez’s MotoGP future uncertain at LCR and Honda, he admits that every result now is “important” for him.

“Excellent, no. We are far from excellent,” he said of his race. I would put 6 [out of 10] on our race.

“It was good, not excellent. We saved the weekend more or less, we saved starting from the back of the grid.

“I was just trying to give my 100% every lap and just try to enjoy.

“That’s it. I tried to manage the soft rear tyre, which for me was the only choice I was planning on using for the race.

“HRC came to me asking 100 times if I was sure, Michelin, everybody.

“I was pretty sure because with the medium and hard it was impossible to ride the bike on the entry. It was the only point to have it. So we saved a really difficult weekend.

“Every result now is important for my future, for everything.

“As I said, I will try to keep going like this, try to keep improving the Honda and help the HRC factory.”

Alex Marquez, Team LCR Honda, Team LCR Honda

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez’s LCR teammate Takaaki Nakagami was embroiled in the controversy in Barcelona after he triggered an accident involving Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia and Suzuki’s Alex Rins – the latter suffering a fractured left wrist.

Nakagami had to be kept in hospital overnight having hit Bagnaia’s bike with his face, but escaped injury.

The Japanese rider’s place at LCR is also under threat for 2023, with Moto2 frontrunner Ai Ogura in line to take his seat.

Jack Miller had been linked to Marquez’s LCR seat for next year, but is now set to join the factory KTM squad.