The Odyssey of Marquez and Bagnaia at Silverstone
Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia experienced the worst weekend of the year upon returning from vacation. At Silverstone, the Spanish champion scored ten points (one on Saturday, nine on Sunday), while “Pecco” had an even worse weekend, finishing 17th in the Sprint and crashing in the GP.
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Between physical suffering and a layout that did not suit the GP26 well (while it favored the Aprilias), both Marquez and Bagnaia had anticipated a difficult weekend. What happened during the three days at Silverstone, however, went beyond their worst expectations.
During the Sprint, both Marquez and Bagnaia suffered a vertical collapse of the soft rear tire, which affected the Ducatis much more than the Aprilias. For the Piedmont rider, who had a poor qualifying, the weekend was already compromised, while the Spaniard slowed down significantly, losing points. And in the Borgo Panigale team garage, as revealed by the Inside Ducati video published on the team’s social channels, Marquez described very effectively the problems encountered during the ten laps at Silverstone.
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Marquez’s Words
“The rear tire was incredible. Starting from lap 3 it collapsed, it was impossible to ride. When I opened the throttle it was like having a wet tire, it had never happened to me before. I can’t even say where to improve,” this was Marquez’s comment. Bagnaia shared the same words: “You had to ride like on wet, touching the throttle as gently as possible.”
Marquez and Bagnaia also endured a physically painful weekend. The Spaniard admitted he still has problems with his right arm (“I couldn’t control it”), while “Pecco” expected a much faster recovery from the surgery for compartment syndrome and carpal tunnel in his right forearm. Number 63 raced with painkillers both Saturday and Sunday but did not make excuses, admitting that the most evident difficulties were technical, with very poor grip and problems with corner entry under braking.
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